Choosing what beverages to serve and how much you need can be a tedious job. Here are some helpful tips:
Liquor: How Many Bottles?
No matter how often one entertains, there's always the question, 'How many bottles of liquor do we need?" Using the following measurements as a guide, one is able to judge the number of drinks per person. The average guest will have two or three drinks, or figure roughly one drink every half hour per person. A good rule of thumb in gauging how much champagne is required is to figure one bottle for every two people. For a large group and a long reception, it's better to use small glasses (6 oz. or 8 oz.), because people frequently set a glass down and forget where they put it. For this reason, for a long reception with dancing and so forth, you will need about three glasses per person.
Table of Liquor Equivalents
If You're
Entertaining |
|
Pre-Dinner Cocktails
You'll Average |
Amount
Needed |
|
For a Party
You'll Average |
Amount
Needed |
| 4 People |
|
8 to 12 drinks |
one fifth |
|
12 to 16 drinks |
one fifth |
| 6 People |
|
12 to 18 drinks |
two fifths |
|
18 to 24 drinks |
two fifths |
| 8 People |
|
16 to 24 drinks |
two fifths |
|
24 to 32 drinks |
two fifths |
| 12 People |
|
24 to 36 drinks |
three fifths |
|
36 to 48 drinks |
three fifths |
| 20 People |
|
40 to 60 drinks |
four fifths |
|
60 to 80 drinks |
five fifths |
| 30 People |
|
60 to 90 drinks |
five fifths |
|
90 to 120 drinks |
seven fifths |
| 40 People |
|
80 to 120 drinks |
eight fifths |
|
120 to 160 drinks |
ten fifths |
| 60 People |
|
120 to 180 drinks |
twelve fifths |
|
180 to 240 drinks |
fifteen fifths |
| 80 People |
|
160 to 240 drinks |
sixteen fifths |
|
240 to 320 drinks |
twenty fifths |
|
Wine: Serving Temperatures
The wine serving temperature can greatly influence the taste of a wine. Serving wine cool can help to mask the flaws seen in young or cheap wines, whereas serving wine warmer can allow the bouquet and complexity to be expressed, which is ideal for aged and expensive wines. Lower temperatures also repress the 'bite' that alcohol can give in lighter bodied wines. Click here for a table showing ideal wine serving temperatures.
Generally refrigerators are set too cold (38-40°F) for white wines and modern day room temperature (66-70°F) is too warm for reds. However, specialized equipment, beyond a good wine thermometer, isn't always necessary: a few minutes of either letting a white stand to release some of the chill or chilling a red for 15 minutes can work wonders. Wine serving temperature chart from Wikipedia.org.
Helpful Hints to Ensure Enough for Your Party
|
Champagne
1 case (12 fifths) serves 50 people (82 drinks).
Champagne fountain will operate with as little as 3 bottles of champagne and as much has 5 gallons.
Liquor
Plan an approximately two drinks per hour, per person. There are 21 to 28 drinks per quart of liquor. Taste preferences today are: Vodka, Scotch, Gin, Bourbon.
Punch
One gallon of punch serves approximately 24 persons (32 - 3oz. drinks with ice).
Cocktail Napkins
Plan approximately two to three napkins per person for a three hour party.
Coffee
One pound of coffee serves 60 to 80 cups.
More tips and suggestions can be found on our wedding reception ideas page.
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