Thinking about running a tasting at your own clubhouse, community room, or campground? Here is everything we have learned about planning one, from getting permission to cleaning up.
Please note: we are hobbyists, not lawyers. Alcohol laws vary by state, county, and venue. Check with your venue’s management and your local rules before you plan anything.
1. Get permission first
- Talk to your venue’s management or activities director before you buy a single bottle.
- If the venue has a bar or a liquor license, ask how to keep your tasting completely separate from it.
- Keep it free. Don’t charge admission, sell tickets, or accept tips, donations, or bottles. Taking money for alcohol can turn a friendly tasting into an unlicensed sale.
- Make sure everyone attending is 21 or older.
2. Choose a theme and a short menu
Five to seven drinks is plenty. A theme (a holiday, a spirit, a region) gives the evening a shape. Our favorite trick is to include pairs that teach something, like a Lemon Drop next to a variation that swaps liqueur for syrup. Guests learn more from comparing than from any lecture.
3. Do the strength math
Tasting portions add up. Use the method from Lesson 1 to estimate the total and share it with guests up front.
Our Halloween example: one full cocktail of each of our seven drinks contains roughly 6 oz of pure alcohol in total. Split among four tasters, that is about 1 1/2 oz each, or about 2 1/2 standard drinks per person. We rounded up and told guests “roughly three” to be safe.
4. Shop and prep
- Write a shopping list for one round (one full cocktail of each drink), then multiply by the number of rounds. See our Halloween Kickoff for an example.
- Buy 50 ml miniatures for liqueurs you only need an ounce of.
- Squeeze citrus, make syrups, and pre-rim glasses ahead of time.
- Plan 1 to 2 pounds of ice per guest, plus coolers to keep it in.
5. Gather your equipment
- Two or three shakers and jiggers, so you are not rinsing between every drink
- Small tasting cups (2 oz is a good size)
- Water pitchers and cups for every table
- Towels, a rinse bucket, and a trash bag
- A card for each drink with its name, ingredients, and allergens
6. Write a welcome handout
A one-page handout sets the tone and covers the important stuff so you don’t have to lecture. Ours includes: a warm welcome, the fact that it’s free, how much guests will be drinking in total, a reminder to eat, drink water, and skip anything they like, a firm “no driving, golf carts included,” an allergy note, and the recipes. Feel free to borrow from our Halloween handout.
7. Run the evening
- Serve food from the start.
- Space the drinks out. Ten to fifteen minutes apart gives people time to taste, talk, and pace themselves.
- Say a sentence or two about each drink: what pattern it follows and what to notice.
- Offer a zero-proof option for anyone who wants one.
- Keep an eye on your guests, and make sure everyone has a safe way home.
8. Write down what you learned
Which drinks were hits? What ran out? What took too long? Jot it down that night while it is fresh. Your notes will make the next one easier, and if you share them, they will help the rest of us too.