Hosting an Oilers Game Night: Drinks, Snacks and a Safe Ride Home

Hockey season is back, and for a lot of St. Albert households that means friends on the couch, snacks on the coffee table and a cooler within reach. If it's your turn to host an Oilers game night, a little planning goes a long way: enough cold drinks to last three periods (and maybe overtime), food that holds up for a few hours, good options for the people who aren't drinking, and a plan to get everyone home safely. Here's a simple game plan.

How much to buy for an Oilers game night

Most party planners start with about one drink per guest for every hour of the party. A game runs roughly two and a half hours from puck drop to the final horn, intermissions included, and most people show up a little early for the pre-game. Call it three hours:

That's an average. Some guests will have one or two and switch to pop, and a few will have more. Count only the people who are likely to drink, and remember that a weeknight game with work in the morning usually goes slower than a Saturday night.

For the math to work, everything is counted in standard drinks. In Canada, one standard drink is 341 ml (12 oz) of 5% beer, 142 ml (5 oz) of 12% wine, or 43 ml (1.5 oz) of 40% spirits, according to Health Canada. A tallboy or a stronger craft beer counts as more than one. For bigger groups, our party drinks calculator does the arithmetic for you.

Splitting it between beer, coolers and cocktails

Hockey crowds lean towards beer, but not everyone does. A good starting split for a mixed group is about 60% beer, 20% coolers, seltzers or cider, and 20% wine or a simple cocktail. Then adjust for your friends:

• Beer-heavy crowd: a mix of an easy-drinking lager and one or two craft styles keeps things interesting. Our guide to Alberta craft beer styles explains the difference between a pale ale, an IPA and a stout.
• Not big on beer: coolers, seltzers and ciders are easy to grab from a cooler and don't need a glass.
• Cocktail fans: pick one drink and make it by the pitcher rather than running a full bar. A Caesar, Canada's own cocktail, is a natural fit for a hockey night, and a Moscow mule is just as easy to batch.

Snacks that go with game-night drinks

Game-night food needs to survive a few hours on the coffee table and be easy to eat during a power play. A few combinations that work well:

• Wings and lager or a pale ale: a crisp beer cuts through the heat and the sauce.
• Pizza and an amber ale or a fruity red: both have enough body to stand up to cheese and tomato.
• Nachos, chili or tacos and a light lager or cider: keep it simple and refreshing with spicy food.
• Sliders, ribs or smokies and a brown ale or porter: roasty, malty beers suit grilled and smoked flavours.
• Popcorn, pretzels and chips: salty snacks make people thirsty, so keep water on the table too.

Serving real food, not just chips, is part of hosting responsibly. Put out something substantial before the first period and refill it at intermission.

Don't forget the drivers: alcohol-free options

At most game nights, someone is driving, someone has an early shift and someone is simply taking a night off. Make their drinks as good as everyone else's:

• Non-alcoholic beer: today's versions are worth a try, and many look and taste close to the real thing.
• Alcohol-free wine and spirits: good for anyone who'd normally have a glass of red or a mixed drink.
• Mocktails: our cranberry ginger fizz is easy to make by the pitcher, and a mule made without the vodka is just ginger beer and lime.
• Sparkling water, pop and lots of ice.

Put the alcohol-free drinks in the same cooler as everything else rather than hiding them in the kitchen. City Liquor carries non-alcoholic beer, alcohol-free red and white wine and non-alcoholic spirits, and selection varies, so ask us what's in. Our non-alcoholic guide covers how they're made and what the labels mean.

Keeping everything cold through three periods

Nobody wants a warm beer in the third period. A few tips:

1. Chill in advance. Cans take a few hours to get properly cold in the fridge, so put them in the day before or the morning of the game.
2. Use a cooler and plenty of ice. About 1 lb (half a kilo) of ice per guest is a good starting point, more if you're also chilling wine or mixers. Ice and a little cold water chill cans faster than ice alone.
3. Mind the garage in winter. In an Alberta cold snap, beer and wine left in the car or an unheated garage can freeze and burst.

If you're short on fridge space, City Liquor's walk-in beer cooler means you can pick up beer that's already cold on your way home, and we sell bagged ice too.

A safe ride home is part of the plan

The best game nights end with everyone getting home safely, whether the Oilers won or not. Sort out rides before the puck drops, when it's easy:

• Pick designated drivers and make sure they have good alcohol-free drinks to enjoy.
• Set a taxi or rideshare budget, or plan for guests to walk home or stay over.
• Wind down after the final horn. Switch to water, coffee and food rather than starting another round for the drive.

Alberta takes impaired driving seriously. According to the Government of Alberta, a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 to 0.079 brings an immediate licence suspension and vehicle seizure, 0.08 or more brings much stiffer sanctions and possible criminal charges, and novice drivers must have zero alcohol. Our guide to Alberta liquor laws covers the details. And as host, never serve anyone under 18 or anyone who's already had too much.

Need a top-up before puck drop?

City Liquor is at 260-525 St Albert Trail in Inglewood, with free parking at the door. We're open 10 AM to 10 PM Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday, so there's time for a pre-game run or a mid-game top-up. Staying put? Delivery is available through SkipTheDishes; you must be 18 or older and show valid photo ID at the door. Want something we don't usually have on the shelf for a big game? Ask us about special orders. Whether you're hosting in Erin Ridge, Lacombe Park or Oakmont, we'll help you get your Oilers game night stocked, cold and ready. Call us at (825) 223-8787 or just come by.