Stocking a Bar - Building the $100 Bar
Saturday, March 8, 2008 by Chris Lesinski Stocking a bar is a difficult task. Stocking a bar for $100 is even more difficult. Because there is no be-all-end-all method of stocking a bar for $100, you need to keep your goals in mind.
Limiting Factors:
- Cost
- Number of People
- Length of Party
This is a lot of stuff. Take everything with a (margarita) grain of salt and make changes as you see fit. No party is exactly the same; likewise no party has the same requirements. And--depending on your state's liquor laws, taxes, or store rip-off-ness--prices vary.
Building the Bare Bones Bar:
Before having a solid house party, you need a good foundation. If you want a full-out bar, you'll need all of these things, but pick and choose depending on the situation.
The essentials (stuff you only buy once per term, twice if you're an alcoholic)
- Tonic water
- Sour mixes
- Soda water
- Ginger ale
- Light cream
- Lime juice
- Grenadine
- Triple sec
Stuff that you probably already have but need to get if you don't
- Milk
- Water
- Ice (about a pound per person)
- Salt
- Nutmeg
- Limes/lemons
- Garnishes
- Juices (OJ, cranberry)
The essential liquor combos:
- 2 lights
- 2 darks
- Vermouth
$100 Bar for a Cocktail Party (10-15 People):
With a cocktail clambake, quality of alcohol is key. Dumping Monarch rum into a potentially delicious daiquiri is just plain unacceptable. You won't be able to stock a bar with every alcohol you can imagine and still afford the mid-shelf liquors that any cocktail party needs. We chose alcohols for covering your cocktail party drink bases, rather than providing the ability to make that obscure drink out of your friend's iPhone drink mixing widget. Gin and Tonics, not Sianara Mother Fuckers.
For a cocktail party with less than 15 people, you will need 4 to 5 fifths of booze. For a well-rounded bar, we recommend:
First Priority - Spirits:
- Vodka, 750 mL ($14-$19): Smirnoff, SKYY or Finlandia
- Rum, 750 mL ($14-$18): Sailor Jerry's, Captain Morgan, Barcardi
- Gin, 750 mL ($15-$23): Seagram's, Beefeater or Bombay
- Whiskey, 200 ml ($8-$12): Jack, Jim Bean, or Johnnie Walker
Second Priority - Beer and Wine:
- Classy Beer, 12 pack ($16-$20): New Castle, Guiness, or something along those lines
- Kickass Cheap Wine, ($5-$8/bottle): See our interview with Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibraryTV at the end of the HackCollege Podcast Episode 18 for some great recommendations.
The spirits here will equate to roughly 2.5 liters of 80 proof booze. That's 56 shots for those keeping track. With the beer and wine, that means each person is getting the D.A.R.E. equivalent of 4-6 drinks per person depending on how many people attend.
The number of fifths bought can be increased if your fans aren't fans of beer. Or if you refuse to serve gin, just balance everything out. Remember though: you aren't building this bar for yourself, but for all of your attendees.
$100 Bar for a Soirée (30 People):
Unfortunately, this is tough. You'll be forced to skimp on quality to come in under budget. So, do one thing and do it well. You'll want to choose 1 or 2 drinks that you'll be serving and stick with those. Long Islands are too complicated. Instead, think Screwdriver or Slow Gin Fizz. Plastic handles will be your best friend for the 30-person soirée. Here is an example:
White Russians
Our target here is 5 drinks per person. Here's your standard White Russian recipe:
- 2 shots vodka
- 1 shot coffee liqueur
- 1-3 oz. milk
Vodka tends to be much less expensive than coffee liqueur. Once the party's over, vodka is going to be much more flexible in mixing other drinks in the future. But if you insist on drinking the Dude's drink, go for it. The results will be delicious.
A note: Kahlua is going to destroy your budget. Side with another coffee liqueur. We prefer Copa de Oro for our wallet-friendly White Russians.
$100 ingredients for White Russians:
- 2 handles Vodka ($20 each)
- 1 handle Copa De Oro ($17)
- 2 gallons milk ($8)
- Remainder on beer ($35) (perhaps the milky Guinness?)
Mix your drinks right, serve in small Solo cups and you've got yourself a soirée.
The 100 Person Rager on a Budget:
Those who have left college needn't read on. If you're just going to get crazy for a night, you can't really have a budget -- but you should know what you're getting yourself into. If you're planning on having rager with 100 people for about 6 hours, you'll spend about $380 in the cheapest situation, given the breakdown below. This allots each person a drunkness of 7-8 drinks.
- 2 kegs ($100-$140 a piece): This is the mainstay of college drinking. You'd rather run out of liquor than beer.
- 9 handles, varying alcohols ($15-$20 per jug): If you really want to class it up, you'd get 19 fifths instead and vary your liquor brands even more. If you're too lazy to tend a bar, buy the same amount, and mix up some Jungle Juice.
- 5 standard box wines ($9-$12 per box): This might offend some people, but it'll only account for about an eighth of the budget/ham-boned-ness at your party.
References:
- The Official Harvard Student Agencies Bartending Course
- Approximate pricing list: http://www.abc.state.va.us/Pricelist/text/may07.csv
Reader Comments (29)
[...] from our good friends at Hack College, how to stock a $100 bar whether cocktail party, soirée, or [...]
If you're just looking to entertain a handful of people, say less than 10 people or you just want to stock a respectable bar. Consider the following substitutes, focusing on bitch-fuel drinks (sweet drinks). This should be particularly good for entertaining women... at an affordable price :-)
Absolute Vodka alt.:
Svedka
Ciroc (it was cheaper than Grey Goose, as of 2005)
Stoli (Stolichnaya) is still the best for price (personal opinion)
Malibu / Parrot Bay alt.:
Trader Vic
Cruzan (very good quality)
Midori Melon liqueur alt.:
Mr. Boston's Melon (unlike their vodka, it's good)
Bailey's Irish Creame alt.:
Carolan's Irish Cream
Kahlua liqueur alt.:
HOMEMADE KAHLUA
4 c. sugar
2 c. boiling water
1 c. instant coffee
3 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 fifth (750ml bottle) 80 proof vodka
Mix dry ingredients together, then add boiling
water. Mix until dissolved. Let cool and add vodka.
Put into bottles and enjoy.
You can use the cheapest vodka available (e.g. the stuff that curdles Irish Creame on contact :-)
Couple corrections: Walker is scotch, blended that is, and not a substitute for Bourbon. Beam, not Bean BTW.
For beer, go to Sam's Club or Costco, and you can usually get a microstyle from a big brewer for about $1 a bottle (Blue Moon, Sam Adams, etc.). Or look for a local midbrewer, like JW Dundee on the East Coast. For $1 a bottle, you can get much better beer than Newcastle.
Also, where's the tequila love? A nice margarita on the rocks is just as classy as a White Russian (and better for you, with all the vitamin C). And the best part is that cheap tequila is just as good as everything else below Patron. Go silver, not gold.
Great article! I am going to feature this site on my blog for writers at www.freelance-zone.com/blog. I think everyone should know about the $100 bar. Saw you on geek brief and checked out the site. I'll be back!
And passing on the tequila is probably a great idea by the way....
I agree great article.
Very concise.
I will be quoting small portions of this in my forum.
http://www.damink.com.au/board/
$100 bar. Just beautiful.
DAMINK
[...] you may want to take a look at Stocking a Bar - Building the $100 Bar at Hack [...]
[...] you’re a student, money is probably tight. If it’s not, your parents spoil you. Regardless of how many digits are in your bank account, [...]
sometimes we must be patient to make money.. thanks to admin regarding this article
[...] Stocking a Bar - Building the $100 Bar at HackCollege [...]
[...] Stocking a Bar - Building the $100 Bar | HackCollege Stocking a bar is a difficult task. Stocking a bar for $100 is even more difficult. Because there is no be-all-end-all method of stocking a bar for $100, you need to keep your goals in mind. [...]
Never, EVER underestimate the Gimlet. Gin is cheap, limes are cheap, simple syrup is cheap, and Rose's Sweetened Lime is cheaper yet than the limes & ss.
Have you been to college?
1) No one drinks gin. Stuff is disgusting to take as shots and no one drinks gin & tonics. If they feel like being a bitch and asking for it anyway, they can drink vodka tonics. Rum and Whiskey is pushing it as it is. Better list:
First Priority - Spirits:
Vodka, 750 mL ($14-$19): Smirnoff, SKYY or Finlandia
Rum, 750 mL ($14-$18): Sailor Jerry’s, Captain Morgan, Barcardi
Tequila, 750 mL ($15-$23): Jose Cuervo
Whiskey, 200 ml ($8-$12): Jack, Jim Bean, or Johnnie Walker
2) You buy a 12 pack of good beer and its going to be gone within the first 20 minutes of the party. Plus, you're going to need plenty for pong/flipcup. You should be spending as much on beer as on hard liquor. Wine is unnecessary. In 4 years of college I think I've been to one party where any kind of wine was present.
Second Priority - Beer:
Cheap Beer, 30 packs/kegs ($50-$100): Coors, MGD, Keystone, Beast, as many as possible
3) And no ice? Are you serious? Drinks/beer/shots taste disgusting warm. That should be #1 on your priority list.
Another thing. "With a cocktail clambake, quality of alcohol is key. Dumping Monarch rum into a potentially delicious daiquiri is just plain unacceptable."
No one besides the snobbiest liquor connoisseur is going to be able to taste (or complain about) the difference between different quality liquors in mixed drinks. Pouring Goose into a Screwdriver is just wasting good liquor. If you're making mixed drinks, buy the cheap stuff. Save the better quality stuff for shots or spend the money on beer.
While this article is well written and clearly thought out, it really isn't that practical in reality to be offering 'exotic' drinks at college parties.
The formula is very simple:
Cups.
Ping pong balls & a long table.
Ice.
Beer. Lots.
Shots. More variety the better.
On a college students' budget, there really is no other way to have a higher BAC per quest with the least amount of money.
You could build a small still for $100 and make alcohol out of food scraps from the cafeteria!
I was really excited to read this article since I'm a college student at NYU, but looking at what prices you're going from, it's almost impossible to find those kinds of deals in the city. Good try though!
I saw this over on Lifehacker and had to write my own post on this. A quality bar is severely underrated. Even just having essentials is more then most people have these days. Everyone should read, learn and do this.
Should've included this. How To: Stock You College Bar for $100
sounds like a lame ass party
It's not about the party, the party comes from bring people. Stocking an adequate bar though, is a quality few possess. Instead, they feel it is adequate to fill their fridge with nothing more then Bud Light and their personal favorite drink. Instead, prepare for everyone, and stock accordingly, the wild times will follow with the people you invite. Or you could just play strip beer pong...
Everclear + Filter Water is the same price of Smirnoff and much tastier for a handle's worth. Take an empty handle, fill it with your fifth of Everclear, and fill the rest with filtered water. Its a better than Skyy or Ketel One.
South of the Mason-Dixon line, I'd suggest 2 lb of ice per person, and 3–4 if it's late July or into August.
James - a party with cheep drinks reflects the hosts!
Not to say that parties with shitty drinks suck - no, there great cause regardless we're all getting sh*t faced right? Buuut, cheep liquor and beer is GROSS. You can taste the difference dude, especially if you've been drinking for some tine (college = lots 'o drinks) Taste buds much??
...Welcome to the party! Help yourself to a drink of ghetto piss water.
Yea, Thanks.
REAL BEER PLEASE. Maybe the east coast has snobby drinkers, but a party with cheep drinks wont be a flop, but you wont be respected as drinker, just a gross alcoholic.
Incredible.www.hackcollege.com is great.
i should be spending as much on beer as on hard liquor. Wine is unnecessary. In 4 years of college I think I've been to one party where any kind of wine was present.
And this is the reason I like www.hackcollege.com. Nice post.