Always hire a reputable bartender from a liquor dealer to serve the alcohol
Dear Joy, Just last week, Ed and I decided to get married on New Year’s Eve.
We are scrambling around to finalize the plans. We have contracted with a hall in our small town for the reception. The hall doesn’t have a caterer so I hired one. They don’t provide bartender services either, but Ed’s buddy from work offered to help out.
The wedding is for 75 people. We are trying to decide how many hours liquor should be served, whether or not we should have a cash bar, and how many drinks can we get from a bottle of liquor.
We typically hang out with a beer crowd, so we aren’t sure what should be offered. Linda
Dear Linda,
I suggest you hire a reputable bartender from a liquor dealer to serve the alcohol. Liability laws differ from state to state.
A liquor dealer will assume some of the liability that would otherwise fall to you.
Champagne, wine and beer, along with a good selection of bottled waters and soft drinks, are the most popular beverage choices at weddings.
A one-quart bottle of liquor will provide twenty-one 11/2-oz drinks. At a typical celebration, you can count on each guest having at least three drinks.
A well-stocked bar includes scotch, bourbon, vermouth, gin, rum, vodka, and a blended whiskey. Tonics, club soda, seltzer water, and fruit juices are the necessary ingredients for specialty drinks. Lemon and limes, olives and cherries are offered, too.
I do not recommend cash bars. A reception is no different from a party that you host at home-would you expect your party guests to pay for a drink in your home? If money is a big concern, consider some of the following options:
– To save money during cocktail hour, have servers pass out sparkling wine with strawberries in the glasses.
– Close the bar during the dinner hour and provide sparkling wine or champagne at each table for the toast. Allow two glasses of wine per guest for dinner and one glass of champagne for the toast.
– Close the bar a half-hour before the reception ends.
– Compare premium liquor prices vs. bar liquor.
Joy’s Bridal Tip: There are a number of ways to purchase liquor from a hotel, club or caterer for a reception:
– By the bottle. When you use this system, you are charged for each open bottle at the end of the reception.
– By the drink. This system requires the bartender to record every drink served. A chart beside the bar is marked with a slash mark every time liquor is used. Another method is to divide the bottles into tenths before the reception starts. At the end of the reception, the bartender counts the number of open bottles and the number of tenths served from the bottles.
– By the head. This system charges a flat fee for each guest of drinking age.
When you purchase by the bottle or by the drink, it is difficult to prove how many bottles were actually opened and how many drinks the guests actually drank. If you use the by the head system, you will know your liquor charge in advance.
K. Joy Schaeffer is a bridal consultant. You can e-mail her your bridal questions at bridejoy@yahoo.com.