Cocktail Party Planning Tips - By: MS HUtchins

Sooner or later, one of the great challenges that
home bar owners face, is planning cocktail
parties.As the number of guests increase, so do
the challenges involved with planning the party.
Consequently, this article will focus on planning
a large cocktail party featuring between 40-50
invited guests. The "rule of thumb" is to plan on
having each guest consuming approximately 4
beverages. I say "beverages" because they could
be bottles of beer or non-alcoholic beverages in
addition to wine and mixed drinks.

We'll start with our suggestions about types
and quantities of liquor. Generally youll want
more Vodka than Gin. We suggest 2 1.75 liters of
Vodka and one of Gin. One liter of Scotch should
do the trick and 2 bottles of Rum, preferably one
dark and one light. Tequila has dramatically
increased in popularity, so you'll want at least
2 liters. More, if you plan on featuring
Margaritas. A bottle of Canadian Whiskey and
Bourbon should do nicely. For the Martini
drinkers, you'll need 2 bottles of Vermouth,(one
sweet and one dry). It always handy to have a
small bottle of Brandy or Cognac,( one pint)

You'll need to have plenty of Wine and beer.
In many circles wine is far more popular than
mixed drinks. Five bottles of red wine should be
adequate. Merlots and Cabernets are popular
choices. As far as white wine, 4 bottles should
be enough. Most of the white wines should be
Chardonnays and Pinot Grigios. You'll want 4
cases of assorted beers, (light beers, Pilsners,
Lagers and Ales).

The non alcohol drinkers will want 6 liters
of Coca-Cola and 3 liters of 7-Up. The Gin and
Vodka drinkers will need 4 liters of tonic water
and a csae of sparkling water. Don't forget a
case of spring water as well. For fruit mixers, 6
small cans of grapefruit juice and the same
amount of cranberry juice will be needed. Fresh
orange juice is always a big hit, so keep 2
liters on hand. Finally, have enough coffee for 6
pots, and a quart of cream.

Needless to say, you'll need plenty of
supplies in addition to the beverages. Make
totally sure that you have an average of 1 lb of
ice per guest. A dozen lemons and a dozen limes,
along with bottles of cocktail olives and
Mararchino cherries. Last, but not least, have
cocktail onions,(one jar), plenty of stir sticks
and straws. Oops! you'll need cocktail napkins
aplenty!

Did we forget anything? I'm sure we did. It's
obvious that you'll need plenty of appropriate
glassware and shot glasses. And, for heaven's
sake, don't leave out the wine opener! Hopefully
these suggestions will make your cocktail party a
big success. You'll be glad that you have a home
bar with plenty of storage and ample serving area.
Most of all, have fun, and remember that it's
better to have too much of something than too
little!

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About the Author

Michael Hutchins has created his online store, http://www.home-bars-and-more.com to be fun, "one- stop" shopping for all your home bar needs. It's a great place to browse around, so go ahead and visit right now!

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/MS-HUtchins/16349

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