Accustomed to choosing drinks for tables of two, four or just a few more diners, it can be challenging to do the exercise when it comes to large gatherings. In December, time of celebrations, this challenge usually arises and raises many questions: What simple drinks can I surprise the guests with? How do I calculate the amount of drink so that it is enough, but without spending more? What wines and sparkling wines should I buy? How can I put them to play with the dishes that will be served? ? Although, as always, the most important thing is to know your own tastes and, as far as possible, those of your guests, some simple tips can guide us to please and surprise most palates.
- Key 1: to start, a drink
A good idea to start the meeting in a relaxed way is to welcome diners with drinks. Two simple, infallible and different options will be enough: for example, combining a more traditional cocktail with a sparkling base (such as a Julep Royal or a Bellini), with another more playful one that has wine as the protagonist (for example, a Tinto de Verano or a Torrontés Fresh).
The Royal Julep is served in a medium glass and is a mix of sugar, mint, crushed ice and a few drops of lime juice. The mixture is mashed, topped off with Extra Brut sparkling wine and stirred without blending.
The Bellini is also very simple: in a flute glass, place 35 ml of natural peach pulp and add a sparkling wine. It can be an Extra Brut or, if you are looking for more sweetness, a Demisec (as this drink does not contain ice, the sparkling wine must be very cold).
Tinto de Verano is a mix of red wine with lemon-lime soda or lemon juice in equal proportions. Ice and lemon slices are added to highlight the citrus flavor. Meanwhile, the Torrontés Fresh has 100 ml of Torrontés wine, some peach slices and syrup, soda to fill the glass and a branch of rosemary to decorate.
- Key 2: what wines to choose and how to pair them
Once the drinks have been chosen for the start of the meeting, it is time to think about the wines that will accompany each instance of the meal. As we already know, there are no “unique recipes” when it comes to pairings, but at a dinner or lunch with many guests it is advisable to follow some tips that never fail.
For lighter and fresher appetizers, it is always a good idea to opt for whites, sparkling wines or rosés. If you want to think more finely, we can take into account the notes that the chosen specimen offers in relation to the dish to be tasted: if you are looking for a white with greater acidity, floral and herbal notes, a Semillon will work very well; while, if we intend to accompany it with soft flavors and fruity notes, it is advisable to choose rosés with good acidity.
For the main course of the meal, a red wine will be a good choice. If the flavors are very intense, a Cabernet Franc or a Malbec aged in barrels will be perfect. If it is served roasted, any red wine will go very well with it. In general terms, we should think about more intense reds when the dish is fattier.
Sparkling wines and ciders are usually perfect companions for the sweet table. If we opt for sparkling wines, we must take into account the preferences of the attendees and the amount of sugar in the sparkling wine, information that we will obtain from the label. Nature is the one with the least sweetness: in Argentina it has around 3 grams of sugar per liter. It is followed by Brut Nature (less than 7 g/l), Extra Brut (less than 11 g/l), Brut (less than 15 g/l), Demi Sec (15 to 40 g/l) and the Sweet (more than 40 g/l).
- Key 3: how to calculate the quantity to buy
To avoid complicating the selection, I recommend choosing a type of drink to accompany dinner and not improvising mixes, for example, offering wine and beer for the same occasion. Once that is defined, we will think about the quantities. This is a crucial point since a shortage of drinks can ruin any evening… But it’s time to take care of your pocket and we don’t want to buy too much either! Therefore, it is always good to do some basic calculations before making the purchase.
If wine will be offered, it is estimated one for every two or three people. If the drink will be beer, one liter or between 3 and 4 porrones per guest. In the case of ciders and sparkling wines, buy one bottle for every four people (from each bottle you can get up to eight glasses). One and a half liters of non-alcoholic drink per child and two kilos of ice for every three people will be enough. And, of course, it is a good idea to choose the drinks to be served in advance to ensure you add the necessary drinks to the list.
Once the purchase is made, I suggest putting the whites, rosés, sparkling wines, ciders, waters and soft drinks in the refrigerator 24 hours beforehand. And in the moments before starting the match, the reds must also be refreshed. And you must always keep in mind that, at lunch, alcohol consumption is usually lower than at dinner.
Sommelier, bartender, graduate in strategic marketing and social communication, journalist and professor of digital marketing, corporate image and digital communication.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
