Which Spirits Should You Stock For A House Party? A Bartender-Approved Guide

THERE'S A MOMENT before every house party when you're standing in a liquor-shop aisle, doing maths you never signed up for. Will twelve people really get through a bottle of gin? Does anyone still drink rum? Is one bag of ice enough? (It isn't.)

The good news is that a well-stocked bar is smaller than you think. Five spirits, a few supporting bottles and the right mixers will cover almost anything your guests ask for.

THE FIVE SPIRITS THAT DO THE HEAVY LIFTING

Gin. Gin and tonic, Negroni, Tom Collins: gin is the most cocktail-friendly bottle on the shelf, and India's craft gin boom means there's no shortage of good options.

Vodka. The safety net. It's neutral, endlessly mixable and the easiest answer for guests who'll "just have whatever".

Rum. White rum for daiquiris, mojitos and punches; a dark rum for richer, wintry drinks.

Tequila. Once reserved for late-night shots, tequila has become a cocktail favourite. A good blanco covers margaritas and palomas.

Ask Annu Jha, co-founder of Delhi cocktail bar Painkiller, which of the five a festive crowd can't do without, and the answer is whisky. "I'd never skip it," Jha says. "You can never go wrong with a whisky soda, or with whisky on the rocks."

THE SUPPORTING CAST

• Sweet vermouth, for Negronis and Manhattans. It's a wine, so refrigerate it once opened.

• A bitter red aperitif, for Negronis and spritzes.

• Aromatic bitters. A few dashes lift an old fashioned or a whisky highball.

• Orange liqueur, for margaritas and sidecars.

• Coffee liqueur, for the late-evening espresso martini someone always asks for.

• Wine and beer, for guests who'd rather skip cocktails altogether.

IF YOU'RE KEEPING IT LEAN

Can't stock everything? Prioritise whisky, gin and vodka, which between them cover most requests. And know your swaps. No tequila? A grapefruit-soda highball works just as well with vodka or gin. No vermouth? Skip the Negronis and lean on highballs and sours, which need only a spirit, citrus, sugar and soda. 

HOW MUCH TO BUY

A 750 ml bottle gives you about 12 drinks at 60 ml, or about 16 at 45 ml. Most guests drink more in the first couple of hours and slow down after, so plan for the peak rather than the average. Painkiller works on about five drinks per guest: for a four-hour party of 20, that's roughly 100 drinks, and the team would stock eight to ten 750 ml bottles. It's better to end the night with an unopened bottle than to run dry at ten. 

ICE: THE THING EVERYONE UNDERBUYS 

Ice does four jobs at a party: it shakes, stirs, chills and serves. It also runs out first. Painkiller's advice is to keep at least 1.5 kg of ice per guest, and more if the weather's warm. For 20 guests, that's 30 kg.

Size matters too. Large, dense cubes melt more slowly, so drinks stay cold without turning watery. That's why serious bars obsess over clear ice; Jha even runs one of India's largest clear-ice companies.

"Ice is to a bar what fire is to a kitchen: without it, you can't cook anything," says Jha. "Without good ice, a bartender can't serve you a good-tasting drink. Take a stirred drink: you need to start with good-quality ice, and serve it over good ice that holds the flavour. Serve it over wet, diluted ice and it ruins every flavour. We don't realise this, and that's why it's the most underrated ingredient."

MIXERS AND GARNISHES

• Soda, tonic, ginger ale and cola, in larger quantities than you expect

• Fresh limes and lemons, squeezed on the day

• Oranges or grapefruit, for peels and juice

• Fresh mint

• Simple syrup: equal parts sugar and water, stirred until dissolved; it keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks

• Salt, for margarita rims and the occasional pinch in a sour

DON'T FORGET THE GUESTS WHO AREN'T DRINKING

At festive gatherings, plenty of guests won't be drinking, and they deserve more than a jug of cola. Stock tonics, sodas and fresh juices, and plan at least one zero-proof drink with as much thought as your cocktails. Jha's festive pick is a non-alcoholic piña colada: "Use coconut water, pineapple juice and a little coconut milk, and add mint, which almost every household has. You get flavour and hydration too, and it's very easy to make."

DELHI HOSTS, READ THIS BEFORE YOU SHOP

• Shop early. Delhi's liquor shops shut on dry days, and Diwali (Sunday, 8 November) and Guru Nanak Jayanti (24 November) are on this year's list.

• Get the licence. Serving alcohol at a private party in Delhi generally needs a temporary P-10 licence from the excise department.

• Keep your bills. Under a P-10, the alcohol you serve must be bought from authorised sources in Delhi.

• Mind the age line. Delhi's legal drinking age is 25.

OR SKIP THE MATHS ENTIRELY

Working out bottles, ice and mixers is the part of hosting that bar professionals do in their sleep. Through The Bartenders, Slurrp's new programme putting cocktail-bar teams behind home bars, Painkiller plans your bar with you. Tell Painkiller how many guests you're expecting and what they like to drink, and the team will make you the list. You buy the bottles; they turn them into the best drinks of the evening.

That's the real upgrade: a bar stocked right the first time, and a party you actually get to attend!

This article is intended only for readers aged 25 and above. Please drink responsibly and exercise moderation. Never drink and drive.