Estimate approximately 2 to 3 drinks per person per hour, with a calculation example that you can easily convert into order lists. Additionally, plan a substantial proportion of non-alcoholic options, including water, so that everyone has a complete choice. Employers also have a legal duty of care here: establish in advance who will supervise and what behavior is expected before raising a glass.
In short:
- For a company party, you should plan approximately 2 to 3 drinks per person per hour, including non-alcoholic options like water and soft drinks.
- Employers have a legal duty of care to agree on behavior beforehand, arrange supervision, and mitigate risks, even at informal after-work drinks.
- The range of non-alcoholic beverages should include basic drinks, sophisticated alternatives, and festive signature mocktails to offer a complete choice.
- For logistics, it's important to arrange sufficient cooling space, reusable glassware, and separate service points for non-alcoholic options.
- In case of incidents, it's crucial to organize communication and supervision in advance, and act quickly and factually according to a fixed step-by-step plan.
Table of Contents
- Company holiday party drinks: how much exactly do you order?
- What does the law require of employers at a company party?
- How do you make non-alcoholic drinks a complete choice at your party?
- How to organize drink logistics without stress
- How to prevent and handle incidents during the party?
- What can you learn from a real holiday party planning?
- What we underestimate about the holiday party
- Order ready-to-drink mocktails or a cocktail box for your party
- Where can you find the underlying figures and policy documents?
- Sources
Company holiday party drinks: how much exactly do you order?
The rule of thumb is to calculate a few drinks per person per hour, with slightly less after the first hour. For a party that starts at 4:00 PM and continues after dinner, the pace is often higher than for a short Friday afternoon drink at 5:30 PM. So adjust the number to the time and type of audience: a young, informal team drinks faster than a mixed group with clients present.
Here's how to calculate it for different scenarios:
- 1.5 hours, 50 people: 3 drinks in the first hour, plus 1 in the next half hour. That's about 175 drinks.
- 2.5 hours, 100 people: 3 in the first hour, 2 per hour thereafter. This amounts to approximately 700 drinks.
- 3 hours, 200 people: 3 plus 2 plus 2 per person, totaling 1,400 drinks.
Then convert these quantities into order units. A bottle of wine yields about 6 glasses, a crate of beer usually 24 bottles.
What does the law require of employers at a company party?
Under the Working Conditions Act, as an employer, you have a duty of care, even during an informal after-work gathering. This doesn't mean you have to prohibit alcohol, but it does mean you identify risks through your RI&E (Risk Inventory & Evaluation) and take concrete measures. Grant Thornton advises to communicate about behavior in advance, limit the amount of alcohol, and consistently offer non-alcoholic alternatives.
In practice, this works best with a few clear agreements:
- Appoint one contact person in advance, for example, a manager or HR employee.
- Communicate a week in advance what behavior is expected and what the consequences are for crossing boundaries.
- Let the bartender or host intervene when someone drinks too much, instead of leaving this to colleagues.
- Document agreements in an ADM policy (alcohol, drugs, and medication), even if it's just half a page.
Pro-tip: Include the ADM policy in your RI&E, even if your company is small. In the event of an incident, this is the first document an occupational physician or Labor Inspectorate will request.
Nearly 17% of working Dutch people drink riskily, and this is precisely the group that is most likely to overindulge during a December party. So not only document your policy, but also document every incident in writing. In case of repetition or injury, external legal advice is often wiser than handling it internally.
How do you make non-alcoholic drinks a complete choice at your party?
That percentage is not an arbitrary margin: the demand for quality 0.0 drinks grows throughout the year, not just in January. Those who only offer soft drinks and water in December inadvertently communicate that non-alcoholic options are a last resort.
Build your offering in three layers. This prevents the non-alcoholic table from becoming an afterthought.
| Layer | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Quench thirst, always available | water, soft drinks, juice |
| Sophisticated alternative | Replaces beer or wine in terms of feel | non-alcoholic sparkling wine, 0.0 beer |
| Showstopper | Festive highlight of the evening | signature mocktail with festive garnish |
A good signature mocktail acts as an icebreaker: something with cranberry, orange, and a cinnamon stick always works well in December, served in the same glass as the alcoholic cocktails. This last detail is no coincidence. Serving the 0.0 variant in a different, cheaper glass makes the difference visible, which is counterproductive.
Also consider pace and temperature:
- Serve the showstopper chilled and with garnish, not lukewarm from a bottle.
- Place the non-alcoholic options at the front of the bar, not tucked away in a corner.
- Change the offering every hour, so the bar remains visually engaging.
How to organize drink logistics without stress
Melt loss and cutting loss impact more than most organizers expect.
The choice of service type directly determines how much you need. A self-service bar with bottles and a cool box requires a larger stock than a staffed bar, because guests dose themselves less accurately than a bartender would.
Practical points to arrange in advance:
- Reserve cooling capacity at least one day in advance, not just on the morning of the event.
- Opt for reusable glassware instead of plastic cups; this reduces waste and looks more festive.
- Set up a clear dispensing table for non-alcoholic options, separate from the bar with alcohol but equally visible.
- Use recycled or compostable napkin and straw materials where possible, such as the sustainable drink solutions that reduce waste and costs simultaneously.
Those who want to know more about stock calculation per location type can find a detailed explanation in the practical guide to drink logistics at events.
How to prevent and handle incidents during the party?
Prevention starts with communication, not with intervention afterwards. Tell employees in advance what you expect, appoint a bartender or supervisor, and have managers visibly choose a non-alcoholic option themselves. The latter has more influence on group norms than an official announcement.
If things still go wrong, follow a fixed step-by-step plan:
- Intervene calmly and remove the person from the immediate situation, without involving the group.
- Document the situation factually: time, what happened, who was present.
- If necessary, offer transportation or care, instead of letting someone go home on their own.
- Report the incident to HR the next working day, even if it "wasn't that bad."
Pro-tip: Let your bartender know in advance that they are allowed to stop serving without asking for permission first. Removing that barrier prevents most escalations.
In case of repeated incidents or physical injury, it is wise to involve HR and possibly an external employment lawyer, especially if the duty of care is at stake.
What can you learn from a real holiday party planning?
For a party of sixty people and a few hours, you can expect several hundred drinks. Cocktailsbynina provides ready-to-drink mocktails and cocktail boxes for these kinds of events that you can serve without a shaker or bartending knowledge, plus glassware that makes the non-alcoholic version look just as festive as the rest of the bar.
For more drink inspiration without the hassle of mixing, the guide no mixer needed: types of drinks for every party is a good starting point, as is the overview of ready-made drink alternatives for every party for sophisticated 0.0 options that don't feel like a second choice.
What we underestimate about the holiday party
The discussion about company parties often revolves around how much alcohol is allowed or not, while the real problem is rarely the quantity. It lies in the presentation. If you put the non-alcoholic table in a corner with plastic cups, everyone standing there feels like the exception, even though 26% of the Netherlands now consciously chooses to drink less or nothing at a company party.
What strikes me: companies do invest in a good location and catering, but rarely dedicate the same care to the mocktail as to the cocktail. This is a missed opportunity, because precisely in December, with Christmas spirit and end-of-year pressure, the need for a festive alternative without a hangover is greatest. A signature mocktail in the same glass as the gin and tonic does more for the atmosphere than an extra bottle of wine. The organizers who understand this have less hassle afterwards and a party that everyone remembers well, not just the people who got drunk.
— Ruud
Order ready-to-drink mocktails or a cocktail box for your party
Cocktailsbynina is the alternative for those who don't want shakers, measuring cups, or to hire a bartender for three hours. Everything comes ready-to-drink, at bar quality, and you pour it yourself into the glass of your choice.
For a large party with many guests, a wide selection of non-alcoholic cocktails works best, so you cover both the sophisticated layer and the showstopper in one order. If you're organizing a smaller departmental party or want to offer different flavors, a cocktail box with 6 pieces is more practical: everyone can taste something different without you having to order entire crates. Are you torn between ready-to-drink and full catering? Choose ready-to-drink as soon as your team can serve it themselves, and only hire catering for events with more than 150 guests with a separate bar. View the assortment of mocktails to buy and determine this week how many bottles you need for your December party.
Where can you find the underlying figures and policy documents?
For the figures on risky alcohol use among working people, consult the Trimbos research. Public opinion on an alcohol ban during Christmas parties can be found in the Hart van Nederland panel survey. For a concrete ADM policy template that you can fill in yourself, Trimbos offers an SME template, and for legal employment steps in case of incidents, Grant Thornton's advice is a good starting point.
This article contains general information and does not replace the advice of a qualified attorney. Consult a qualified legal professional about your own situation before acting on the basis of this content.
Sources
- Alcohol ban during office Christmas party? 1 in 4 Dutch people are for it | Hart van Nederland
- One in six working people in the Netherlands drinks riskily | Trimbos
- Company party? Consider employment law risks! | Grant Thornton
- Alcohol-free grows year-round (RetailTrends)
