Ten people drink about thirty drinks across an evening — three each is the planning number caterers use. One 1.75 litre bottle of tequila covers all thirty, with nine drinks to spare, and costs less than two rounds at a bar.
You do not need a stocked bar. You need one spirit, one mixer, and enough ice.
The whole shopping list
| What | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Espolon Reposado 1.75Lt | 39 margaritas | $65.99 |
| Dekuyper Triple Sec Liqueur 1.75Lt | Lasts several parties | $21.99 |
| Limes, about 20 | Fresh juice, not sour mix | grocery |
| Ice, 2 bags | People always underbuy ice | grocery |
That is $87.98 of liquor for thirty-nine drinks, which is about $2.26 a drink before limes. Ten guests, three drinks each, and you still have most of the triple sec for next time.
Why not beer
Beer is cheaper per can but not per drink-that-feels-like-a-drink, and thirty beers is a heavy, cold, bulky problem. One bottle of tequila fits on a counter.
If half your guests do not drink tequila
Add one bottle of Prosecco per four non-tequila drinkers. Lamarca Prosecco D.O.C. 750Ml is the one we stock deepest, so it is the one we can always fill an order for.
The ice rule
Two bags for ten people. Margaritas eat ice twice: once in the shaker and once in the glass. Running out of ice ends a party faster than running out of tequila, and it is the one thing on the list you cannot improvise.
Buy it last, on the day, and keep it in a cooler rather than the freezer — ten people will not fit two bags in a domestic freezer, and a cooler with the drain plug shut works better than any of them expect.
Glasses
You do not need margarita glasses. Any tumbler works, and a rocks glass works better than the wide coupe, because the wide one spills. If you are short, buy a sleeve of clear plastic cups and do not apologise for it: the drink is the point.
Count on more glasses than guests. People put a drink down, lose it, and take a new one. Fifteen glasses for ten guests is about right.
Buying in Georgia on a Sunday
Package stores in Georgia can sell from 12:30pm on Sundays, so a Sunday party is fine as long as you are not shopping in the morning. If you are hosting on a Sunday, though, buy on Saturday — the half-day means everyone else is in the shop at the same time.
What to do with what is left
Spirits keep, so leftovers are not waste. The 1.75 litre bottle you open for ten people will still be good at the next party, and the triple sec will outlast several. This is the real argument for spirits over beer for a party: nothing you overbuy goes off.
The exception is anything already mixed. Made-up margarita in a pitcher goes dull within a few hours because the lime juice does. Mix to order, or mix an hour ahead at most.
If you would rather not do the maths
Tell us how many people are coming and what time it starts. We do this every weekend, and we would rather sell you the right bottle once than the wrong one twice.
On our shelf right now
Prices and stock read from our own inventory when this page was built.
