Serving Wine at a Cocktail Party is Perfectly Acceptable

Is it acceptable to serve wine at a cocktail party? Absolutely – and especially when you consider this – some people don’t like the taste of hard liquor and others aren’t able to drink it at all.

If that’s the case, it’s always a good plan to make sure that wines are available for these particular guests. I like to have at least one red wine and one white wine on hand. And don’t skimp by buying a couple of $7 liters of the cheap stuff – especially if you’re serving premium liquors. The idea is to include the wine drinkers with the rest of the party, not isolate them into a corner of the room with a plastic glass and a straw.

Select wines that you know are reliably good based on past personal experience or from the recommendations of others. It’s also perfectly acceptable to let those who prefer wine to offer to bring a bottle of their own. This helps insure they’ll like what they drink and you’ll also have a greater variety of wines from which to choose.

How much wine do you need? That depends entirely on the number of non-cocktail drinking guests attending. When in doubt, err on the side of supplying a few extra bottles because anything unopened at the end of the evening can always be used at a later date. This is also a good practice because almost inevitably one or more cocktail drinkers may decide to switch drinks and try a glass of wine for a change of pace.

A well-stocked bar – including wines for those who don’t drink cocktails – is an indicator of good planning and consideration of everyone on your guest list. They’ll be happier for it, and you won’t be wasting time racing to the store to pick up beverages that are in short supply.