Party Tips 101: From Beer to Wine, You’ll need it all

There’s lots of pressure being the host of a party. You want to impress your guests and make sure everyone is happy. With so many details to plan, one thing that doesn’t have to be stressful is the booze. I’ve been the catering director with Les Bourgeois for six years, and there is definitely a pattern.

When providing alcohol for an event, an average guest will consume one drink per hour. Typically, it is evenly split between beer & wine. However, I always need to stress words such as “average,” “patterns,” and “typically” because everyone is different. Things that can sway you from the norm would be providing transportation, time of day and the nature of the event.

Most of my clients just provide beer and wine. Cocktails are always well received but not necessary for a successful party (especially if you’re on a budget).

For beer, something lighter such as Bud Light is generally the biggest crowd pleaser. For those that want a craft beer, a pale ale or wheat beer is the way to go as the heavier varieties such as IPAs, porters, stouts, etc. won’t have the widest appeal.

As for the wine, I always recommend a variety of four to six (two sweet, two semi-dry and two dry with a red and white in each category). The most popular combination from Les Bourgeois’ selection would be Riverboat Red (sweet red), Riverboat White (sweet white), Pink Fox (sweet but not too sweet blush), Vignoles (semi-sweet white), Solay (dry white) and Norton (full-bodied dry red). If you only wanted two options, Vignoles and Norton are the way to go.

Let’s say you are hosting a wedding reception on a Saturday evening for 100 guests with the bar open from 6:30-10:30 p.m. You want to provide beer and wine but aren’t too sure what everybody likes. I would recommend the following: one case of Riverboat Red, one case of Vignoles, one case of Solay, one case of Norton, a full keg of Bud Light & a pony keg of Broadway Brewery’s Organic Honey Wheat. There are about 50 glasses of wine in a case, 160 12-ounce servings in a full keg and 80 12-ounce servings in a pony keg. If you are providing a shuttle service and plan on “kicking it up,” then I would add one case of Pink Fox (sweet but not too sweet blush) and bump the pony keg up to a full keg.

By following these simple guidelines, you will be sure to throw the party of a lifetime. Just remember, don’t sweat the small stuff and have fun. After all, it is a celebration!

Chelsea is originally from Nevada, Missouri, and has been in Columbia for 10 years. She is definitely an animal lover with two dogs, Rufus and Walter; one cat, Sugar; and a goldfish, Gill; at home. She is als a marathon runner but mainly so she can eat all of the tasty food at the Bistro.