HOW MANY GUESTS?
While we all enjoy the odd game of sardines, being squashed like a fish in a tin at a drinks party is generally not fun. Be realistic about how many guests you can fit into available space. Once you have removed as much furniture and obstacles as you can, calculate 1m of space per guest.
HOW MUCH FOOD?
If you are going down the canapé route, serve 8-10 canapés per head for a short drinks party, and increase this to 12 per head for a longer party. However, it’s your party and you should be having fun, not slaving over a hot stove plating up fiddly nibbles. An effective and easy alternative is to pile large dishes generously with yummy stuff. Great ideas are a whole, ripely oozing Brie, thinly sliced rare roast beef served with baguette and truffle butter, really good Focaccia bread with oil and balsamic vinegar to dip into, or a selection of antipasti.
HOW MUCH BOOZE?
The big question. The general rule of thumb is half a bottle of wine or champagne, or 3 cocktails per head for a drinks party lasting 2 hours. But you know your guests, so if it’s a boozy crowd of mates who are going to stay for hours, increase the amount accordingly.
HOW MANY SOFT DRINKS?
Allow half a litre of mineral water or soft drink per head.
HOW MANY GLASSES?
Allow 2 wine or champagne glasses per person, plus 2 glasses per head for soft drinks.
HOW MANY STAFF?
The staff question largely depends on the style of your party and the number of guests. If you’ve got 20 close friends coming over for an informal get-together, then you can probably manage on your own. If, on the other hand you’ve got large numbers coming, plan to have one bar person and 2-3 waiting staff per 50 guests.
HOW TO CHILL THE DRINKS?
The best way to chill your wine, beer and soft drinks is to get a big plastic container (dustbin, toy box). Allow 3 kilos of ice per 25 bottles, place ice in the bin and top up with cold water. Allow around 2 hours to chill the drinks down. If you’ve bought drinks on sale or return, place the bottles inside a double bin liner to prevent the labels getting wet and slipping off.
THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAIL:
In the hurly burly of organising your party, it’s easy to forget to provide a few basics. So don’t forget to buy cocktail napkins, skewers or toothpicks for finger food and plenty of votive candles for sympathetic lighting. Make sure that loos are well stocked with loo paper, hand towels and nice soap. And of course, your party won’t go with a bang if you can’t open the wine, so make sure you’ve got a few corkscrews to hand!
TIME FOR BED – HOW TO GET RID OF STRAGGLERS:
For some of us the mark of a great party is the one where you welcome in the dawn with a bunch of hardened party animals, but sometimes you need your party to end at a more reasonable hour. If it looks like you’ve got a few unwanted stragglers, surreptitiously stop serving alcohol. If this doesn’t work, offer to book taxis. If they still don’t get the message, change into your pyjamas and dressing gown. Most people will take the hint…
For great party food, check out Forkful Food’s canapé menus – its not too late to book a party, or choose from our drop-off menus.
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