Serving Beverages at Parties

Today in our continuing blog series, "Summer Entertaining," we offer some ideas for serving beverages at parties.

These can be either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.

Whether you use a bartender or not, here are some ideas to help you serve beverages stylishly and with yours and the guests' comfort in mind:

Line poured drinks up on trays--Try to keep all the same kind of drinks on one tray.  If you have more than one kind of drink, place the trays side by side on your beverage station, wherever you decide to put it.  We actually prefer round or oval trays to square ones as sometimes with the square ones people's cuffs or arms brush the top of the poured beverages.

If you use a beverage dispenser, don't waste money on an inexpensive one--If you don't want to waste money, don't buy any beverage dispenser under around $60.  Why? The inexpensive beverage dispensers almost inevitably either start leaking during your party or the spigot breaks off during your party.  Both will cause you headaches as you try to fix that situation mid-party.  Better to buy a more expensive beverage dispenser and to know it will hold out and can be used again and again.

Avoid having to refill too often--If you buy one of the better beverage dispensers, it makes sense to buy one that holds at least two gallons, preferably three gallons.  Why? Because you likely won't have to refill it during your party if your group is 50 adult guests or less.  If you buy a smaller one, you will have to refill, and the smaller ones often are almost the same price. Now is the best time to buy a decorative beverage dispenser at major department stores because they are marked down towards the end of summer.  For example, this week Macy's is selling its $140 Godinger Westbury glass dispenser for $69.  Cool! www.macys.com

Other serving options are punchbowls, pitchers, or carafes--You can find great vintage punchbowls at good prices at better consignment shops, and they are retro trendy now.  As for pitchers, beware buying either: 1) an inexpensive one, as the cheap, thin glass breaks way too easily or 2) a pitcher with a very small lip as these dribble when you try to pour from them.  You can often find glass carafes at a restaurant supply store. 

For ice you can use an ice bucket if you have them (most people don't nowadays) or if your group is a bit larger a galvanized or rubber tub.  We use galvanized tubs as well as very large round stainless mixing bowls filled with ice; you can usually rent these big stainless bowls at a party rentals place.

Bartender's tips for quickly chilling wine bottles: 1) put in the freezer for a few moments but DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE THEM OUT! or 2) put them in an ice water bath and swirl them around some.  The ice water bath will chill several bottles of wine in about 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com