Ideas for Serving Drinks at Your Party

When you’re hosting a party, there are a million and one things to think about. You want your guests to have a good time, but you also want them to feel comfortable in your home. You want to keep costs low, but you want it to look like something other than a cheap party. And, of course, you want the food and drink offerings to be delicious and plentiful.

In addition to having delectable cuisine at your party, drinks are also crucial. A depressing party is one when the host only provides water. Serve punches, juices, and other non-alcoholic cuisines for children and non-drinkers while serving wine, cocktails, and other alcoholic beverages to adults. 

It’s hard enough finding all this stuff without having to worry about how you’re going to serve it! But don’t worry: we’ve got that covered for you too. In this article, we’ll give you some ideas for serving drinks at your party in ways that will make everyone happy—and keep your mind at ease so that you can focus on the fun parts of being a host!

1. Mason Jar Drink Station

The popularity of serving party beverages and cocktails in mason jars peaked a few years ago, but it’s not just a passing craze. In actuality, serving drinks in this manner makes them seem fantastic, especially when done in a bar. Have mason jars with straws available for your visitors to drink from, along with a few drinks to be served on a mason jar drink dispenser. As an alternative, you can serve the beverages without the cover and decorate them with fruit on the rim and a straw.

Mason jars also have the fantastic benefit of allowing you to make a lot of drinks in advance and store them on ice or in the freezer until visitors come. Examples of these drinks include frozen daiquiris, fruit teas, fresh fruit juices, and smoothies.

2. Fruity Summer Drink Station

The fruity summer drink station is a great idea for parties where you want to keep things simple. This station consists of several containers of different fruit juices, your favorite liquor, and some carbonated water. You can put out different types of juice, like orange juice and cranberry juice, or include one or two choices. The choice is up to you! You can also use soda water instead of carbonated water if you want a more bubbly drink.

For this drink station, all you need are several containers for your juices and liquors, as well as cups for the soda water. You can even place these containers on a table or tray so that it looks nice without taking up too much space on your countertop. If you want to add some flare to your party tablescape, consider using glass candle holders or vases filled with flowers as part of this display.

3. Mimosa and Sangria Bar

For an easy and delicious drink bar, set up a mimosa bar with different types of juices and different types of sparkling wine. For example, you can have orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, apple juice, grapefruit juice, and pink grapefruit juice. You can also have champagne or prosecco.

Add some garnishes like sliced strawberries and oranges to add color and flavor to the drinks. If you want to serve sangria at your party, then you can set up a sangria bar by adding different types of fruit, like apples, grapes, and pineapple slices, into a big bowl of red wine. Add some ice cubes if you want your sangria chilled down completely before serving it on party tables.

4. Punchbowl

You can never be wrong with a traditional punch bowl with a ladle and cups hanging on its rim. Punchbowls are a great way to serve a variety of drinks in one bowl. To make your punchbowl, all you need is a large bowl and some fruit.

Fill the bowl with ice, then place different types of fruit (such as orange slices, cut-up strawberries, and bananas) on top of the ice. Cover these with lemon-lime soda or juice until the bowl is full. You can also add sparkling water if you prefer not to use soda or juice. This will give your punchbowl an extra kick!

5. Milkshake Bar

Try a milkshake bar if you’re looking for a fun way to serve drinks at your party. You can make all kinds of flavors and make them as thick or as thin as you like, depending on how much time you have and how many people are coming over.

The best part is that they’re really easy to make—you need some vanilla ice cream, milk, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. If you want to get fancy, you can also add whipped cream or marshmallows!

6. Coffee Bar

Want to serve some pick-me-up for your guests? Serve them coffee to keep them alive, alert, awake, and enthusiastic for the rest of the event! Hot coffee is perfect for an event in the fall or winter or at a wedding. Provide a coffee urn that makes large batches of brewed coffee. 

Set up some cups if you’re hosting a party for just a few people, but if you have lots of guests, you can buy paper coffee cups. Use an organizer for your paper cups, lids, cup sleeves, stirrers, napkins, creamer, and sugar packets.

A coffee bar is incomplete without a sign, so make sure you add one to the table. You may also want a banner to display below the table or on the wall. If you’re adventurous, having a standby espresso machine is also a great way to have your guests try their home barista skills.

7. Hot Chocolate Bar

At your holiday party, it’s fun to set up a hot cocoa bar with all the fixings and toppings! When it’s cold outside, let the guests warm up with your specialty hot cocoa. Use a slow cooker to make a heartwarming cocoa recipe – because the best homemade hot cocoa is made using slow cookers! Provide porcelain mugs and decorate your cocoa bar with hot cocoa bar decoration kits.

For the toppings on your hot chocolate bar, use mason jars in different sizes to add some height and interest. Use tall jars for toppings like large marshmallows, candy canes, peppermint sticks, and cookies. Use smaller ones for mini chocolate chips, crushed peppermints, toffee bits, and sprinkles.

8. Rolling Bar Cart

If you’re having a party, you want to avoid being stuck behind the bar all night. And if you’re serving drinks at a party, you want to avoid being stuck behind the bar all night. That’s why we love this rolling bar cart—it allows you to serve drinks while still enjoying the party!

This bar cart is designed with wheels so that it can easily be rolled around your space and filled with glasses, pitchers, and other drinkware. You can even use it as an extra surface for serving food or decorating with flowers!

Final Thoughts

In the end, it’s up to you to decide what kind of drink you want to serve at your party. Whether you’re hosting a casual get-together or a more formal affair, there are plenty of options for drinks that will keep your guests happy and satisfied.

And remember: just because we’ve given you a few ideas doesn’t mean you have to stick with what we’ve suggested! Feel free to get creative and experiment with different recipes—you never know what might come out of it!

For more ideas and recommendations, you may also read our list of 45 Ideas for Party Food and Treats.