<p>My BFF is hosting an open house type of get-together for 30 or 40 people in her home in a couple of weeks and has asked me to organize the bar. She’s a bit lost with this task since she’s a non-drinker. AND I’m finding that I"m not very confident with this assignment…Perhaps this time of year is a good time to ask about this!</p>
<p>The menu is expected to be soups, sandwiches, appetizers and platter of desserts. We’re thinking of offering a ‘party drink’ (margarita or martini, for example), along with beer and wine. </p>
<p>What kind of beer and wine should we offer? Is there a go-to wine variety–a white and a red–that is considered standard? Should we have a regular beer as well as a lite? What about a heavier, dark beer? I’m thinking less is more here–only a few offerings seems simpler, but don’t want to miss something. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>I think you’re on the right track. We usually have beer, wine, (a red and a white), sodas, and bottled water. </p>
<p>Party drink - We don’t do a ‘party drink,’ but I think it’s a fun idea. I would suggest that you make sure your party drink is easy for people to mix themselves - you will definitely not want to be stuck playing bartender all night. We don’t do one because we want to keep it as cheap as possible and simple pour-it-yourself. But I think it could be done low maintenance if you keep that in mind. </p>
<p>Wine - we get one type of red and one type of white. Go to a liquor store and ask for someone who knows wine to recommend a red and a white for $12-15 each (unless budget is not a concern for you). I’d get 8-12 bottles for that size and expect to have leftovers. We get a 10% discount on a dozen bottles and I’d rather have bottles left over than run out. I would get more reds than whites. I don’t mind having leftover bottles - we just put them away and drink them at home when we want, or use as a hostess gift if we go somewhere. A lot of people will bring a bottle of wine as well. For Thanksgiving, we had MacMurray Pinot Noir sonoma coast for our red, and I don’t remember the white - maybe a Pinot Grigio. </p>
<p>For beer we often have a variety of beers. A lite beer, and then some interesting darker micro beers (the names can be hilarious) and probably something like Killians for the non lite, non dark beer. The guy at the liquor store can help with beer suggestions too. i find the liquor store to be as cheap as the grocery store and the one I like actually has really friendly well informed people who help me pick stuff out.</p>
<p>We get lots of sodas and waters and have them out and really easy to grab so people can easily grab a non alcoholic drink whenever they want. Our parties are usually very casual, so we put a cooler in the front hall with sodas and water. I’m sure you can do something classier if you want!</p>
<p>When I host parties, I go through more white than red wine - two to one, actually. Many people who drink reds with dinner prefer white in a cocktail party environment. The liquor store should be able to offer guidance about specific quantities. It’s also nice to have a sparkling wine - champagne or prosecco.</p>
<p>A nice white Zinfandel for those who don’t want anything heavy. If you want an inexpensive ‘champagne’, look at the Spanish wines. Some of them are even less pricey than the American ones, and are darn good too! </p>
<p>Remember to chill your drinks 24 hours beforehand! I’ve forgotten to do that before now and too-warm beer is not a good thing!</p>
<p>Red wine drinker here,who wouldn’t drink white…I know few people who drink red,who would drink white,given a choice…For a gathering of this size i get at least 8 of each,a light beer,perhaps Amstel, and a beer like Stella Artois…For a “party drink” i’d make several pitchers (in advance) of Cosmo’s, always a hit…</p>
<p>I would say that Red wines would be more popular, particularly in the winter months, than Whites. I wouldn’t do any White Zins, but would opt to keep it simple with just Red and White-- Merlot and Chardonnay. I wouldn’t spend over $10 per bottle (sale price) because there are many nice options in that price range. I would only offer two beers as well, maybe a Sam Adams Lager or Sierra Nevada Ale plus a light beer. Sparkling waters with sliced lemons and limes make a nice drink for those who don’t want alcoholic beverages. Margaritas make a nice “party drink”. I add a little Pineapple juice to the standard ingredients for a smoother taste. The Margarita machines are GREAT, as JustaMom suggests, if you want to really splurge. PinotNoir makes a really good point about having everything really accessible.</p>
<p>I don’t drink beer much but my one friend always buys Lionshead for his parties. It’s cheap and has puzzles under the caps. The puzzles are usually a hit. That may be regional to PA though, not sure. Another one people love here is Yuengling.</p>
<p>Go to your local wine shop or your grocery store. Ask if they’ll take back extras. If they will, get 6 bottles, mixed half and half, of white and red. Ask them what’s popular. I’d spend about $15/bottle, but that’s me.</p>
<p>As for beer, unless these are serious beer drinkers, a dozen bottles should do it. Buy a local brewery, half IPA (pale ale) and half something a little more robust. I’d spend about $10/six bottles; again, that’s me.</p>
<p>As for a house mixed drink, if you do have that, most people will drink it. That could easily be your cheapest and most popular option. I’d go with margaritas, and I’d use any of the popular margarita mixes and add some fresh lime juice. I’d mix it fairly weak, though, because I’m not big on drunks.</p>
<p>We have a regular neighborhood floating party (first Monday of every month) with cocktails. The host-supplied mixed drink varies but whatever it is, people drink it. I do notice that the hosts have more fun when they hire someone to take care of the drinks for them.</p>
<p>Personally, I hesitate to furnish drinks at a party because of the legal liability in my state.
But if I were supplying some booze I recommend some sweet white like Auslese or Spatlese. These 2 are very sweet, but they go well with desserts and are great “beginners wines” if a guest is not a wine connoisseur. They are great light, dessert wines. I can also recommend an inexpensive dry white, Berenger Savignon Blanc.
I also recommend you remember you are not a bar. A host can have 20 wines and 20 beers but still might not have every brand or every variety a guest might want.
I’d disagree about cabs and merlots, though. I’m fond of them but generally those heavier reds do not best compliment the soups, appetizers, and desserts that will be served.</p>
<p>For a lighter beer, Blue Moon. For a darker bear, Yuengling Lager or Light Lager. They are both nice American Beers. (Yuengling is from a German name and is not an Asian beer.) I would buy 12 of each. They will be about 13.99 for 12.</p>
<p>I go for trying some micro-brewery type beers. Why not? They aren’t super expensive, but makes it much more fun to drink than, say, boring Heiniken or Bud. They’re also rather trendy, and makes for great conversation starters. Find some lagers, some pale ales. </p>
<p>Stay away from wasting $$$ on light beers. They’re waered down beer and have no taste. It’s like eating a sugar cookie without the sugar. Why bother?</p>
<p>I suggest going to a local liquor store and asking what they suggest. A friend at work has done that for several parties they have held. The store has even allowed them to return unopened bottles afterwards. </p>
<p>And I suggest you not be the server. Just thinking liability here. You can probably hire someone for short money.</p>
<p>I am no expert , but we do throw a few parties a year for groups of 15 to 50 .
We try to stay away from hard liquor , but stock a variety of beers from lite domestic, typical American stand by ( Bud , Coors ) to craft beers. Our holiday parties had Miller lite. Bud, Sam Adams , UFO , Blue Moon and Stella Artois</p>
<p>Wines, I agree with the ration of white to red. Pinot Grigio and White Zinfandel are popular with the ladies , with a few red wine drinkers.</p>
<p>We like to get Yellowtail ( Shiraz Grenache , Merlot and Pinot ) and Woodbridge White Zin because they are well received and not too hard on the wallet. I don’t feel the need to get pricey with the drinks since I put a lot into my food.</p>
<p>Also , Diet Coke, Coke sprite and water…lots of it for DD and non-drinkers</p>
<p>I like semillon or chenin blanc- as well as chardonay for whites.
Red- I like merlot or a house blend depending on winery. Red Cote du Rhone are also light.</p>
<p>If the host is a non drinker- I think that offering liquor on top of wine and beer is generous but not necessary.
How bout a nice pitcher or two of water with lemon ( at least one not sparkling), some teas & coffees? ( Tazo Tea- Awake- black tea & Green ginger tea)</p>
<p>For beer personally I like local beers but Birra Moretti La Rossa is a favorite & " the Budweiser of Belgium" Hoegaarden, is also popular.</p>
<p>I used to host my H’s office party every year. About 50-70 people. White wine went much faster than red: I’d agree that 2/3 white, 1/3 red is about right. I would go to a liquor store that takes returns of unopened bottles and get the large-sized bottles, and figure a minimum of one large bottle for every 4 people. Concha y Toro, Fisheye, Walnut Crest, and Yellowtail are all commonly available reasonable brands that range from a low of about $8 to a high of $12 around here, depending on the store. (I’m assuming that your friend’s budget is neither high end nor rock bottom. If so, there are many other choices at either end.) I’d get Chardonnay for the white in the winter time. White zinfandel is disgustingly sweet to many people’s taste. Many people can’t even handle a GOOD “sweeter” wine like gewurtztraminer. Pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc are perhaps better suited to the summer, but either would be okay, too. I’d go for Merlot for the red, with maybe some Shiraz for those who prefer something gutsier. This is all in the context of the brands I mentioned, of course.</p>
<p>If you are going to have a “party drink,” make something that can be made by the pitcher, like Cosmos or Margaritas. I would be careful, though, because people can slug down an awful lot of those fruit punch like drinks and get very drunk very easily. </p>
<p>For beer, I would consider a couple of microbrew mini-kegs: one an IPA type and one a dark beer. The beer afficionadoes love to tend to the keg. :)</p>
<p>And of course have ample non-alcoholic beverages available also.</p>
<p>Ladies do like the white zinfandel and pinot grigio. Our ladies club at church/school has these two available for our monthly meetings. They’ve gone as inexpensive as yellow tail and have been fine. For beer, Abita beer has many different varieties, and people like to try the different types. Coors Light has a mini keg that we’ve gotten for inside tailgating parties, but if you want to do cans, people like that and LITE. The Abita beers are good for the non lite drinkers, but I think they’re mostly bottled. If you want to go all bottles, Coors Light and Lite are available in bottles as well. And yes, please, lots of nonalcoholic beverages available. And not just sodas. People like to switch over or stay with bottled water. So I would get a couple of large cases of bottled water. Have fun and stay safe!</p>
<p>coors? really?
( sorry I have been living in Seattle too long-so I am pretty spoiled for choices.- or maybe just spoiled- even the restaurant in the parking lot of the best western where we spent Christmas had a brewery :))</p>