Hors d’oeuvres for your party
Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres start any party on a festive note. But estimating the right quantities to entertain your guest list is always a challenge.
Deciding how much food is needed to entertain your guest, requires some experience indeed. Good food can either make or break your party. So, how much do you need? When it comes to hors d’oeuvres, the general rule of thumb is 5 to 6 pieces per person and a total of between 6 and 8 different types of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres.
If possible, it’s always nice to have hot hors d’oeuvres passed around, so guests can enjoy them while they’re still hot. Cold appetizers can be passed, too. Or they can be placed on trays and set out on tables. Having the trays placed on more than one table encourages guests to move around and mingle.
Hors d’oeuvres for 25 people
In addition to serving a variety of miniature treats, it’s probably a good idea to offer up the easy-to-eat nibbles that everyone loves. So how do we figure out how to prepare for our list of 25 people? You can never go wrong with:
Cut-up vegetables: 2 to 2.5 lbs.
Dip: 3 cups
Assorted cheeses: 2.5 lbs. total, sliced for easy-to-manage servings
Crackers or party-sized bread: 2 to 3 crackers or bread slices per person
Potato chips and tortilla, or other chips: 2 to 2.5 lbs.
Cooked shrimp: 2 to 3 lbs.
Sliced meats: 2 to 3 lbs.
Beverages
There are no hard and fast rules about what beverages to serve for what occasions. Some hosts and hostesses choose to serve only coffee, cold or hot tea, punch (with or without alcohol) or champagne. Some offer choices of domestic and imported beer and several choices of red and white wines. Others offer a full range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including hard liquor, champagne, liqueurs, as well as a variety of regular and diet soft drinks, fruit juices, and of course, chilled water sparkling or flat. The choice is yours.
Once you’ve decided what to serve, here’s how to estimate how much you’ll need:
- 3 drinks per person for a 3-hour party;
- 4 drinks per person for a buffet; and
- 5 drinks per person for a dinner party that extends into the night.
If you’re serving a number of beverages, you’ll need less than the amounts listed below. Still, it’s better to have too much than not enough. Be sure to ask the owner of the liquor store if you can return unopened bottles.
Ice: At least ½ lb. per person; 1 lb. if most beverages will need ice
Punch: 1-gallon yields 30 five-ounce servings; figure 2 to 5 servings per person.
Wine: 1 bottle (750ml.) provides 5 servings; figure about 20 bottles
Champagne: 1 bottle (750 ml.) yields about 6 servings; figure 10 bottles for 25 people.
Liquor: 1 serving is considered 1 ½ ounces; each 750 ml. bottle provides 17 servings. To be safe, have at least 2 bottles each of gin and vodka, plus 2 bottles each of Scotch, rye, bourbon and rum.
How Hungry Will Cocktail Party Guests Be?
Many caterers figure 5 to 6 hors d’oeuvres per person. However, the number you’ll need could be less–or more than double that amount! Some common-sense guidelines:
- If people know there’s a full sit-down dinner after cocktails, they’re less likely to fill up on hors d’oeuvres. Therefore, the 5- to 6-piece estimate could be lowered to 4 or 5 per person; conversely, if nibbles will be all that’s on the menu, you may want to think in terms of 6 to 10 pieces for every guest.
- If guests are invited to a cocktail reception only, the time of the event is important in estimating quantities to serve. The closer cocktails are to regular lunch or dinner time, the hungrier guests will be. So do higher estimates for those times.
- Younger people eat more than older adults.
- Men will likely eat more than women.