Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for advice on what drinks to get in for a dinner party tonight?

30 replies

Dinnerdinnerbatman · 19/04/2022 14:26

Name changed as this is ultra outing.

I'm hosting the pudding course of a dinner party this evening. We're going elsewhere for starter and elsewhere for the main, then six people I don't know very well will be coming here for pudding. I've made eight ice creams.

I'm frantically running around trying to tidy my absolute tip of a house and it suddenly hit me that I haven't given any thought to drinks and will need to go out to buy some. My husband and I don't drink alcohol but are happy to buy and serve it. I happen to have in the cupboard:

One bottle of very good white wine
One bottle of very good red wine
One bottle of very good dessert wine
One bottle of crap prosecco won at a pub quiz
One bottle of crap rosé won at a pub quiz
An opened bottle of Bailey's that expired over a year ago
An opened bottle of port with no expiry date
A weird pomegranate liqueur I bought last time we hosted at this event three years ago that is unopened

I'm going to get some soft drinks. Do I need any more alcohol? If so, what and how much? Guests are probably in their 40s-60s. They will have had drinks at their previous two venues. I will at the very least get a new Bailey's. Anything spare will either fester in the cupboard until the next time I have a dinner party, or be donated to neighbours.

OP posts:
Pyri · 19/04/2022 14:28

This sounds lovely :)

I think pudding wine is absolutely fine as long as it matches the dessert, so you can provide it as the accompaniment to the pudding?

Have you got decent coffee to serve too?

Yes to some soft drinks but I think otherwise that’s fine. (Disclaimer, I’ve never done this before so not sure of etiquette, do people usually drink a lot with pudding on these moving dinner parties?)

I wouldn’t bother with the Baileys personally

Sexnotgender · 19/04/2022 14:32

Don’t buy baileys.

I’d offer red, white or gin. I’d probably buy one more of both red and white as you’re buggered if everyone is drinking the same colour if you’ve only got one bottle.

BarbaraofSeville · 19/04/2022 14:34

Don't buy more Baileys but make a game out of daring people to taste the one you have.

I had a bottle open in the fridge that was about five years out of date when I'd finished it and it hadn't gone off, I think the alcohol preserves the cream.

Original poster
Dinnerdinnerbatman · 19/04/2022 14:37

I've just unearthed a bottle of claret. So, I need another white wine, one more dessert wine, and soft drinks (for me). I don't have a coffee machine, so it's only instant Blush

OP posts:
Womencanlift · 19/04/2022 14:37

Baileys is a very acquired taste. I only know one person who drinks it and then it is just at Christmas

You are the end of the evening. Will people be staying after the pudding is finished? If not then a good desert wine will be sufficient followed by coffee. If it’s going to be a drinking session then few bottles of wine in each colour plus beers should be fine (although doubt many people will be up for that on a Tuesday night)

Faez · 19/04/2022 14:38

Limoncello

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 19/04/2022 14:40

@Dinnerdinnerbatman

I've just unearthed a bottle of claret. So, I need another white wine, one more dessert wine, and soft drinks (for me). I don't have a coffee machine, so it's only instant Blush
I'd spend the money you would have spent on more alcohol on an inexpensive cafetière and a pack of ground coffee. Instant is awful.
MoiraNotRuby · 19/04/2022 14:40

Dessert wine is v sweet and portions are much smaller. One bottle between 6 is plenty.

And don't be embarrassed about having instant coffee, or anything else for that matter, you are being very kind to do this in the first place for people you don't know well!

Redorblues · 19/04/2022 14:41

Get a basic cafetiere and some decent ground coffee. You absolutely need to have proper coffee in if you're solely responsible for dessert!

Original poster
Dinnerdinnerbatman · 19/04/2022 14:48

I loathe coffee, and there's nowhere close to buy a machine. I'll stick to getting nice drinks and will have to apologise for the shite coffee. We do have really nice tea, as my husband is a massive tea buff and has dozens of F&M blends.

OP posts:
PlumpAndDeliciousFatcat · 19/04/2022 14:51

Where are you buying your alcohol? Any supermarket bigger than a co-op sells cafetières. Or borrow from a neighbour.

MrsWinters · 19/04/2022 14:54

They’re coming round to yours specially for dessert and your serving ice cream, instant coffee and whatever wine you can dust off. This sounds utterly tragic.

worriedandannoyed · 19/04/2022 14:57

@MrsWinters

They’re coming round to yours specially for dessert and your serving ice cream, instant coffee and whatever wine you can dust off. This sounds utterly tragic.
Wow what a nasty person you are

I think it sounds like a brilliant evening!

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 19/04/2022 14:57

I'd spend the money you would have spent on more alcohol on an inexpensive cafetière and a pack of ground coffee. Instant is awful

Don't do this. If you've managed thus far without a cafetiere then you don't need to waste money on one now for one night which may or may not get used and you're then stuck with.

I'd politely enquire what people drink tbh. Are they likely to want red, white, dessert wine or other. You get approx 6 glasses of wine from a standard wine bottle so if there are 8 of you in total (if I've read that right, 6 people plus you and DH?) then you need at least 2 bottles of whatever people are drinking. If it's a mixed bag of drinks then you might be fine with what you have.

Personally I really dislike dessert wine so would opt for the white or prosecco.

If people are staying around at yours after for more drinks, you'll want a rough idea of how long they intend to stay to know how much more to buy.

How drinky are the people coming?

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 19/04/2022 14:58

@MrsWinters

They’re coming round to yours specially for dessert and your serving ice cream, instant coffee and whatever wine you can dust off. This sounds utterly tragic.
Harsh! Not everyone likes fancy coffee or fancy desserts...
PlumpAndDeliciousFatcat · 19/04/2022 15:04

You get approx 6 glasses of wine from a standard wine bottle

Only if your glasses are small. My wine glasses are pretty modest and not the massive goblets that some people have but 125ml wine still looks measly in them. I’d reckon on four glasses tops for wine, six for Prosecco if you are using flutes.

Allsorts1 · 19/04/2022 15:08

I love ice cream and port! Best combo. Port and then a lovely selection of teas to finish would be perfect.

Original poster
Dinnerdinnerbatman · 19/04/2022 15:18

I've made all the ice cream from scratch. Thought it was 8 but I've actually made 9. It's a big community event involving over 150 people, ranging from 2-3 people on a sofa for a starter, to a candlelit main for 12 cooked by their live-in chef, based on previous experience (and we were delighted by both) so I reckon the tragedy threshold will be high.

OP posts:
wheresmyshoe · 19/04/2022 15:36

Depending on your ice cream flavours it can be quite challenging to pair a wine. PX sherry is divine when a little is poured over vanilla ice cream but would be revolting with mint or strawberry. I'd stick to prosecco, Demi-sec champagne or a digestif like limoncello or some cocktails.
A cheapo cafetière is less then £10 and a pack of ground coffee a fiver. Or you could do hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.

ShirleyPhallus · 19/04/2022 16:58

MN is absolutely ridiculous sometimes, you do NOT need to go out and buy a cafetière FGS Confused

Sexnotgender · 19/04/2022 17:26

@Dinnerdinnerbatman

I've made all the ice cream from scratch. Thought it was 8 but I've actually made 9. It's a big community event involving over 150 people, ranging from 2-3 people on a sofa for a starter, to a candlelit main for 12 cooked by their live-in chef, based on previous experience (and we were delighted by both) so I reckon the tragedy threshold will be high.
That sounds amazing! Have a great time.
Bayleaf25 · 19/04/2022 17:27

I’d definitely get another couple of bottles of wine - at least 3 of each colour just in case it does end up a mad drinking session. One bottle of dessert wine is fine as very sweet and literally need a small glass to compliment the pudding.

The port/Bailey’s are nice to offer but not essential.

Have fun.

notanothertakeaway · 19/04/2022 17:32

I would probably go for 2 bottles white, 2 prosecco, 3 red, no need for Baileys

I wouldn't expect all of it to be consumed, but you do need to be able to offer a choice

Sounds like a fun event

Daisy62 · 19/04/2022 17:42

If you're worried about the coffee, you can get coffee bags which work like tea bags.

I'd get another bottle of white, as you've already got two red. I'd offer the dessert wine first, and if all six want it, pour it carefully. I think that's fine once you've got to the pudding stage. Hope it's fun!

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 19/04/2022 18:25

@ShirleyPhallus

MN is absolutely ridiculous sometimes, you do NOT need to go out and buy a cafetière FGS Confused
No-one has said that she NEEDS to do anything. OP asked for suggestions. Buying a cafetière frankly makes more sense than her plan A of buying more Baileys. A cheap one with a pack of ground coffee would cost about the same as the Baileys and barely take up more space in a cupboard than a jar of instant. It’s a perfectly reasonable suggestion.