Hi all!
Can I preface this by saying I have had so much help from this board both when lurking and also asking a question. Thanks for that!
Ok, so our venue does not let us bring our own alcohol, you have to buy it all through them (at normal bar prices). However, they will stock the bar with as much or as little as you like. We have full control of the bar with them. If we want only beer, or 20 gins, that's cool, and we don't have to buy back half empty bottles.
We were firstly going to go with wine, beer and soft drinks only, but looking at our guest list there are a few people that would prefer vodka and whiskey etc. We were thinking as mixed drinks cost the same for us roughly it would be rude to not give them the drink of their preference. Therefore we think we should ask the venue for an open bar. However....
Some friends and also vendors have recommended a No Shots No Doubles policy at the bar.
I am totally in agreement with the No Shots policy. Firstly I think it might be a rule of our venue, secondly, in our friendship circles on normal nights out, some guy will go to the bar, spend £50 on shots and make people drink them whether they want one or not. No offence but I don't want people doing that with our money IYKWIM???
However for the No Doubles it's different. What if our guests just prefer the taste of a double? It seems a bit rude to say you can have 2 gin & tonics but not a double???
Thoughts much appreciated!
Re: Is it rude to say 'no shots no doubles'?
And since you're paying for it, it doesn't really matter. If your bar is just basing it based on total bottles consumed, it shouldn't matter. Though, I've worked consumption bars where we just rang up drinks in the till like we normally do to keep track and presented the hosts with the total at the end of the night - so two singles would ring up as $14 (7/drink) and a double would ring up as I think it was $10 or $11. So if your venue is coming up with your total like that, then it would be advantageous to you to allow doubles. If not, then it doesn't matter.