We probably do more entertaining this time of year than the rest of the year combined. Is it stressful? Or have you created the perfect party format? Can you finish the evening with no one going hungry or thirsty, and with little to no leftovers? Or are you likely to have an entire bar's worth of spirits, a case of wine, and too much beer to drink before the next football Sunday?

  For some people, this isn't a problem -- they know their guests, they limit choices (although that can still leave you with leftovers), or they entertain often enough that it doesn't matter. But for those of you who entertain rarely, here's what you need to know:

First, how many people?

Second, how long is the party?

  Estimate one drink per hour per person. If that sounds low, it's not (we've tried this, many times). For most social events, some people will drink less, some people will drink more (we trust with designated drivers), some people won't be drinking at all (make sure you have other options on hand). So if you're planning a three hour event, and expecting 100 people, you'll want to plan for 300 drinks.

  Of those, a certain percentage will drink spirits, a certain percentage wine, a certain percentage beer, and others will be drinking soft drinks, water, etc. This, of course, is where it gets complicated. The easy thing to do, of course, is get help (ask someone in one of our stores, or contact our gift center through the "contact us" link on the home page), but you can figure it out on your own from those basics and a little more info.

  In a mixed age group, about 45% will drink mixed drinks or straight spirits (scotch, martinis, etc). In the 100 person party example, unless you know specific tastes otherwise, for a full bar, you'll want a 750 or liter bottle of the standards: scotch, bourbon, Canadian whiskey, blended, gin, tequila, and so forth. Add an extra bottle each of rum and vodka. Now, obviously, if you know no one at your event is going to care if you have their favorite scotch on hand, you can bump up to an extra bottle of whatever you think you'll need. On the other hand, if there's someone important whose taste you absolutely know, it doesn't hurt to have that particular bottle available. And with holiday entertaining, you may have more cordial drinkers.

**By the way, even if you think you'll need more than a 750ml or liter bottle, we recommend you buy two of that size, rather than one 1.75L (unless it's your brand, or a close friend's brand) so that you can return the unopened bottle if necessary instead of having a half-full 1.75L bottle sitting on your shelf.**

  Wine: you're going to get about four glasses of wine from a 750ml bottle. So for our example, this translates to five each red and white (this is somewhere around 40% of your group). And you'll want about 3 1/2 cases of beer (the math does not work out perfectly, of course, because you're going to have to buy bottles, not cups, so there's some rounding up happening).

  For variations in the crowd -- everyone drinking wine, everyone you know likes margaritas, etc -- adjust accordingly.

  And don't forget: the best parties are the ones you remember for years. Enjoy responsibly, and please, encourage your guests to use designated drivers. It makes the morning after a whole lot more fun.