Bebida em Festa

How much beverage per person at a party

For a four-hour party in warm weather, the Brazilian rule of thumb runs like this: count on 2–3 beer cans per drinker, 1 bottle of wine for every 2 guests, 500 ml of soda per person and another 500 ml of water per person. Put that to work on a four-hour wedding with 50 guests where 35 of them drink alcohol, and you land at roughly 90 beer cans (or 30 liters of draft), 25 bottles of wine, 25 liters of soda and 25 liters of water. A cocktail reception runs higher, around 4–5 drinks per head, and a toast needs one champagne flute each.

When it gets hot, push those numbers up; soft-drink and water demand can climb 50% on a sweltering afternoon. Keep the Lei Seca in mind too, since anyone driving should stay off the alcohol, so fold a designated-driver allowance into your non-alcoholic count. Kids and non-drinkers usually shift about 30% of the whole beverage budget over to juice, soda and water. Once you pass 30 guests, it pays to stock up at a warehouse club like Atacadão or Sam's Club, where the per-unit savings tend to cover the ice on their own.

Common applications

• Birthday parties: smaller get-togethers of 15–40 guests with cake, snacks and beer or wine.
• Weddings: 80–250 guests that need a full plan covering welcome drinks, a dinner pairing and the toast.
• Corporate events: happy hours, year-end parties and product launches where portions are kept in check.
• Purchase planning: bulk runs to Atacadão or Sam's Club, where coming up short means a midnight beer run.

FAQ

How do I count non-drinkers? Take them out of the beer total and move their share over to soda, juice and water. As a rule, about 30% of the guest list turns out to be non-alcoholic.

Beer cans, long-necks or draft? Cans (350 ml) chill fastest and stay cold; long-necks (355 ml) look the part at a nicer event; draft works out cheaper once you cross 50 guests, though you do have to rent the gear.

How much ice should I buy? Figure 1 kg per drinker if you are cooling everything in coolers, and double that when the day is hot.

What about hard liquor? A 750 ml bottle gives you about 16 drinks at 45 ml a pour. If you are running a caipirinha bar, budget one bottle of cachaça for every 8 guests.