How to Stock Your Bar for a Party

How To

Be prepared for the holidays and any time your are required to serve up drinks. Throw successful parties year-round with these guidelines I found in the December 2004 issue of GQ.

How Much and of What?

NUMBER OF PEOPLE
Increase amount for dinner parties and gatherings longer than 4 hours.		 10 25 50 100
WINE AND CHAMPAGNE
It's always good to go with a lot of champagne during the holidays.		 5 bottles 13 bottles 25 bottles 50 bottles
BEER
When in doubt: Pabst Blue Ribbon		 20 bottles per hour 50 bottles per hour 100 bottles per hour 200 bottles per hour
LIQUOR
Don't know what to buy? See our bar guide, below.		 1.5 bottles per hour 3 bottles per hour 6 bottles per hour 12 bottles per hour
MIXERS
Go heavy on tonic water. And don't forget diet soda.		 4 liters per hour 9 liters per hour 17 liters per hour 33 liters per hour
LIMES
Chop some; leave some whole.		 3 7 13 25
OLIVES AND MARASCHINO CHERRIES
Useful and delicious.		 1 jar each 3 jars each 5 jars each 10 jars each
ICE
Everyone runs out of ice. Don't let this happen to you.		 5 lbs 13 lbs 25 lbs 50 lbs
COCKTAIL NAPKINS
Reduce this number if you are offering plates for food.		 40 per hour 100 per hour 200 per hour 400 per hour

Shopping List

  1. GIN
    What a real martini is made with.  We like Junipero, Hendrick's, and Boodles.
  2. TEQUILA
    You're not in college anymore; buy something decent, like Herredura or Don Julio.
  3. BOURBON
    If your crowd is of the bourbon-and-Coke variety, go cheap.  If not, opt for something like Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, or Old Dip Van Winkle.
  4. SWEET VERMOUTH
    The other half of a Manhattan.
  5. RUM
    Should you want to break out the muddler for mojitos, you'll also need a bottle of this.  Try Appleton Estate.
  6. DRY VERMOUTH
    The other half of a martini.
  7. IRISH WHISKEY
    Bushmills and Jameson are both good staples.
  8. SCOTCH
    Don't skimp on this one.  The Macallan Cask Strength is a good option.
  9. VODKA
    The clear stuff always goes first.  Buy lots and buy well.  Grey Goose and Belvedere are both solid.
  10. MARTINI SHAKER
    It's a tool, not a toy.  Keep anyone with a Tom Cruise complex away.
  11. MARTINI OLIVES
    The ones not used in drinks will be eaten by guests.
  12. BAR TOWEL
    Someone will spill.
  13. LONG MIXING SPOON
    For those who prefer their drinks stirred, not shaken.
  14. BOWL OF LEMON AND LIME WEDGES
    Skip the umbrellas and plastic swords. But never skip the lemons and limes.
  15. ICE BUCKET
    Tongs don't work.  Use a large spoon instead.

Success Tips

Place a shaker cup, an ice spoon, a corkscrew, a shot measurer, and a bottle cork at the bar.

Use common sense. If you know your friends are wine drinkers, cut down on the spirits and mixers.

Have enough glasses on hand for guests to exchange a dirty one for a clean one at least one time.

This list is from the December 2004 issue of GQ. Subscribe to GQ today.