Host's Guide: How to Plan Drink Consumption & Selection

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Host's Guide: How to Plan Drink Consumption & Selection

Planning the bar for your event is part math, part knowing your crowd. Get the quantities and menu selection right, and the bar runs itself all night. Get it wrong, and you're either restocking mid-event or watching half the menu go untouched. Here's how to think through cocktail service planning depending on the type of event you're hosting.

Networking Events

Guests at networking events tend to drink a little less than they would at a wedding or a birthday party — people are there to talk business and make connections, not to close out the bar. As a general guide, for 100 guests, offering 2 signature cocktails with roughly 75 servings of each is typically enough to comfortably cover the event without excess leftover stock sitting unused at the end of the night.

This lighter approach also keeps the bar area from becoming a bottleneck during a work event, where guests are more likely to be moving between conversations than lingering at the bar for round after round.

Weddings

Weddings call for a bit more range, since the guest list is usually broader and the event runs longer. Best practice is to offer 2 signature cocktails, supplemented with a curated selection of wines and beers so guests who prefer something simpler than a cocktail still have a proper option.

This combination covers most guest preferences without overcomplicating the bar setup or asking the bartending team to juggle too many recipes during peak service — which matters most during the reception's opening rush, when nearly every guest orders at once.

Know Your Demographics

Guest preferences vary more than most hosts expect, and tailoring the menu to your actual crowd goes a long way toward making sure drinks don't sit unordered:

• European guests often lean toward Gin & Tonics — a simple, familiar order that's easy to keep stocked.
• Asian guests frequently favour whiskies, whether neat, on the rocks, or in a classic cocktail like a Whiskey Sour.
• Guests aged 25–35 tend to drink the most over the course of an event, based on experience across past events — worth factoring into your quantity planning if this age group makes up a large share of your guest list, since they'll typically account for a disproportionate share of total pours.

Knowing this ahead of time helps avoid the common mistake of over-ordering ingredients for a cocktail that barely gets touched, while running short on the one guests actually keep asking for.

Wine Selection Tips

If you're adding wine to elevate the menu beyond cocktails, approachable, crowd-friendly picks work best — guests are far more likely to enjoy a wine they recognise than one that needs an explanation from the bartender:

• Whites: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay
• Reds: Bordeaux blends, Italian reds, or Shiraz

These selections are familiar enough that most guests will recognise and enjoy them without hesitation, which keeps the bar line moving instead of guests deliberating over an unfamiliar label.

Putting It Into Practice

Good cocktail service planning isn't about guessing — it's about matching quantities and menu choices to the type of event and the guests actually attending. A networking mixer, a wedding, and a birthday party all call for different math, and getting it right up front means the bar runs smoothly without over-ordering or running dry.

Planning your own event? Get a custom quote and let the team help you work out quantities, menu selection, and everything in between.