How Much Edible Glitter for a New Year's Eve Party? The Jar Math

How much edible glitter do you need for a New Year's Eve party? Fewer jars than you think, once you count the right drinks. A common hosting formula plans 2 drinks per guest in the first hour and 1 per guest each hour after, so 30 guests over 4 hours pour about 150 drinks. At the printed 0.1 grams a drink, glittering every one would take 15 grams — exactly one 15 gram jar, with nothing spare. Put the shimmer only in a signature cocktail that makes up about 1 drink in 3, and it is 50 drinks and 5 grams, leaving about 100 servings in the jar. The 15 gram jar works out to about 10 cents a drink; the 10 gram jar about 15 cents. Dana wins the round on the headline number: 150 drinks against 150 servings is a coin toss, so the menu, not a second jar, becomes the cushion. The episode also explains why the shimmer goes into the cocktail round before midnight rather than a straight Champagne toast: the pigment's beverage entry in 21 CFR 73.350 names cocktails, not wine. In this episode: - The party formula, and why you count shimmer drinks only - Per-drink cost: 15 gram versus 10 gram - Sparkle Lab: why the glitter moment is the signature cocktail - Dana's round: exactly is a trap - What overbuying costs you in January Who should skip it: beer-and-wine parties, fixed wine-pairing dinners, and hosts who won't measure even once. MONÉGASQUE Gold 15 gram luster dust is on Amazon at $14.99 standard; check the listing for current pricing. **Direct answer (top):** Count the shimmer drinks, not the whole party. A hosting formula of 2 drinks per guest in the first hour and 1 per guest after puts a 30-guest, 4-hour party at about 150 drinks — 15 grams at 0.1 grams a drink, exactly one 15 gram jar. Glitter only a signature cocktail that is about 1 drink in 3, and you need 5 grams, leaving about 100 servings spare. - 00:00 Cold open — 150 drinks, 150 servings - 00:30 The verdict: count the shimmer drinks - 02:00 Per-drink cost, and smaller and bigger parties - 03:30 Sparkle Lab: the toast versus the cocktail - 05:00 Dana's round: exactly is a trap - 06:10 Half a jar in January - 06:50 Measuring 0.1 grams, and doubling it - 07:40 Who should skip it · Dana's Scorecard · footnote Produced with AI-crafted hosts. Full transcript: https://monegasque.transistor.fm/episodes/how-much-edible-glitter-for-a-new-years-eve-party-the-jar-math/transcript. New questions answered every week at The Monégasque Table.