Party Essentials: Drinks

By Lev Novak

When it comes to throwing a successful party, a lot has to come together. That’s what this week’s worth of articles is about. But today, it’s about the drinks.

1. Variety

Quality costs a lot to get as a general rule, and isn’t a given to be appreciated. But if all you can afford is cheap, bad tasting stuff, how do you make it better?

Simple: variety.

I would much, much rather drink cheap beer than cheap vodka. Some friends of mine would rather drink cheap vodka drowned in soda than deal with the beer, but I disagree. Some still can’t handle bad liquor but love boxed wine- others still love tequila, no matter the quality.

So, what does that mean? Variety will save you when buying low quality stuff. If you have someone’s favorite sort of drink, they’re happy: I’d rather have a cheap beer than an expensive tequila, for example. You can make everyone happy and give the illusion that you spent a lot of money by having a lot of options.

2. Know the Pillars

There are three pillars of drink: a “soft” drink, a “hard” drink, and a wild-card option.

A soft drink would be a beer or boxed wine: the purpose here is to give a “soft” option of drinking at your party for someone to sip while they hang out, or even drink more of if they don’t like “hard” alcohols.

A “hard” drink would likely be vodka or a jungle juice- the “hard” drink is your heavy-hitter, after all- and is the drink that people choose for efficiency and wild-times.

Lastly: the wild-card is actively a cool choice. If you got tequila, some people would be thrilled and others wouldn’t care- that’s a wild-card pick. Same with gin and tonics. Peppermint Schnapps or Fireball Whiskey are two more awesome choices, and, depending on the environment, even something like a White Russian would work. Beer and vodka is a “college kid” pairing without question, but adding even one extra option suddenly makes you that much cooler. You can afford to be risky here, because even if some people don’t like it, you already gave them two distinct and classic options right before this.

3. Be Responsible.

It feels like a drag, but you have to be responsible.

Someone who’s hosting shouldn’t be drinking. That way they can easily handle anything that might come up. It’s a drag, sure, but it’s the cost of living. Pick straws.

Watch the crowd and the drinks. Is someone drinking way too much? It’s not your job to change their life, but if they throw up into your car, like it or not, that affects your night. Gently check on certain guests as you see fit.

If you make a jungle juice, put a simple disclaimer on it. “GOOD TASTE BUT PRETTY STRONG” not only helps people make educated choices, but it’s also a really good banner for your jungle juice. That’s perfect and also, it helps prevent that dude from getting so drunk on what he imagines is fruit punch that he starts rap-battling your couch while sobbing.

Have sleeping options for anyone who’s too far gone. It can be the floor, but let them know: they can (and if they should, the should) stay the night.

4. Water

Make sure people can drink water, or better yet, Gatorade. It’s the forgotten drink on these nights, and it’s the hidden gem.

Share this article: