Reduced alcohol dinner party

If there's one place people often drink far more than they should, it's at dinner parties with close friends. The supply of wine is cheap and seemingly limitless; you're in a safe environment, so no need to worry about losing your phone or someone stealing your bag; and all you have to trouble yourself with at the end of the night is calling a taxi. Or better yet, if you're the host, trotting off to bed.

With a glass that seems to stay magically full, you may find yourself unintentionally drinking way more than you would in a pub or restaurant.

So when it’s your turn to host the next at home get together why not save yourself and your guests from a potentially painful morning after, and try serving drinks with lower or no alcohol content, or simply fewer alcoholic drinks.

Make sure the water glasses stay full

Give your guests something else to sip on apart from wine, hopefully reducing the amount of alcohol they drink overall. Drinking water alongside alcohol will also keep you hydrated and lessen your hangover.

Don’t continually top up wine glasses

How many times in an hour does the host at the average dinner party refill the guests’ glasses without even asking? Let them pour their own wine when their glass is empty, so everyone knows how much they’re really drinking.

Have small wine glasses

There are generally three sizes of wine glass – 125ml, 175ml and 250ml. An average 125ml glass of wine would be around 1.5 units, but a 250ml glass could be over three units.

Remember, that government's daily units guidelines advise that women should not regularly exceed 2-3 units (equivalent to a 175ml glass of 13% wine) and that men should not regularly exceed 3-4 units (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer). ‘Regularly’ means drinking every day or most days of the week.

So, just one large glass and you’re already there…

Find out how many units and calories are in your favourite bottle of wine here...

Serve low alcohol or alcohol-free wine

The alcohol content in normal wine ranges from 9 to 15%; 125ml glass would be around 1.5 units. However, lower alcohol and no alcohol wines are readily available – have a look next time you go to the supermarket.

Make sure there's plenty mixers to make spritzers

Have soda water and lemonade on hand to mix with white wine to make spritzers. If you use half a small glass of wine, around 60ml, there’ll be less than a unit in each glass. Encourage your guests to try something new too. A calimocho is made by diluting red wine with coke. It's always been a popular drink in Spain, and they're tastier and more refreshing than you might think. Give one a try!