Champane's Wine Cellars is Michigan's largest wine, liquor and beer store. Over the past 25 years, Champane's has grown both in size and reputation, and is widely recognized as Metro Detroit's premier wine, liquor and beer store.
Champane's stocks an outstanding selection of liquor and spirits. From the everday usual liquors to the hard to find, we probably have it. And if we don't we'll be happy to order it for you.
If your planning a large event - from what to purchase to how much you will need - Champane's has experts in house to help you in stocking your bar.
How to Stock Your Bar for a Cocktail Party
1.
Invest in a good bartender's manual; if you entertain even a couple of times a year, you'll find it as useful as a comprehensive cookbook.
2.
Assume that each guest will consume two drinks per hour.
3.
Buy enough to go around based on the following guidelines: A standard-size bottle of wine or champagne (750ml) = 5 to 6 servings. The same size bottle of spirits = 17 drinks @ 1 1/2 oz. (45ml) per shot. A 12-ounce (355ml) soft drink or can of beer = 1 serving.
4.
Buy or make enough ice to fill buckets and cooler chests to capacity.
5.
Assume that each party guest will consume a quarter to a half pound of ice in drinks.
6.
Stock plenty of soft drinks, bottled water and fruit juices for non-imbibers and designated drivers.
7.
Buy or rent plenty of glasses. Count on using at least one per person per hour.
8.
Estimate that for every hour of the party, each guest will eat two handfuls of chips or nuts and three to four servings of more elaborate finger food - and estimate even more if your party is a cocktails-only affair and not a prelude to dinner.
9.
Buy more of everything than you think you'll need; you can always eat any leftover food, or send it away with guests. The wine, liquor and mixers will keep for another occasion.
Tips:
Buying high-quality wines and spirits needn't mean the most expensive. If you find the profusion of brands and the range of prices confusing, ask one of Champane's Wine Cellars in house experts for assistance.
Bear in mind how you'll be using the spirits you buy. For instance, those pricey single-malt Scotches are meant to be sipped and savored without embellishment, as you'd quaff a fine brandy. Their glories (and your cash) will be wasted if you dilute them with ice cubes and water. Likewise, a tequila meant to be taken straight with a wedge of lime might not make the best-tasting margaritas.
Be sure to have the right cocktail making equipment and a blender for mixed drinks.
How to Stock a Home Bar
1.
Start with the basic spirits: gin, rum, vodka, whiskey and tequila in 750ml bottles for mixed drinks. If you or your guests like to sip fine spirits, you'll already know to stock such items as single-malt Scotch or 100-percent agave tequila.
2.
Add other spirits and wines: dry and sweet vermouth, brandy or cognac, a basic white wine and a basic red wine, also in 750ml bottles.
3.
Buy larger bottles (1 liter) if you are throwing a party or know that your crowd loves a particular drink.
4.
Purchase liqueurs you know you'll need for your guests' favorite drinks: Cointreau or Triple Sec (margaritas), Kahlua (black Russian), creme de cacao (Alexander) and blue curacao (almost any blue drink!) are just a few examples.
5.
Be sure to stock non-alcoholic ingredients - enough for drinks but also for the non-drinkers in the crowd. These could include: cranberry, grapefruit and orange juice in 48- to 64-ounce bottles; soft drinks such as cola and lemon-lime soda canned in sixpacks; canned tomato juice or Bloody Mary mix in sixpacks; club soda, tonic water and bottled water (still and sparkling), bottled in sixpacks.
6.
Add condiments and garnishes: cocktail olives and onions (10-oz. jars), maraschino cherries (8-oz. jar), Rose's lime juice (12-oz. bottle), Angostura bitters (4-oz. bottle), Worcestershire sauce (10-oz. bottle), Tabasco� or other hot sauce (2- to 5-oz. bottle) and small boxes of coarse salt and superfine sugar for mixing and for coating the rims of glasses.
Mixers -
Mixers are an essential part of any home bar. In addition to providing a variety of flavors, they add the fizz to the Gin Fizz and the red color to the Bloody Mary.
Keep clear cola and ginger ale on hand for mixers.
Stock regular and diet colas as a mixer for heavier drinks.
Keep a variety of waters and sodas on hand such as club soda, spring water; and tonic water, which is bubbly and flavored with fruit extracts, sugar and quinine.
Stock coffee for hot drinks such as Irish coffee.
Keep light and heavy whipping cream on hand.
Make sour mix, used in many drinks, by combining lemon juice and a little sugar.
Stock tomato juice if you plan to make Bloody Marys.
SETTING UP YOUR HOME BAR
If your throwing a holiday party, in addition to wine, you will probably want to offer your guests other drink choices. So where do you begin setting up a bar? A walk through a standard liquor store can be overwhelming to someone trying to make sure they have the basics in their home bar to offer guests a suitable number of choices.
Champane’s has assembled the following list as a guideline with selections for setting up a starter bar.
Starter Bar Suggestions
Rum 750 ml
Vodka 750 ml
Gin 750 ml
Tequila 750 ml
Canadian Whiskey 750 ml
Coffee Liqueur or Irish Cream 750 ml
Garnishes
Mixes
Hosting a cocktail party - bar calculator
While no perfect list exists (given regional tastes, trends etc), this guide will help you plan for your party by outlining the supplies needed for a party of 20 guests:
(have beer and two bottles of red and white wine available for this number of guests if you are offering more than "cocktails"
Extra supplies:
20 lbs Ice
2 Tonic wate
2 Ginger ale
2 Cola
2 Soda water
2 Orange juice
1 Cranberry juice
1 Limes
1 Lemons
Olives
Maraschino cherries
Napkins
Cocktail sticks
Any extra mixers that you see fit (i.e. pineapple juice)
Any extra fruit that you see fit (i.e. oranges)
Glassware:
60 glasses (estimate 3 per person)
Stock up on mainly lowball and highball glasses but with a few variations too if possible.
Champanes Wine Cellar Offers Michigans Largest Selection of Liquors Available
Over 80 Feet and Thousands of Choices from Around the World
Champane Wine Cellars believes in responsible drinking.
