What drinks should you serve at a work Christmas party?
Serve a small, crowd-pleasing spread rather than a full bar: two or three ready-to-drink cocktails, a beer or seltzer, wine, and a generous non-alcoholic option. As a planning baseline in Australia, allow roughly one alcoholic drink per guest per hour, with a little extra for the first hour. Pre-made pouched cocktails like MXTOLOGY's 130ml Activatable Cocktails make the alcohol side effortless because there's no bar setup, no glassware and no leftover open spirits.
The Espresso Martini is an Activatable Cocktail — open the pouch, close the lid, give it a shake to liven the flavours, then sip. Shake to form real crema. $14 each. 10.7% ABV · 1.1 standard drinks · 130ml · made fresh in Australia.
Get the Espresso Martini pouch →A work Christmas party has one thing a backyard party doesn't: a mix of colleagues who all like different things and many who'll only have one or two. That makes variety more valuable than volume. Offering a few distinct styles — something light, something classic, something tropical — means everyone finds a drink without you buying five full bottles of spirits that get half-used.
How many drinks should you buy per person?
Plan for about one standard serve per guest per hour, then round up by 15–20% so you don't run short. For a typical 3–4 hour work function, that's roughly 3–5 drinks per drinking guest — but remember many colleagues will have far fewer, so total demand is usually lower than the maximum. Always cater for non-drinkers too.
Because MXTOLOGY pouches list their exact standard drinks on each product page (the range runs 0.9 to 1.6 standard drinks per 130ml pouch), you can plan responsibly instead of guessing. A lighter option like the Granny Smith Fireball is 0.9 standard drinks, while the Elderflower Gin Gimlet is 1.6.
Quantity guide: how many pouches to buy
| Guests (drinking) | 2-hour event | 3-hour event | 4-hour event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ~24 pouches | ~36 pouches | ~48 pouches |
| 20 | ~48 pouches | ~72 pouches | ~96 pouches |
| 30 | ~72 pouches | ~108 pouches | ~144 pouches |
| 50 | ~120 pouches | ~180 pouches | ~240 pouches |
These figures assume roughly 1.2 drinks per guest per hour and that everyone is drinking cocktails — in practice you'll split the count across cocktails, beer, wine and zero-alcohol, so treat the table as an upper bound and adjust to your crowd.
Which cocktails work best for a mixed office crowd?
Choose a spread of three or four styles so light drinkers, classic-cocktail fans and adventurous colleagues are all covered. A reliable line-up is one light and approachable pouch, one universally loved classic, one tropical or fruity option, and one "wow" cocktail for the enthusiasts.
- Light & easy: Granny Smith Fireball (8.7%, 0.9 std drinks) — the most approachable in the range. See the method.
- The office classic: Espresso Martini (10.7%, 1.1 std drinks) — shake the pouch to build real crema. See the method.
- Crowd-pleasing fruity: Pornstar Martini (12.7%, 1.3 std drinks), Australia's most iconic RTD cocktail. See the method.
- Tropical: Piña Colada (11.3%, 1.1 std drinks), a dual-rum classic. See the method.
- For the enthusiasts: Tommy's Margarita (14.2%, 1.4 std drinks) or the Elderflower Gin Gimlet (16%, 1.6 std drinks). Methods: Tommy's · Gimlet.
Browse the full range to build your line-up at the MXTOLOGY cocktail pouches collection.
Why pouched cocktails suit a work function
Pouched cocktails remove the two hardest parts of catering a work party: setup and cleanup. There's no bartender to hire, no glassware to wash and no half-used spirit bottles left over. Each MXTOLOGY pouch is glass-free, chillable and lightweight — you keep them cold in an esky and hand them out.
They're also genuinely made cocktails, not sugary premixes: fresh in Australia, with real spirits and no artificial ingredients. And because the pouch is an Activatable Cocktail, guests get a small piece of theatre without any equipment. The ritual is Open · Close · Shake · Sip: open the spout and the pouch breathes in air, close the resealable lid, shake to liven the flavours (and build a proper crema on an Espresso Martini) inside the very vessel you drink from, then sip straight from the pouch or pour over ice.
What if some guests don't drink beer or alcohol at all?
Always offer a proper non-alcoholic option and a variety of alcoholic styles — never assume everyone drinks the same thing. For a work event especially, a visible zero-alcohol choice (sparkling water, soft drink, mocktails or non-alc beer) matters, and no one should ever feel pressured to drink. Variety across cocktails, wine and beer also means colleagues who dislike beer still have something they enjoy.
How far ahead can you buy the drinks?
You can buy well ahead — unopened RTD cocktails keep for months, so ordering a week or two in advance is smart for a work party. Buying early also unlocks MXTOLOGY's mix-and-match volume pricing, which suits a case-sized order: $14 each, $13 each when you buy 3 or more, and $12 each when you buy 6 or more, applied automatically at checkout. Build a mixed case at build-your-case.
Comparison: pouched cocktails vs a DIY bar
| Factor | MXTOLOGY pouches | DIY spirit bar |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | None — chill & serve | Bottles, mixers, ice, tools |
| Glassware | Not required | Glasses to hire/wash |
| Portion control | Std drinks printed per pouch | Hard to measure pours |
| Leftovers | Sealed pouches keep | Open bottles & waste |
| Variety | Mix multiple cocktails | Limited by what you stock |
18+ only. Drink responsibly. Cater for non-drinkers, provide water and food, arrange safe transport home, and never pressure anyone to drink. Each pouch's exact ABV and standard drinks appear on its product page.
Frequently asked questions
How many drinks per person at a work Christmas party?
Plan for about one alcoholic drink per guest per hour, with a little extra for the first hour. Over a 3-hour event that's roughly 3 drinks per drinking guest — but many colleagues will have fewer, and you should always include non-alcoholic options.
Are cocktail pouches good for a party?
Yes — pouched cocktails are ideal for parties because they need no bar setup, glassware or cleanup, and each MXTOLOGY pouch lists its standard drinks so you can plan responsibly. They're chillable, glass-free and let you offer several cocktail styles at once.
Which MXTOLOGY cocktail is best for an office crowd?
The Espresso Martini and Pornstar Martini are the safest crowd-pleasers for a mixed office, while the Granny Smith Fireball (0.9 standard drinks) suits lighter drinkers. Offering all three covers most preferences.
How much do the pouches cost for a big order?
MXTOLOGY pouches are $14 each, dropping to $13 each for 3 or more and $12 each for 6 or more, with the discount applied automatically at checkout. That makes a mixed case the most economical way to cater a work function.
How far in advance can I buy the drinks?
Unopened pouches keep for months, so ordering a week or two ahead is ideal and avoids last-minute stress. Store them cool and chill them the day before.
Mix and match any of the 11 pouches and the more you add, the less each one costs — the discount applies automatically at checkout.
