Idaho State Liquor Division
Planning a home party? Let us help you plan and pull off a truly memorable and responsible occasion, whether you’re hosting a cocktail party, martini night, or family celebration.
For starters, you only need a few basic bartending items to look like a professional (items may vary depending on what you plan to serve): bottle opener, corkscrew, cocktail shaker, bar strainer, -1.5ounce jigger, ice bucket, ice tongs, stirrers, coasters, and cocktail napkins. Having the right glasses available is important, but you don’t need a special glass for each drink. Two basic shapes are adaptable for most drinks: rocks glasses (with or without a stem) and basic wine glasses.
When planning a party, deciding how much wine or spirits to buy can be a daunting task. Follow this simple formula to ensure a successful party. First, determine the number of guests that will be attending. Multiply that number by the number of hours you think the party will last. This will give you the number of servings you’ll need. Use the following chart to determine approximately how many bottles of liquor and wine to purchase.
Drinks per bottle and bottle size
Spirits (based on 1.5-oz. serving per drink)
| Bottles | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 750 mL | 16 | 33 | 67 | 101 | 135 | 169 |
| 1 Liter | 22 | 45 | 90 | 135 | 180 | 225 |
| 1.75 Liter | 39 | 78 | 157 | 236 | 315 | 394 |
Wine and Champagne (based on 5-oz. serving per glass)
| Bottles | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 750 mL | 5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 |
| 1 Liter | 6 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 54 | 67 |
| 1.5 Liter | 10 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 81 | 101 |
| 3 Liter | 20 | 40 | 80 | 121 | 161 | 202 |
| 4 Liter | 27 | 54 | 108 | 162 | 216 | 270 |
For a wine tasting, a minimum of six 1.5-liter bottles would be recommended. For spirits, about four 750-mL bottles would be recommended.
For seasonal and featured recipe ideas, please go to our Recipes Page.
Standard Drinks
A standard drink contains approximately 0.6 fluid ounces of alcohol.
For beer (5% alcohol), this is 12 ounces per serving.
For spirits (80 proof, 40% alcohol by volume), this is 1.5 ounces per serving.
For wine (12% alcohol), this is 5 ounces per serving.
Moderation is defined as the consumption of up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. Twelve fluid ounces of regular beer, 5 fluid ounces of wine, or 1.5 fluid ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits count as one drink.
CALCohol Mobile Site – The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) has launched CALCohol, a mobile site that calculates standard drink sizes and the number of alcohol servings per container. The goal of CALCohol is to educate consumers, retailers, and servers on how much alcohol is in any given beverage.
drink smart®/Jim Beam – We are proud of our proprietary drink smart® platform from which we promote activities and efforts relating to responsible consumption. drink smart® raises awareness of important issues regarding alcohol policy, minimization of alcohol-related harm, and responsible consumption.
DrinkIQ/Diageo – An interactive global website dedicated to promoting responsible drinking and responsible decisions concerning alcohol.
Responsible Drinking – Beverages containing alcohol are often associated with sharing, pleasure, unwinding, and socialising.
However, there are times when drinking at all, or too much can be risky to you or to others.
