Rum, white wine, asti spumanti, fruit juice and fruit portions. For example: 8 people = 1 fifth light rum, 1 magnum white wine, 1 bottle asti, 1/2 pound of fresh tasty fruits to your liking + simple syrup (or one 16-oz can of light syrup pineapple + 4 ounces of mandarin oranges), one 4-oz bottle of cherries. Put the fruit in a big bowl (no liquid) then add the rum, then the white wine. Add syrup to taste. Let it seep for a few hours. Right before the party add your asti to the punchbowl.
I can’t really do it BYOB, as most of the guests are flying in from California tomorrow. I think I’ll get the stuff for Sex on the Beach, which will also include the stuff for screwdrivers and cranberry and vodka.
By now, every Australian, Irish, and UK Doper has reread this about five times trying to work it out. I mean, it’s written in English, but it doesn’t make sense… 
Are there any old sailors here that remember the recipe for Mojo? There were a number of variations, but IIRC, it was
1 pint vodka
1 pint rum
1 pint cherry brandy
1 10oz. bottle 7-Up
Orange juice to top off the pitcher
I’ve probably forgotten an ingredient or three, but it tasted like fruit punch and kicked like a mule. Very popular at parties and other places drunken sailors might congregate.
you might want to consult
www.webtender.com and go to the “In My Bar” link and explore that.
Whenever I throw a party I go with ample beer (mind you, this is a college crowd, so this might be skippable) and a selection of liquors that mirrors a lot of the above suggestions.
Vodka mixes with clear sodas, and lots of juices. Orange vodka and orange juice can make a particularly powerful screwdriver (OJ/vodka). Cranberry is another popular mixer. A slightly more complex drink (by one ingredient) is a Bay Breeze, which adds a dash of pineapple juice to the cranberry, but I’m not sure something somewhat tropical would be appropriate at new years.
Martinis for a more distinguished or less alcoholic crowd are a good choice. Vodka, Gin (Get at least decent gin, something that’s NOT in a plastic bottle, bad gin is HORRID), and dry vermouth.
Rum mixes well with coke, basically.
Southern Comfort mixed with coke, or a shot with lime juice is great, if shots are involved, and is a tad more creative than just vodka or liquor. You can mix it with Peach Schnapps in a 1:1 ratio for another good shot.
Usually if I want to throw a really big party, I’ll get at least a handle of Rum and Vodka (standard liquors), a bottle of either tequila (get lime and salt and shot glasses), or a bottle of whiskey/bourbon, and then liquor for a specialty shot.
If you want to be a little trendy, you could try pomegranate ‘martini’s’. That’s what I made for xmas - HUGE hit. 1 - 2 parts pomegranate juice to one part vodka, splash of triple sec, squeeze of lime. Shake up in shaker with a bunch of ice. I dropped a couple of pomegranate seeds in the bottom of the glass. The pomegranate juice is pricey for a mixer, but that’s what makes it special 
It’s very tasty and a beautiful color to boot.
AND chock full of antioxidants to head off the ol’ hangover.
Scotch and milk.
j/k
You don’t want to know how drunk I was that that seemed like a good idea. PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Learn from my mistakes, I’ll be over in the corner whimpering at the memory.
Sounds like part of the same family as the Screaming Viking:
Milk
151 Rum
Tobasco sauce
It was designed to be the last drink you give someone on their 21st birthday…something they’re sure to remember.
Hey, I didn’t say it was a GOOD memory!
[The Dude]Hey, careful, man, there’s a beverage here![/The Dude]
Correction to the above: it should be 2 parts vodka to 1 part Kahlua (or other coffee liqueor) and 1/2-1 part light cream. (Half & Half will do as a substitute, but no milk or buttermilk.) I wouldn’t bother getting any premium vodkas for this, as the Kahlua and cream will mask any subtleties in the flavor. Standard well vodka is fine for this.
You could also just pick up a bottle of Chambord and mix with champaign. It’s a popular and easy girly drink, but I don’t know how the men in the party will fare. Then again, real men drink their whiskey neat or with a splash of water (I’ll be having a snifter of Midleton Very Rare, thank you) so they don’t need mixed drinks to begin with, save for the occasional gin martini when one needs to be a bit classier.
Stranger