You've been tasked with buying alcohol for a party, but you have no idea how much you need to buy. Do you buy one bottle of wine for every two people? Or maybe you just buy a case of beer and call it a day. If you've ever found yourself standing in front of the liquor store, scratching your head and trying to figure out how much alcohol you need to buy for your party, this blog post is for you. We now have dietary restrictions, allergies, and various things to consider – this is not an easy task!
How Many Drinks Will Your Guests consume? Are you having a light-hearted get-together where people will only have one or two drinks? Is it during the day, during the week, or on a weekend evening? Obviously, the amount of alcohol you need to buy will depend on how many drinks your guests will be having. To get an idea of how much alcohol your guests will drink, ask yourself the following questions: -What type of party are you having? -Who is invited to the party? -What time of day is the party taking place? -Will there be food at the party – food typically indicates a party of longer duration, hence more beverages being consumed. Answering these questions should give you a better idea of how much alcohol your guests will drink and, as a result, how much alcohol you need to buy.
So, you’ve determined the size of your party and how long it will last. This will help you calculate how much alcohol you need to buy. Keep in mind that most people drink between 1 and 2 drinks per hour. So, if you have 20 people at your party, you should plan on buying enough alcohol for 40 drinks. Next, you need to decide what kind of alcohol you want to buy. If you're not sure what your guests will like, it's always safe to go with a variety of options, including beer, wine, and liquor. You can also ask your guests in advance if they have any particular preferences – easy for smaller get-togethers. Once you've decided what kind of alcohol to buy, it's time to start shopping! Here’s some helpful guidelines with an example:
Party of 20 people on a Saturday night – no particular occasion, just fun, maybe Burgers and Dogs, with some basic sides for food. 6 – 10pm.
So, 4 hours of time, 20 people, that’s between 80 and 160 drinks – lets take the average – 120 drinks. There will be some DDs, non-drinkers, and light drinkers – there’s always some people that hit the other end of the spectrum as well!
A bottle of wine has 4-5 pours
A bottle of liquor contains roughly 15 pours (25.4 oz. in a 750ml bottle)
Canned beverages are simple – however a standard ½ Barrel (keg) is 150, 12 oz. beers, while a 1/6 log is 50, 12oz beers.
Want to save money? Go with a Keg instead of cans and bottles, choose box wine over bottled wine, and grab the 1.75L (half gallon or “handles”) bottles of liquor instead of the .750’s (referred to as a “fifth” for any Eminem fans).
Finally, don't forget about non-alcoholic options! It's always a good idea to have some non-alcoholic beverages on hand for designated drivers or anyone who doesn't drink alcohol. Water and soda are always good options, but boring! We have plenty of fun non-alcoholic options at Maximum Beverage, including beer, mock-tails, and CBD seltzers.
When in doubt --- COME SEE US or Call any of our locations for a quick consult over the phone – you can even send us your budget and we can do the shopping for you!
Cheers!
