> I am having a wedding for my daughter with 400 people invited. I
> will have beer, wine and mixed drinks. How do I figure the job?
> They are moderate drinkers. I will have 3 Kegs of Beer and back up
> with can beer. How many cases of wine and scotch, vodka,
> whiskey/burbon, gin and mixers will I need. Is there a rule of thumb
> to use?
Last night we hosted a wedding party for 450 at the country club where I work.
We had six kegs of beer. However, we only served beer and sodas - no wine or
liquor were to be served.
We've hosted smaller wedding parties, say 50-75 people, and in such cases we
usually go through about two or three 1.5 liter bottles each of merlot and
chardonnay, two of white zin (yuk!) and one of cabernet. If you want to offer
just red and white wines, make them merlot and chardonnay. Two bottles of
bourbon (Maker's Mark and Jack Daniels are popular and good bets), two of
vodka (Absolut is generally well-recieved), one of gin (perhaps Beefeaters)
and one of scotch (Dewar's is popular and versatile) usually suffice in such
an event (i.e., 50-75 people). Go up- or down-market on brands depending on
what you think your guests would like. Perhaps a bottle each of rum (I suggest
Bacardi) and tequila (Cuervo is usually a winner), and a 350 ml bottle of
triple sec, since a few margaritas and rum-and-cokes may be ordered. Get
plenty of mixers like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Tonic and ginger ale. I can't
tell you how much to get because we use soda guns where I work. Don't forget
orange juice, sour mix, cranberry juice, grapefruit juice; and a bottle of
Rose's Lime Juice. A small bottle of Angostura bitters will not only last you
the party, it'll last you a lifetime. Get some limes, lemons, oranges,
maraschino cherries and olives.
You may want to ask some of the guests beforehand about what their preferences
are.
Another thing you could do is promote signature drinks at the party, and stock
up on ingredients for those.
What I'm giving you above is based on a general impression from limited
experience of bartending for wedding parties. Others may have different
opinions.
Are you having the party hosted at a club or a banquet hall? They will
certainly also be able to lend you their expertise.
If you are hosting this yourself, say, in a garden, house, church (one that
does not mind drinking or partying!) or a rented space, make sure you have
plenty of ice, and have someone available to make errands if supplies are
running low.