There's a reception tonight and you've decided to top it off with some champagne - what a great idea! But how do you plan how many bottles of champagne you'll need? Check out our tips for getting the right amount of champagne to chill.
The perfect quantities for a reception
You should know that a standard 75 cl bottle of champagne can serve 6 12.5 cl champagne flutes. From these quantities you will be able to extrapolate the number of bottles of champagne to plan for. Count the number of guests you will receive, in this case, we are starting with 20 guests. For your part, remember to count the number of people who drink alcohol, excluding children and pregnant women.
How many glasses of champagne per person?
You should plan on 2 glasses of champagne per person to accompany the reception's petits fours. Also remember to bring fruit juices and bottles of soda for the children.
You don't need to plan for 50 bottles of course, but it's always better to order a little more. So plan for 2 or 3 extra bottles just in case. Also pay attention to the glasses you're going to use. If you're going for flutes or champagne glasses, no problem, they both hold 12.5 cl.
On the other hand, if you opt for tasting wine glasses which are very trendy at the moment, know that the capacity is larger. These glasses contain 15 cl and can only serve 5 glasses compared to 6 for classic flutes.
Play with bottle formats
To serve 14 bottles of champagne, you can have fun juggling with the size of the bottles. You can of course opt for the classic 75 cl bottle, in which case you will need 14, and even a little more if you plan large. But you can also go for larger sizes, and in particular the magnum which contains 2 bottles. You will then need 7. The Jeroboam contains 3 liters, or 4 standard bottles of champagne. Its format is ideal for making beautiful champagne fountains. And you can even offer a single bottle, the Balthazar which contains 16 classic bottles. A remarkable format but a little more complicated to manage in terms of service.
Tips to remember
Be aware that aperitifs or receptions encourage greater alcohol consumption. Everyone is standing, walking around with their glass, and nibbling. Conversely, during a sit-down meal, alcohol consumption is lower, simply because it is more balanced between the dishes and the wine. Also remember to provide bottles of water to quench the guests' thirst.
Finally, if you have any bottles of champagne left, place them in a cool, dark place, ideally in the cellar. If you don't have a cellar, put them back in their original box. If the bottles are opened, seal them with an airtight stopper and place them in the refrigerator. They must be consumed within 24 hours. Forget the spoon placed in the neck, it has no effect on the conservation of champagne!
