How to Calculate Drinks for a Party
Buying enough drinks for a party without getting stuck with a huge tab for leftover mixers, beer, wine and spirits that don't reflect your own tastes can be a challenge. Running out of beverages before you want the party to wind down can be embarrassing, especially if your party begins on a Saturday evening. Knowing what and how much to buy to stock your bar is the key to a party's success. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Make a list of all the beverages that you know your intended guests will drink. Include nonalcoholic beverages such as tea, coffee and soft drinks. Write the total number of people who are most likely to prefer each drink next to each beverage on the list.
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Multiply the number of people who prefer each drink by two. Fairfield, Ohio, party planner Kimberley Wind and Sacramento, California, party planner Liane Pifer agree this is the number of drinks most guests will consume in the first hour. WhattoExpect.com editor at large and Glamour wedding columnist Meredith Bodgas advises party guests to consume only four drinks over four to five hours to avoid offending the hosts.
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Multiply the total number of guests by how many additional hours you expect your event to last. Wind, Bodgas and Pifer agree that most guests will have one drink per hour after the first two drinks. Add this number to the initial number of drinks from the previous step. For example, if you have 20 guests, they will have at least 40 drinks in the first hour. If your party lasts three more hours, they will consume another 60 drinks, for a total of at least 100 drink servings.
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Divide the total number of servings of each beverage you need by the total number of servings per bottle, can, urn, carafe, box or keg, using one of the charts from Reason to Party or Great Party Recipes. For example, if you know that 10 of your guests drink vodka, and your event lasts four hours, they will drink at least five shots each, plus mixers. You will need at least 50 shots of vodka, which means a minimum of two fifths, quarts or liters. If you are not a vodka drinker yourself and do not want leftovers, buy the fifths, which will provide exactly 50 servings, rather than the quarts, which will provide 64 servings, or the liters, which will provide 66 servings.
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Double or triple the number of servings of nonalcoholic beverages to account for mixers and people who switch from alcoholic to nonalcoholic options halfway through the party.
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Tips & Warnings
Mixers are used to fill a glass or reach a designated mark once you have added the ice and alcohol, according to William Serrano's website, All Info About Cocktails. If you have an 8-ounce glass filled with ice and a shot of alcohol, you will only have room for 4 to 6 ounces of mixer.
Compare prices for single-serve canned and bottled drinks versus fifth, quart, two and three-liter, gallon, box and keg options for each beverage, according to availability. Include estimates from beverage companies, warehouse clubs, grocery chains and state liquor stores.
You can be held liable if your guests injure themselves or others driving while intoxicated. Using mixers with wine and spirits helps prevent your guests from consuming excessive amounts of alcohol and helps lower your total beverage costs. Hiring a professional bartender may also help you limit your guest's alcohol consumption without causing offense.
References
- Photo Credit drinks image by cherie from Fotolia.com
