The holidays are upon us, and the celebratory gatherings are in full swing. Whether you plan to entertain a handful of friends and family or host a grand holiday soiree, you don’t want to leave your guests thirsty. Be sure to have enough wine, spirits and snacks on hand for your holiday gatherings. Knowing a few basic guidelines for how much of each beverage to have on hand will help ensure that your get-together goes off without a hitch.

In general, plan for two drinks per guest in the first hour of your party, and one drink per guest each hour after that. Of course, whether those drinks are wine, cocktails or beer is dependent upon your preferences and what you anticipate your guests will choose. Always make sure to have nonalcoholic beverages available for guests as well.

A standard formula caterers often use when planning a gathering is to have one bottle of wine per person for a party that will last several hours, based on the assumption that it’s best to have unopened bottles of wine left over than to run out. More conservatively, you could plan on half a bottle per person. If festivities may last longer than four hours, adjust your plan accordingly, figuring that one 750ml bottle of wine will yield about five glasses filled halfway; one 750ml bottle of spirits contains 16 1.5-ounce shots; and one 2-liter bottle of soda will yield about ten 8-ounce glasses.