plan the amount of food and drink needed for a Party

Hors D'oeuvres

* 6 bites when preceeding a meal.

* 4 - 6 bites per hour when hors d'oeuvres are the meal.

* The longer your party and the larger your guest list,
the greater the number of selections you should offer.

The Main Meal

* Poultry, meat or fish - 6 ounces when you have one main
dish, 8 ounces when you offer two or more main courses.

* Rice, grains - 1.5 ounces as a side dish, 2 ounces in a
main dish such as risotto.

* Potatoes - 5 ounces

* Vegetables - 4 ounces

* Beans - 2 ounces as a side dish

* Pasta - 2 ounces for a side dish, 3 ounces for a first
course, 4 ounces for a main dish

* Green Salad - 1 ounce undressed weight

Desserts

* 1 slice cake, tart or pastry

* 4 ounces creamy dessert such as pudding or mousse

* 5 ounces ice cream

* When serving two of the above, reduce each by a little
less than half.


If you're serving alcohol at your party, how much liquor do
you need? A little basic math right here:

* Plan for two drinks per person for the first two hours of
the party, and then one drink per person for every hour
thereafter.

* One 750-milliliter bottle of liquor (wine, champagne, or
liquor) will yield about six 4-ounce glasses.

* Plan two cans or bottles of soda per person—change that
quantity to three if you are hosting a sober party.

* If you're hosting a party heavy on drinks that require
ice, such as iced soft drinks or blended or shaken @#%$-
tails, you'll need 1/2 pound of ice per person.


So, we can calculate the following:

* For a 4-hour party of 20 expected guests, you would plan
to serve a total of 120 drinks.

* To fill glasses 120 times, you will need 20 bottles of
liquor.

* For this same party, you'll also need 80 cans or bottles
of soft drinks or water, as well as 20 pounds of ice.