Special Event Network / Finger Lakes Weddings & Events

Be a Responsible Host

 

• Always serve food with all alcoholic beverages  
• High-protein foods such as cheese and meats are especially good foods to serve because they stay in the stomach longer. Raw vegetables with a protein dip like cream cheese or sour cream dips are also good.
• Pass a platter of food to circulate through the guests to encourage eating.
• Measure liquor in beverages and punches 
• If you are serving alcoholic beverages, also serve non-alcoholic beverages such as non-alcoholic punch, soft drinks, chilled bottled water and coffee.
• Stop serving alcoholic drinks and punches about an hour before the party is to end. During the last hour of your party, have coffee and extra non-alcoholic beverages and a dessert available.
• Prevent guests from having too much to drink. If you observe a guest who is drinking too much, try to engage him/her in a conversation to slow down drinking.
• If one of your guests has had too much to drink, you should see that they do not drive. Ask someone who has not been drinking to take them home, call a taxi and have your guest taken home and offer to pay for the cab, drive them home yourself, or offer to have them spend the night, but don't let them drive home.

 

Helpful Hints

 

• A block of ice rather than cubes will keep your punch from diluting too rapidly 
• Add sparkling beverages just before serving
• Thoroughly chill wine and other beverages to be used in the punch to 36 degrees
• One gallon of punch serves approximately 32 persons (32-3 ounce drinks with ice)
• When making an alcoholic punch and the recipe calls for a bottle, it means a fifth of a gallon or 25 ounces
• Freeze fruit juice or ginger ale in ice cube trays or an ice ring instead of water to keep punch cold
• A metal punch bowl is the best choice for hot punches as they may crack a glass punch bowl. To avoid cracking a glass cup, put a metal spoon in it before filling it with a hot drink.

 

Ice Rings

 

• Keep your beverages cold with a festive ice ring and make several so you can replace them as they melt 
• If you are using a fruit juice in your punch, substitute the juice for water in your ice ring, or freeze part of the non-sparkling punch recipe itself to keep the punch cold without diluting it.
• Select a ring mold that fits into the punch bowl. Fill the mold half full with water, 7-Up, lemon-lime or ginger ale and freeze until firm (about 4 hours). Cut 3 orange wheels or slices in half and arrange on top of the frozen layer. Add enough liquid to cover the fruit. Freeze until firm. Unmold the ring and place it in the punch bowl.
• Arrange thin citrus slices and maraschino cherries or strawberries in an attractive design. Pour water, 7-Up, ginger ale, lemon-lime or a clear juice into mold to partially cover fruit. Freeze. When frozen, add more liquid to fill mold 3/4 full and freeze. At serving time, unmold and float fruit side up in a punch bowl.
• Freeze sprite, sliced oranges, sliced lemons and cherries in an ice ring as above.

 

Della Robbia Ice Ring

        2 (12 ounce) cans ginger ale (1 1/2 cups)

        1/2 cup ReaLemon

 

Combine ginger ale and ReaLemon.  Pour 2 1/2 cups mixture into a 1-quart ring mold and freeze. Arrange apricot halves, green grapes, strawberries, orange peel strips or other fruits and mint on top of ice. Slowly pour remaining ReaLemon mixture on fruit; freeze. At serving time, unmold and float in punch bowl.

 

Lemon Ice Cubes

        1 quart cold water

        1/2 cup ReaLemon lemon juice from concentrate

        mint leaves or fruit pieces (optional)

 

Combine water and lemon juice. Pour into ice cube trays. Place mint leaf or fruit piece in each cube if desired; freeze. Serve with iced tea, lemonade, or carbonated beverages. Makes about 2 dozen ice cubes.

 

Using Beverage Fountains

 

Most fountains are a 5 gallon capacity

 

Beverages must be clear and without pulp, seeds, fruit, etc. Beverage fountains are designed to circulate clear beverages only.

 

DO NOT use ice cream, sherbet, gelatin or foamy punches in beverage fountains.

 

DO NOT float fruit in punch fountains

 

Helpful Hints

• Pre-chill beverages whenever possible to at least 36 degrees before adding to fountain.
• To avoid dilution, freeze fruit juice, 7-Up or ginger ale into ice cubes or use chunks of ice 
• Carbonation will dissipate after 10-20 minutes of re-circulating in the fountain. Add carbonated beverages last.
• Maintain carbonation by adding small amounts of carbonated beverages from time to time.

 

Operating Tips

• Pour approximately two quarts of beverage in lower reservoir and turn switch to ON. If beverage does not circulate within one minute, turn to OFF for 10 seconds. Repeat this procedure several times until beverage flows freely.
• If this procedure fails, pour beverage into top reservoir, with the switch in ON position until pump is activated.

 

Important: DO NOT run fountain dry. DO NOT immerse base of fountain in water.

 

Cleaning Tips

 

After use, empty our remaining beverage and fill lower reservoir with two gallons of warm water and let circulate for 5 minutes. Empty the unit and repeat again. DO NOT take unit apart or use scouring pads.

 

Check with your rental company for any further instructions.

   

Compiled by the Special Event Network Staff