Entertaining at Home: Bar Works from Mr. Valley

Posted by Aleah & Nick on Friday, May 27, 2011 · 1 Comment

Keeping a well-stocked home bar means that you can entertain on a whim.

Let’s face it; the bar is often one of the most important parts of one’s celebration. With a little planning you can keep your party going all night. Here are some tips and questions to consider before you start:

What type of party are you throwing? Think about the time of day, day of the week and what you are celebrating. The bar setup for a thirtieth birthday is quite different than one for a casual daytime barbeque.

Know your guests. Try to assess whether you have a primarily beer and wine drinking crowd or a spirits crowd.

How many guests are you expecting? If it is over 50 guests, consider hiring a bartending service. Many offer the staff and labor, allowing for you to provide your own alcohol and mixers, which can save you costs to put towards other celebration must-haves.

Here are the basics to make you look like a pro:

Skip the bartending guide and print drink recipes on funky paper and place on a corkboard or chalkboard elevated above the bar. Feature the signature drinks easily for your guests.
Use crates or wooden wine boxes to create height and a top tier to your bar.
Consumption protocol says that each guests will drink two drinks per hour. This is where knowing your crowd and setting comes into play. Based on many of our personal parties, this does not count. We say estimate three per hour as running out is a big no-no.
What does each bottle provide? A fifth of spirits equals 750 ml which equals about 17 drinks using one shot per drink. Wine and champagne bottles are also 750 ml and, depending on the pour, will yield 5-6 glasses or flutes per bottle

Always provide non-alcoholic options for your attendees:

Plenty of water, both still and sparkling {greeting your guests with an ice cold glass is an appreciated gesture} | sodas | juices, and at least two non-alcoholic mixed options.

Double Duty: many of the options can act as mixers for your well drinks; consider utilizing mixer that can do double duty when planning your menu.

Ice: buy an abundance. When you think you have too much, purchase four more bags.

Glassware: plan this out carefully and go to your local event rental company to rent. What’s great is that they rent for pennies and you don’t have to play dishwasher. Create a menu that allows for glasses to have multiple uses {hint: 10 oz. goblets can act as mixed drink vessels, water goblets, and wine glasses}. On the other hand, for a small, intimate gathering bring out vintage barware to impress your guests.

Contents of the bar: this all depends on what you are serving, but here are the basics for a good party: using our prior calculation: vodka, gin, rum, bourbon, whisky, tequila, red and white wines, champagne, Prosecco, or Cava {event dependent}, cognac and Armagnac, and anything that is needed for your signature drink.

The gear: two shakers, a blender, bar tool kit {can be purchased from a restaurant supply store}, lemons, limes, olives, cocktail onions, a knife and cutting board, bar towels for cleanup, cocktail napkins, toothpicks, corkscrews, swizzle sticks, shot glasses, ice bucket with tongs, and mixers based on your specificity.

Photos by Llanes Weddings for Valley & Co.

With these guidelines you will look like a pro and, most importantly, you will have fun. Nick