Need help planning that special party??

When it comes to party beverages nothing is set in stone. The following is a useful guide devised by our staff to help give you an idea of how much alcohol you will need to keep everyone happy at your party.

* All events are figured by the amount of people, nature of the event, and duration of party.

Wedding Receptions (50 guests at 3 hours)

Sparkling Wine/Champagne

Expect to get a lot of bubbly for the big day. A 750ML bottle of sparkling wine/champagne (standard size) will give you 5 glasses at 5 oz pours… which is a typical champagne flute. So if you have 50 guests you will need to get at least 10 bottles just to cover the celebratory toast to the couple. If you plan on anyone even considering having more than a single glass you should play it safe and get a full case (12 bottles). We suggest to get extra just in case.

 

Beer

The next big thing is beer. Kegs are a great way to supply beer to larger gatherings. A 1/2 barrel keg (the larger keg) will give you 165 drinks in 12 oz glasses. Pony keg 1/4 barrel will give you 83 12 oz glasses. If you don’t want to mess with deposits and equipment 20 packs of bottled beer are the next popular choice. Expect to get a least 5 or 6 of those to satisfy most of your guests.

 

Distilled Spirits

Next would be spirits. A 1.75L will give you around 39 shots at 1 1/2 oz pours. So if you anticipate some liquor drinkers that should be helpful. You know your friends and family better than we do so this guide should be able to help you tailor your reception to make it successful.

Dinner parties (20 guests at 3 hours)

Dinner parties are a fun and tasteful way to essentially hang out with friends or show them your new place. This is one of the few events where beer typically takes the back seat and lets wine take over.

 

We recommend choosing pre-dinner, at dinner (wines that would compliment their food) and post-dinner wines like dessert wines to give their party a little extra. A 750ML bottle of wine will give you 5 glasses at 5oz pours. If a single guest enjoys one glass every 30 minutes than they will need 6 glasses for 3 hours. So you will need to figure roughly a bottle per person. Most people will always get extra wine just to make sure they don’t run out. If your party runs longer you will need to figure a bottle and a 1/2 per person. A lot of people also enjoy spirits after dinner so select which type and use this as a guideline. You will get 16 shots of liquor from a 750ML so adjust accordingly.

Birthday & Anniversary Parties

Most birthday and anniversary parties focus on lighter drinks such as beer and champagne/sparkling wines. People offer their congratulations, chat politely and have a few drinks. In these events its best to keep it simple. Such as sticking to 1 or 2 different types of beer and bubbly. 3 cases (at 24 bottles case) would be the minimum to supply yourself with beer. Then roughly a half case (6 bottles) of champagne prednisone to toast.

 

If you anticipate a longer party it would be wise to figure 4 drinks a person. Again, you know your guests better than we do so adjust accordingly. If you know your guests would enjoy cocktails over a brew than use this as a guide. 1LT of liquor will dispense roughly 22 proper ounce and a half shots. Your friends and family would more than likely have no problem telling you which type of beverage they would prefer.