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We’ve planned hundreds of parties for our loyal friends over the years (from graduations to wedding receptions to retirement parties to wakes – the full circle of life) and have learned quite a few tricks of the trade. The following is our step-by-step guide to help you plan the perfect party – including suggested quantities and product recommendations so that you can wow your guests without breaking the bank.
The old adage of white wine being more popular than red wine has changed. People today are drinking as much, if not more red wine at parties than white wine. Of course, you need to consider the time of day of the event, what food you’re serving and the climate of the party setting. I like to plan equal amounts of white & red wine, unless there is some significant factor that would skew the ratio i.e. a Sunday Brunch party or a warm weather, poolside affair.
Stock up on plenty of ice. You'll need it for chilling bottles of wine or champagne as well as serving in drinks on the rocks. A good rule of thumb is to have 1-pound of ice per guest.
Be prepared with an assortment of glass styles to cover the type of drinks you plan to serve. These include: good-quality wine glasses for wines (rent them if you have to); straight-sided highballs for tall drinks; tumblers for spirits and juices; and martini glasses.
Have twice as many glasses on hand as guests.
Don't forget to stock up on mixers including: fruit juices (orange, grapefruit, cranberry & pineapple), club soda, tonic, ginger ale, cola, tomato juice & plenty of lemons and limes. You may need to add other items, depending on the types of cocktails that you choose to serve.
If you’re serving wine, uncork a few bottles of each offering in advance. It will not only save you time when your guests arrive, but help you to identify if any of the wine is “corked” or off. Decant the red wine, especially if its “big” and needs some time to open up.
Consider hiring a bartender to mix the drinks for your party. It will allow you more time to socialize with your guests. Many caterers also offer bartending services.
As party supplies go, bottled spirits will probably be your greatest expense (unless you raid the wine cellar). My advice is to buy the very best spirits that your budget will permit. Your guests will recognize & appreciate your effort.
Have coffee available for any guests that may need a little assistance at the end of the party. Also, the number of the local yellow cab. Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. Remember, you want all of your guests to make it home safe & sound.
FAQ #1: How many drinks should I plan on serving at my party?
Every type of party that you host will have different drink requirements and consumption amounts. Themed parties will be more drink specific than others; day parties will vary from evening affairs. I have tried to provide some round numbers to use when planning. The following table assumes that you’re entertaining 10 guests. If your guest list quantity varies, simply multiply or divide accordingly. Each column below represents the cumulative amount of drinks you should plan to pour for each event. For example, if you’re having a lunch party, you should plan on pouring 15 Cocktails or Glasses of Wine prior to Lunch and 15 Glasses of Wine with lunch.
Lunch Party,
Daytime Shower
15 Cocktails or Glasses of Wine pre-Lunch and
15 Glasses of Wine with lunch
Cocktail Party
20 Cocktails / Highballs and
20 Glasses of Wine (for the first 2 hours, then 15 Drinks per hour thereafter)
Dinner Party
20 Cocktails or Wine pre-dinner and
20 Glasses of Wine with dinner and
10 Liqueurs / Sherry after dinner
Liquor Your liquor stock really depends on what you plan to serve. Assuming that you’ll want to make the most commonly requested cocktails, this is a basic list. I suggest that you start with this lineup and add to your stock as necessary. 750 ml bottles will suffice, however if you want to save some money, consider 1 liter or 1.75 liter-sized bottles. Recommended brands are listed in Red for Classic Selections and Blue for Splurge selections.
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Bourbon (Makers Mark / Blanton’s)
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Canadian Whiskey (Crown Royal / Crown Royal Reserve)
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Rum (Mount Gay Eclipse / Rhum Barbancourt 5 Year Old)
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Tequila (Stock Silver, Reposado & Anejo, if your budget allows. See Glossary)
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Silver (Milagro / Chinaco)
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Reposado (Milagro / Corzo)
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Anejo (Sauza Commemorativo / Corazon Anejo)
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Blended Scotch Whiskey (Dewars / Chivas Regal)
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Amaretto (Lazzaroni / Lazzaroni)
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Orange Liqueur (Grand Marnier / Extase XO)
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Brandy (Maison Surrene Petite / Delamain XO)
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Gin (Tanqueray / Tanqueray Ten)
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Dark Rum (Gosling’s / Zaya 12 Year Old)
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Vodka (Three Olives / Grey Goose)
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Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Glenlivet / Macallan 12 Year Old)
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Irish Cream (Bailey’s / Bailey’s)
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Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua / Kahlua)
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Sweet Vermouth (Martini & Rossi / Noilly Prat)
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Triple Sec (Hiram Walker / Marie Brizard)
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Dry Vermouth (Martini & Rossi / Noilly Prat)
Mixers Stocking mixers is like stocking your alcohol. It really depends on what you plan to serve. The list below will prepare you for most requested cocktails.
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Orange Juice
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Pineapple Juice
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Tomato Juice
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Bloody Mary Mix
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Lime Juice
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Simple Syrup
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Tabasco Sauce
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Tonic
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Ginger Ale
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Half & Half
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Mineral Water
(Both still & sparkling)
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Cranberry Juice
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Grapefruit Juice
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Sweet & Sour Mix
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Angostura Bitters
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Grenadine
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Worcestershire Sauce
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Club soda
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Cola
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Diet Cola
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Milk
Garnishes Use fresh fruit for your garnishes. Again, it depends on what you plan to make, but this will prepare you for most cocktails. You can use your imagination and add fresh fruits, candies, sprinkles, or even tiny umbrellas to give your own touch to your concoctions.
FAQ #5: Any suggestions on appetizers? How many should I prepare? How many choices should I offer? What about cheese & pate? What size platters should I offer?
For a cocktail party of 2-3 hours, plan on 12 appetizers per person. A dinner party would dictate 6 appetizers per person.
A fairly standard formula that many caterers use to determine how many appetizers are needed per recipe is as follows:
12 pieces per person multiplied by the # of people attending divided by the number of different appetizers
For example, if you have 12 people at your cocktail party, the formula would look like this:
12 pieces per person x 12 people attending / 3 different appetizers = 48 appetizers per recipe
You should follow this standard guideline when determining how many types of appetizers to serve:
8 to 10 guests, serve 3 types of appetizers
12 to 16 guests, serve 4 or 5 types of appetizers
18 to 30 guests, serve 6 types of appetizers
32 to 46 guests, serve 7 types of appetizers)
46+ guests, serve 8 types
Having an equal number of hot & cold appetizers is not only desirable, but it makes it easier to serve – while a hot appetizer is heating in the oven, a cold one can be circulating, keeping everyone noshing away happily.
As for cheese & pate, please click here to see our full line of offerings.
