Only stock liquor that you know you or your guests will drink.
You have bought your tiki torches and paper lanterns for your party decor and all you need now is a bar. You can make a bar station in your party location using household furniture and stock it with starter liquor. For the advanced host, you may want to spring for top-shelf alcohol. Stock up on crowd pleasers like beer and wine, and only buy liquor that your household will consume if your guests don't drink it. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Place your makeshift bar on the opposite side of the room from the food. Otherwise, you will have a lopsided party where everyone hovers on that side of the room. Showcase your liquor on your grandmother's buffet you inherited but hadn't had use for until now, that weird island that separates the kitchen from the living room or a card table with a festive tablecloth.
2. Purchase one bottle each of vodka, rum, tequila, gin and whiskey in preparation for any party guest's drink request. Purchase Grey Goose, Cruzan, Patron, Tanqueray and Macallan brands if your guests prefer top-shelf products. Standard liquors you can purchase that won't hurt your wallet or your guests' stomachs are Smirnoff, Bacardi, Jose Cuervo, Seagrams and Jack Daniels.
3. Go the extra mile and purchase liquor that you know your VIP guests will enjoy. Whether it's cognac like Hennesy, Crown Royal and Courvoisier, specialty rum like Captain Morgan, Kracken and Malibu or flavored liqueurs like Disaronno, Midori and Frangelico, having your VIP guests signature drink in stock will set you a part from other hosts.
4. Stock mixers to accompany your hard liquor. Cranberry juice, orange juice, sweet-and-sour mix, ginger-ale, tonic and Coke will get you through most cocktails your guests will want to drink. Raise the bar by stocking pineapple juice, tomato juice, triple sec, grenadine, Rose's lime juice, vermouth and milk.
5. Stock garnishes that flavor your guests' drink order. These include lemon wedges for Corona beers and cocktails on the rocks, lime wedges for tequila, olives and pickled onions for martinis. If you are an ambitious host, you may want to stock pineapple wedges, strawberry slices and mint for specialty cocktails, celery stalks for Bloody Marys, maraschino cherries for whiskey drinks and orange slices for microbrewed beers.
6. Stock plenty of beer. A lot of men drink beer and may prefer it over hard liquor. Is your crowd the Budweiser variety or of the microbrewery persuasion? If you don't know what type of beer your guests drink, buy Corona, Amstel Light, Rolling Rock and Heineken. These beers aren't so expensive that they will break your wallet and they aren't bottom shelf as to offend your affluent party guests.
7. Keep red and white wine on deck for the ladies. Chardonnay and pinot grigio are top choices of white wine. Stock a couple of bottles of sweet white wines like moscato and reisling for those just starting their wine journey. For red wine, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and shiraz are crowd pleasers.
8. Buy a bartending set that has a shaker glass, a strainer, cocktail spoon, bottle opener, paring knife for garnishes and a jigger. Depending on your party size and budget, it may not be economical to use glassware. Whether you use plastic or glass, plan on each guest using four glasses. If you are providing all the liquor, ask your guests to bring additional bags of ice.
Tags: your guests, guests drink, guests will, liquor that, liquor your