Golden Rules for New Year’s Eve party beverages.

27/09/2007

Along with your theme, venue, entertainment and decorations the beverages you choose will help or hinder your New Year’s Eve party. Here are a few tips to ensure the beverages you supply at this year’s New Year’s Eve party help to make it a success.

As with all the other planning involved with a New Year’s Eve party don’t leave the ordering and buying of your alcohol and other beverages too late in the year. Stocks can run out fast and you may miss out on what you want to serve, if you leave it till the week before. Keep an eye out for beverage deals so you can buy in bulk from your local wine merchant or supermarket. If you are hiring a bar or your caterer is looking after the beverages make sure you discuss the specifics as soon as you hire them so they can get supplies early.

The second tip is to keep the range of beverages simple. Unless, you are having a cocktail party, which requires a range of spirits and mixers stick to beer, wine, champagne and a couple of non-alcoholic options. A couple of good spirit options to include are vodka and orange and gin and tonic.

It is best to have more alcohol than not enough. Most supermarkets and liquor merchants offer a sale or return deal on the bulk purchases so you can return what you don’t use. The rule of thumb for buying alcohol for a New Year’s Eve party is to buy half a bottle of wine per person, with an even split between white and red and then add another thirty percent to be safe. If you are buying beer order four bottles per male invitee, which will cover those men who don’t drink beer and those women who do. And don’t forget the fizzy stuff for the midnight celebration.

A bad Champagne can ruin a celebration so if you can’t find your preferred brand or one that you know is good try serving sparkling wine instead. There are some great brands from New Zealand and Australia that won’t hurt your wallet but will still taste great.

The last golden rule for serving beverages at your New Year’s Eve party is not to forget the glasses and Champagne flutes. If you are hiring a venue they will take care of this but ensure you stipulate the type of alcohol you will be serving to get the right glasses. Most people use between two and three glasses throughout the New Year’s Eve party so ensure you hire two to three times the amount of glasses as people. Individual Champagne bottles with straws is fabulous idea for the midnight countdown and New Year’s Eve toasts.