Serving old-fashioneds at cocktail parties is about as old-fashioned as calling them cocktail parties in the first place. Wine rather than mixed drinks is the beverage of choice at most gatherings these days—with the possible exception of summer cookouts, where beer still rules.
For your wine parties, I recommend you buy big bottles—1.5 liters (equivalent to two regular bottles, called magnums). Larger bottles are ounce for ounce, cheaper than regular size, and they are more convenient to serve because you don’t have to open or tore as many bottles. While many 1.5 liter bottles are at the low end of the quality and price spectrum (around $12 to $14 a bottle), a small step up in price (to $19 to $20) pays big quality dividend.
In colder weather, figure most of your guests will drink more red than white wine and on average each wine drinker will drink a quarter of a big bottle (half of a regular size bottle) over the course of the party. (This is based on consumption of three four-ounce glasses per person over a three-hour period in which food is served). So if you are having forty for cocktails you need five big bottles (three red and two white) or ten regular bottles (six red and four white).
In warmer weather the reverse will be true and you should order more white than red. If you re serving only Champagne or sparkling wine, one bottle serves five glasses, so you’ll need one case of bubbly to pour sixty glasses. I always like having backups of similar wines in regular-size bottles in case my guests are thirstier than usual. If you don’t need to open extra bottles at the party, I can always use them for family meals. Even wine that’s been chilled can be put back in your wine rack or under your bed without harm, safe, and sound for your next soiree.
Christine Ansbacher, DWS, CWE is a wine expert and the author of Secrets from The Wine Diva: Tips on Buying, Ordering and Enjoying Wine. To order her book and see video clips of her on TV sharing practical tips that will save you time, money and aggravation go to http://www.thewinediva.com/wine-book
these are great tips, thanks for the article!
I’ve found that it’s also fun to have wine and one “signature cocktail” on hand – something that you can mix into a large pitcher ahead of time and serve into glasses with a special garnish. It’s a nice way to add variety without needing to make sure that you have ingredients on hand for every type of cocktail.