Question from nearly-18yo going to first big house party ...

[mihijos]

DS is going to an 18th birthday party. He's taking 3 small cans (cocktails, not beer). His brother told him a) nobody takes a bag to a party and b) he should hold onto his own drinks rather than putting them down for others to take. Both of those can't be true unless everyone has bulging pockets. What's the protocol?

Most take a bottle of vodka in a jacket don't they?

Take drinks in a random plastic bag/ancient bag for life?
Add a big bag of crisps to share.

He can take them in a poly bag. If they are all he wants to drinks he should keep them with him. It's a slightly odd choice for a house party. It's usually bottles of spirits with mixers or cans of beer/cider. He may come in for some ribbing having cans of cocktail!

Brother is right. Fill pockets. Unless that's his favourite tipple it's an unusual choice among the 18 year olds I know (having one of my own) - as titchy said, it's usually spirits nowadays..

I think his brother is winding up about the bag thing.

He's allowed to choose whatever drink he likes. Good for him.

My son doesn't drink alcohol or fizzy drinks so takes J2O. No one seems to comment on it. I think he would judge them if they did so.

Take a bag, put it aside somewhere (in the same way as coats in cold months). Walking around the party with the bag on you would be odd, but just bringing the bag is normal.

DS takes a backpack with his stuff in it and keeps it near him all night. All his mates do the same.

He takes whatever he fancies drinking that night and yes, sometimes that has included cocktail cans but I'd suggest an extra one or two simply to avoid agreeing to spirits etc if he runs out and feels like he wants to keep drinking.

Oh dear, it’s all a bit sad, isn’t it? I feel great nostalgia for the days of the Watney’s 7.

Thanks all. He said the host is providing vodka and J2O's and said to bring whatever else people wanted to drink. My DS is a first time drinker, so the cocktail cans were his more experienced brother's suggestion ... the equivalent of alcopops in my day. 🙂

I'd take a bag (plastic bag if that's better?), shove it in a corner or behind a sofa and return to root out the next can as required.

Looks like he's (partially) solved the problem by drinking one of the cocktails before leaving the house. 😶

Let's hope there's a good supply of J20s!

Just an update to say he solved the problem of can 2 by giving it to a friend, and drank can 3. He tried the host-supplied vodka mixed with J20 but didn't like the taste, so stuck to J20 after that. 🙂

I'd strongly recommend avoiding any drinks he doesn't mix himself at parties like this for the future. They are usually waaay stronger than anything you'd choose to make.

I used to either a) take and mix my own, b) take cider/beer/wine that I knew the strength of or c) make and mix what I took in advance.

The only times I have drunk stuff other people mixed, I have got drunk faster than I wanted and not had as good a time.

Yep, good advice for future parties. He said he mixed this one himself, but I doubt he would have known how much vodka to add without asking someone else so it's not necessarily a failsafe. 🙃