One of the most common things people ask me when hosting a party is how to set up an at-home bar. What should I serve? How much alcohol should I buy? And how much ice?!
The answers vary based on the type of party you’re hosting and your overall goals, but here’s a quick guide to get you started…
Do I Need A Full Bar At My Party?
In my opinion, no. In fact, I think a full bar at a party is a horrible idea. When you buy what you think everybody wants to have, you run out of things, and you end up with handles of liquor you are never going to use after the party ends. It’s wasteful, expensive, confusing, and unnecessary.
Pick a spirit or two — aka Vodka & Tequila — and plan a signature cocktail or DIY experience that allows people to have options without having a full bar. And be sure it can be made into an interesting mocktail for guests who aren’t drinking.
How To Approach The Signature Cocktail And Mocktail
Pre-Batch: Pre-batch a mocktail and put out several spirits to spike it. Think about the cocktail profile and which of the “Core Four” clear spirits — vodka, gin, tequila, and white rum — would be a good match. A sage ginger margarita and a sage ginger mule are equally delicious and follow a simple process: Add your spirit, add the ginger sage mixer, and top with club soda and a lime. Plus, it’s still a deliciously complex drink when you remove the alcohol, so your mocktail is ready-made. The other bonus? If someone wants a vodka soda with lime, the ingredients are right there — cheers to all!
Spritz Bar: You can host an entire party around a spritz bar. All you need is some bubbly and some liqueur. Aperol and Campari are always crowd pleasers, but non-traditional spritzes deliver a little surprise and allow you to go for light-colored drinks! Opt for something like Italicus (a gorgeous blue bottle that looks beautiful on any bar.), Génépi (an herbal choice perfect for winter cocktails), Limoncello (summer sips!) or St-Germain (anytime). And if you want to get fancy with just a few minutes prep, make a few herbal or fruit-forward simple syrups to mix with your bubbly!
Gin and Tonic Bar: A G&T bar is another fun theme for any party. I like to go for a Basque-inspired gin and tonic bar, which incorporates all different garnishes — citrus, spices, and herbs! — so people can really customize their cocktail. Instead of using regular tonic and a wedge of lime, they can reach for a flavored tonic and add a slice of grapefruit, peppercorns, and mint! It looks stunning as a spread and takes 10 minutes to put out.
My at-home Basque G&T bar!
Consider The Color Of The Beverage!
Not for aesthetic reasons (Although I love a photo-worthy drink!), but because of spills!
No one wants red wine spilled on their white rug, and you and your guests want to feel at ease. There are so many yummy clear cocktails, and I promise guests would rather have a more limited menu than have you monitoring their merlot.
PS - if you or a dear one LOVES a specific bourbon, keep it on hand, but no need to set it on the bar. If it starts a little party secret and a frisson of interest - all the better. Who doesn’t want to sneak around and find the good stuff;)
How Much Wine, Beer, Alcohol?
The general rule we use for large events is 1.5 drinks per guest per hour. This accounts for the fact that people usually hit it and slow down, or start slow and ramp up as the night goes on. Different strokes! But the 1.5 rule has you covered.
Now, how do you split that across the wine, beer, and liquor purchase? Consider your audience. You know if you have wine drinkers, cocktailers, or beer enthusiasts - and you know if they are heavy or light drinkers - so weight the purchase accordingly. If I was having 20 spirited friends (aka drinkers) for a 3-hour cocktail party, and I knew we were mostly cocktail and wine drinkers, I would apply the 1.5/hour rule to the liquor and wine, and then apply a .75x/hour to the beer. Here goes the SAT version…
Half the guests are cocktailers, so 10 guests x 1.5 drinks x 3 hours = 45 drinks, which is 2.6 bottles of alcohol. Buy 3, or get away with 2 and let them switch to wine or beer.
Half the guests are wine drinkers, so 10 guests x 1.5 drinks x 3 hours = 45 glasses of wine. Divided by 4 pours per bottle - 11.25 bottles. Buy a case, ask for the case discount!
Above accounts for the masses, and then you add 1.5 beers per person, which is a 30-pack, or 48 if you want to be safe.
Note: there are tons of online calculators that get more specific, so go for what works for you!
And PS - even though, as a professional event planner, I know the 1.5 rule to be true …I am a major overbuyer! And really, I don’t mind doing that because I’ll use it all again.
How Much Ice Do I Buy For A Party?
More than you ever think you’ll need;)
Ice is one of those critical logistics you never want to forget! Sure, it’s not as fun and glamorous as picking out cocktail ingredients, but no one wants a warm spritz!
The season matters more than anything, but for my 20-person heavy cocktailer audience above, I would buy five 5lb bags. Two bags to fill my wine ice bucket (which sits with 3-4 bottles all night long for easy serve yourself - plus you can add water as well) and three for cocktails.
Be sure the ice bucket is closest to the kitchen for refills. You can also use a cooler under the bar…or just turn your kitchen sink into an ice bucket if you need to!
And on that note…
How to Set the Bar
Sometimes people need a nudge!
As I mentioned above, keep the ice bucket, cooler, or receptacle close to the kitchen for refills. And if your bar is in your kitchen, put it on the side of the room closest to the freezer. At a crowded party, you want to be able to say to the person closest to the freezer and ice bucket, “John, can you refill that ice bucket?” People love to help. Let them.
Then think about the order of events and place them accordingly: glass, ice, drink, garnish, napkin - and move along!
The Best Glassware for Your Bar
We are past the stage of red solo cups, people! And so you want to consider the glassware. Rocks glasses and wine glasses are your best friends, as most any drink is at home in either one. PLUS, there are elegant, non-breakable, reusable, and easily stowed options that beat the standard plastic cup by a mile.
The Essential Garnishes
Let’s get real: All you really need is lemon and lime (L&L). Are extra citruses, herbs, and spices fun for a gin and tonic bar? Totally! Should you have some olives on hand in case anyone makes themselves a martini? Perhaps. But if you’re doing a batch cocktail, a spritz bar, a classic gin and tonic bar, or an ultra-simple spirits and soda bar, all you need is some L&L.
I promise you, no one is going to lose sleep over vodka soda, tequila soda, or gin and tonic with a splash of citrus being their cocktail options. They’re going to be happy to have a drink and to have you spending stress-free time with them.
And no one asks me this, but I offer the advice freely…
Don’t worry about it! When friends are gathered, good times flow easily. So just remember to enjoy:)
Cheers!
Carrie