...in calculating this drinks budget for a party of big drinkers?

[TangerineSushi]

We're having a big dinner in a local restaurant for my dad's 60th next month. I'm trying to work out what to budget for drinks per head.

At the moment I'm thinking the following:

Pre-dinner drinks (an hour)- 2 cocktails or glasses of prosecco per head
With dinner- a bottle of wine per head
With speeches- not sure. Was thinking of more prosecco but will providing glasses of prosecco at this stage seem like a wedding rather than a birthday? Could do dessert wine instead or just leave people with the wine from dinner? What would you do?
I know Dad is looking forward to sitting around having digestifs afterwards too-maybe 1 per head?

(Also water and soft drinks, plus there will be beer if anyone wants it- am assuming beer drinkers will drink less wine.)

His friends are quite big drinkers, as you can probably tell.

Do you think I'm safe if I make allowance in the budget for drinks as above? It's not a problem if it comes in under.

I think that sounds great! (What a great party it'll be!).

One idea - you could have the digestifs with speeches instead of another round of prosecco? One of my friends did this at a wedding, and it was really lovely - you got the comforting warmth of the spirits at the same time as those lovely speeches, and it felt like having a cuddle! (I am the kind of person who likes their fizz early on, and then a relaxing spirit later).

Obvious advice: I would ask the restaurant if it's possible to pay only for what you drink, because it may well come in under!

Id do a glass of fizz or a bottles beer on arrival, ask the restaurant to serve the wine and pour out glasses as needed - say three glasses pp, or offer a beer/similar each "round" - charged by the bottle as taken, then a glass of fizz for the speeches.

Another alternative to Prosecco for speeches could be a liquer, brandy or similar, Baileys or amaretto in coffee eg?

I think that's about right for people that will be enjoying a drink.