Party Planning

How much do you need?

This question is asked of Five Points Bottle Shop staff all the time. While there are no absolute rules, here are some buying guidelines you may find useful.

These are purchasing guidelines only, that you can adapt to your guests' and your product preferences.

Ice

1 pound of ice per person.

Party Supply Checklists

We asked the advice from experts in the bartending and catering field and have compiled a Party Checklist for your BIG parties. Available in pdf format.

Party Supply List for 20 guests

Party Supply List for 50 guests

Party Supply List for 100 guests

Quantities

First, you'll need to determine the quantities you need. For beverages, you can use the estimator below. A safe bet is that most people drink about a drink per hour, tapering off if it's a long party.

The party calculator below will help give you the numbers you need to plan your party purchases.

And most importantly, come see us. We will walk through the store with you to personalize your selections and quanities.

Party Calculator
How many guests will you be having?
About how many are non drinkers?
How long is the event (hours)?
Will you be offering mixed drinks?	Yes No
If yes...
What percentage of people will be drinking hard liquor? (if you have no idea, figure about a third).	%
Are you offering both beer and wine?	Yes No
If yes...
What do you think will be the split between beer and wine? (if you have no idea, assume 50/50. Skew toward beer for twenty-somethings.)	Beer/Wine 20/80 30/70 40/60 50/50 60/40 70/30 80/20
What do you think will be the split between red and white wine? (if you have no idea, assume 50/50. If it's summertime, skew towards whites.)	Red/White 20/80 30/70 40/60 50/50 60/40 70/30 80/20
Results
Soda and seltzer:	750 ml bottles
Beer:	cases (remember, if you offer more than one choice of beer, buy a little extra!)
If no champagne for bar:
White wine:	750 ml bottles (remember, if you offer more than one white, buy a little extra!)
Red wine:	750 ml bottles (remember, if you offer more than one red, buy a little extra!)
Champagne for toast only:	750 ml bottles
If champagne is served at the bar (assumes 1/3 of white wine drinkers will drink champagne)
White wine:	750 ml bottles
Champagne:	750 ml bottles
Red wine:	750 ml bottles

Customize Your Selection

Or, you can customize your selection by following the steps below to determine the quanities needed per selection.

Step 1

Estimate your buying needs:

1. Calculate how many people will be drinking at the event;
2. Multiply this number by four - this tells you the maximum number of standard servings you need;
3. Translate this number of standard servings into cases of spirits, beer and bottles of wine.

Step 2

Determine number of servings per bottle:

Use this chart to calculate how many standard servings you can expect to get per bottle or can.

Number of Servings per Bottle

Type	Size	Servings per Bottle	Persons Served per Bottle
Bottle of Wine	750ml	5-6 Glasses	Serves 2-3 people averaging 2-3 glasses per guest
Bottle of Liquor	750 ml	24 Shots/Drinks	Serves 5-6 people averaging 4 drinks per guest
Bottled/Canned Beer	1 Case	24 Beers	Serves 8-12 people averaging 2-3 beers per guest
Keg Beer	1/2 Barrel	200 12oz. Cups	Serves 40-50 people averaging 4-5 beers per guest