All party types

Dinner party planner

Build a dinner that flows from first glass to final coffee.

A good dinner party does not need a huge drinks list. It needs a clear opening, one or two thoughtful choices at the table, and an easy finish.

Beautifully laid dinner table with wine glasses and candles.

Live party planner

Put some numbers around the night.

Change the guest count, duration and budget. We’ll turn that into a conservative stock estimate and a practical service shape for this kind of occasion.

About £15 per guest. This is a hosting stock estimate, not a drinking target. Keep water, food and alcohol-free choices visible throughout, and reduce quantities whenever that better suits your guests.
Suggested starting stock
Fizz

1 bottle

Approx. six small glasses per 75cl bottle.

Wine

3 bottles

Approx. six 125ml glasses per 75cl bottle.

Beer / cider

3

Individual bottles or cans in the suggested mix.

Cocktail base

1 bottle

5 cocktail serves in the mix; base bottle estimate assumes roughly 50ml spirit per serve.

Alcohol-free

13 serves

Includes deliberate AF provision plus some extra choice for the whole group.

Water + ice

15L / 4kg

A practical minimum starting point; warm weather usually needs more.

The mix is tailored to a dinner party and is meant as a starting point. Swap categories freely: fewer cocktails and more wine, more alcohol-free, or no fizz at all.

Turn the plan into a basket

You have the quantities. Now choose what fills them.

Choose the bottles, cans and alcohol-free options that match the quantities above, then keep them together in your Sipping Basket.

A shape that works

Give the evening a beginning, middle and finish.

1

Arrival

Keep it simple: one aperitif, one alcohol-free alternative and water already on the table.

2

At the table

Choose drinks around the food rather than adding bottles for the sake of variety.

3

After dinner

Move to cheese, dessert, coffee or a digestif only if it adds something to the evening.

What matters most

Match the main course before choosing extra bottles.

Open fewer bottles, but make each one earn its place.

Put water and alcohol-free options into the same serving rhythm as everything else.

Build the interesting bits

Take the plan into the rest of Sipping.

Hosting checklist

Make the practical bits disappear before guests arrive.

0 of 6 ready. Tick them off as you plan.