Did you know that you can bring your own booze when you host your event at Urban Light Studios? It’s true, it just has to be served by one of our preferred bartender/catering services. It’s also one of the great benefitss to booking an event here at ULS.  And amongst this all out amazing-ness of allowing such a great feature, we have discovered that people might be slightly confused about a couple of things. (Wait, you have never provided alcohol for over a 100 people before? We totally understand). In fact, you probably have questions similar to these ones we often hear, such as: How much alcohol should I buy? What kind should I buy anyways? And, where the hay do I even find a bartender in this town?

Yum!
Photos: Urban Light Studios

Alas, we feel your pain! So coming to our rescue is Sheena Kalso, the incredibly helpful owner of The Invisible Hostess, an event services company providing everything from bartending and staffing, to award winning wedding coordination services. With her carefully curated and detailed “Booze 101” guide, we can help you sort out your alcohol questions once and for all. Thanks so much for sharing Sheena!

RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN STOCKING YOUR BAR:

WHAT YOU CAN BUY

Keg – 126 16 oz servings (pints)

Pony Keg – 62 16 oz servings (pints)

Bottle of Wine/Case of Wine – 5 servings per bottle/60 servings per case

5th of Hard Alcohol – 26 oz, so potentially 26 servings depending on the recipe

HOW MUCH WILL BE CONSUMED?

Caterers and party planners alike will estimate 1 drink per hour consumption. This is an average, allowing for heavier drinkers and for lighter drinkers. For example, if your bar opens at 7 pm and closes at 11 pm, you should estimate for 4 drinks per person.

The bar in our Tiki Room is the perfect spot for serving drinks
Photo: Urban Light Studios

I NEED HOW MUCH ICE?!

Quantity of ice needed is notoriously underestimated. We recommend estimating 1 cup of ice for every glass. You can get 10 cups out of one 5lb bag of ice. No hard alcohol? Still consider:

•Water, sodas, and chilling your wine and beer in in a cooler.

A SAMPLE SHOPPING LIST

For 120 guests, 4 hours of bar service for beer and wine only

4 Cases of wine = 260 glasses

4 white to every 8 red is recommended (unless you have a heavy white

wine crowd – summertime means more white consumption)

1 Keg = 126 pints (16 oz)

5 cases of Beer

This depends on how long you want variety offered – remember, you can always save or return cases. Half-light and half darker is recommended

If serving hard alcohol, reduce some of the above numbers and add:

Hard Alcohol:

2 fifth of rum = 52 oz/servings

2 fifth of gin= 52 oz/servings

3 fifths of vodka= 78 oz/servings

Extras:

3 large cranberry and 3 large orange juices

4 liters of both coke and tonic

Cherries, limes, and lemons

Last but not least, (and possibly most importantly!) you must have a bartender with a class 12 bartending license serving your alcohol.  Hiring a professional bartending service, like The Invisible Hostess, will ensure that the alcohol service at your event runs smoothly and in a professional manner.

Phew! Don’t we all feel better now? Time to party! Thanks again Sheena!

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Comments

cumshot on clothes - Thursday, October 6, 2011 @ 3:17 AM
Excellent post. Thanks.