How to stock a bar for a cocktail party (cheaply)

Photo by Ali of Tag Sale Style

This past weekend I had a cocktail party, and wanted to have a fairly open bar. I decided to make a pre-mixed pitcher of a mocktail and a cocktail for those who wanted a drink made for them, and then have a nice variety of alcohol and mixers. I went to my trusted internet for guidance on what to get to ensure a good mix and enough supplies.

Now, I tend to be an over-buyer. And yet, I was blown away by how much the internet wanted me to buy for a 5 hour party with about 25 people. Short answer: way too much. Go ahead and search if you want. Then disregard that.

I decided to buy way less than what they said, on the theory that, hey, there's a bodega with soda and juice two blocks away and I could always run there or send someone there. The only thing I ran out of was Ginger Ale, and I had too much Coke (as in an entire unopened two liter bottle, plus most of another bottle.)  I also should have gotten some beer. Your mileage, of course, may vary. If you know your friends like a specific type of booze, mixer, or mix drink plan accordingly. I know, for example, that the same friends who don't drink straight alcohol and might not want to mix their own drinks are the ones who like fruity, non-bitter drinks. I made a punch accordingly.

All that said, and with adjustments per social group, here's what I recommend stocking your bar with for a 25 person cocktail party for 4 or 5 hours. It's a lot less than the rest of the internet says, and I'd love to hear what your adjustments would be to optimize this list going forward.

Cocktail Party Stock (on the cheap)

Mixers:

1 1/2 gallon/1 carton Orange Juice

1 1/2 gallon/1 bottle Cranberry Juice

2 2 liter Ginger Ale

1 2 liter Coke (or other brand cola)

2 2 liter Diet Coke (or other brand)

2 2 liter Sprite (or other brand)

2 1 liter Tonic Water

2 2 liter Seltzer (I am guessing here, I have a seltzer maker and made as needed)

Garnish:

1 lemon

2 limes

1 jar maraschino cherries

1 jar olives

mint leaves, the smallest amount you can buy

Booze:

My advice--use mostly what you have on hand, unless you own nothing. We had a bunch of random things from previous specific cocktails like Blue Curacao, Peach Schnapps, etc. 

Make sure you at least one bottle of:

Gin

Vodka

Rum

Tequila

Vermouth

Whisk(e)y

Other than that, buy based on what your friends drink, if you know. And otherwise, buy based on what *you* like, so that if there are leftovers, you can enjoy them. Or if you don't drink, buy smaller amounts and know where the nearest open liquor store is and a sober person who can get there

Impromptu Party

Jeremy grills while I admire the delicious squash. 

I recently had a birthday, and my original plans fell through. My birthday was on a weekend and it was a gorgeous day, so I decided to invite my grilling friend Jeremy (and his roommate) over to grill, and ask my friend Emily to come since she'd been meaning to check out the hot tub while we live in a building with a hot tub. Hot tubs are amazing.

I wasn't really thinking of it as a birthday gathering. We were low on time since Jeremy has somewhere to be later in the afternoon, so we went minimal with the shopping and also bought food that was grill ready (pre marinated veggie meat, pre-cut pineapple and pound cake, and Emily marinated veggies before bringing them so they were ready to go when she arrived.)

It turned out to be a rather perfect birthday party though! My friends brought cake and cupcake and candles and we had an awesome time.

As you may have gathered, I often spend a lot of time planning parties. I put a lot of effort into prep. But I have had highly planned events go awry, and it is good to remember that all one really needs is tasty food (which can be cheap and/or pre-made!), excellent friends, and good conversation. That is what the parties are all about. And honestly you could probably pull it off without the tasty food.

Awesome Picnic Parties

This weekend will be my friend Stella of The Art of Inclusion's second annual things-inside-things picnic, because nothing says delicious like food stuffed in other food, or food filled with food.

Stella knows how to throw one killer picnic party.


Here are ways Stella made her picnic last year awesome (and will make it awesome again this year.)

Deviled Eggs from last year. Egg inside Egg! Amazing!

5 ways to make a picnic awesome:

1. Pick a location carefully. Stella picked a great spot in Central Park. (Pro Tip:when planning a picnic it helps to have one of the most famous and awesome parks in the world right there.) The short walking distance meant her apartment could be a rain site, and that she could bring Guy, her incredibly cute and well-behaved dog. She also picked a spot that was a short wall from a subway entrance and easy to find. Finally, it had convenient benches so we did not need to worry about blanket quantity. (The location also had an awesome name: Nutter's Battery)

2. Make a map. Unless your picnic is in a backyard or a spot you always go to with this exact group of people, make a map of where to go and make it as clear as possible. Even if you all plan to walk over to a spot together, someone will be late. Nutter's Battery was pretty easy to find, but a map was still key to me not getting lost. I get lost really easily.

3. Have awesome picnic equipment. If you are using blankets, bring something waterproof to put under them or waterproofed ones and bring extras. Stella has an amazing assemble-able table that works perfectly for the paved space at Nutter's Battery.

4.Plan Food. Stella has people mention what they will bring. Even if not everyone plans their contribution in advance, this at least gives a general idea so people know what there is need for (more sweet, more savory, more light, more filling, more drinks...you get the idea) and the host in particular can be sure to provide balance.

5. Stop when the raccoons show up. Last year actual raccoons showed up [side note, why does my spell check know raccoon but not raccoons? Is raccoons not really the correct plural?]. But this could be metaphorical raccoons. Stop when it  gets cold, dark, or otherwise not so fun to be in a park.

(For more advice on Fancy Picnics, check out this awesome posts on outdoor garlands on Apartment Therapy.)

Picnic Party Inspiration

Picnic Cup for me from the wonderful Sarah Brown. 

Now that it's warm again, at least briefly, it's time to think about picnic parties. Last year I went to some wonderful picnic parties, which included the ubiquitous red cups, customized, single use outdoor mini grills for grilling in parks, more watermelon sharks, filled with booze, and picnics to correspond with awesome outdoor events. There are maybe as many kinds of picnic parties as indoor parties. What are some of the best features of ones you've attended?

Next week I will post a list of helpful park picnic strategies inspired by my friend Stella, and suggestions would be great!

Boston

Boston was my home for two years and I have wonderful family, friends, family that feels like friends and friends that feel like family in the area. So far I have heard from almost all of them. I am continuing to monitor the news and their updates.

I've rescheduled this week's party post.