Perfect party drinks for all

Here’s to making sure there’s something on offer for everyone.

One of the most common questions I get asked is “what is your favourite wine?” with “what should I serve at my party?” coming in a close second.

The essence of getting the best drinks for an event is going with the things that you enjoy sharing. Having a good time is underpinned by feeling relaxed, so go simple within a bandwidth of beverages that makes your event easy.

For me, first up, the involvement of guests is essential. Therefore, any shindig I throw starts off with that retro-classic, a fruit (alcoholic!) punch.

Punches are simple, delicious, and can be ladled around with a joy of sharing. There’s a sense of engagement that immediately brings people together. Step one for a good party.

Outside that, cold things are essential. I usually go for accessible fizzy wine, thirstquenching rosés, chilled reds and a few interesting examples of salty or textural white wine. Great to drink, good with food, a fun talking point. For bubbles I suggest trying pet nats. These are the naturally sparkling wines that finish their fermentation in bottle, come in a kaleidoscopic array of colours and feel vibrant, natural and vivacious to drink.

Rosé makes for easy drinking but is also extremely versatile with a huge spectrum of food. I chill a lot of my red wines, so yes, call me a heathen. That being said, a crisp, cool red refreshes the palate beautifully.

While sticking to simple choices for wine, I tend to go diverse with beer and cider. Ransack the craft beer section and offer up a cornucopia of different, colourful brews. Among all this it’s increasingly important to be mindful of those not partaking in alcohol. I go for the NON range of category-defying “wine-like” beverages, and Heaps Normal beers.