I know party has already been attended & it sounds like it was a lot of fun! 🍻🥃🍸🍷🧉🥂
I just wanted to provide a bit of insight into my personal experience for a “Stock the Bar” Housewarming or sometimes, Co-Ed Wedding Shower.
I’ve been invited to quite a lot of these in the last 10+ years. Most of the people I know have been living on their own for years & commonly have a houseful of stuff already. They don’t want typical housewarming or shower gifts (& don’t want stuff they don’t pick themselves). They already have knickknacks, cutesy kitchen decor, porch signs, & most don’t want flowers or plants (that they didn’t choose themselves) - due to pets, allergies, or frequent travel.
People seem to like to bring gifts for these events (@ least in the US) & this allows for a relatively low cost gift, while being useful/consumable for the hosts without huge storage commitments. The invite is ALWAYS worded, “If you would like to bring a gift, please bring X recommendation...” with ZERO expectation or requirement of a gift, besides you, at the event.
The “Stock the Bar” idea IS that you will bring a bottle of YOUR favorite drink as a gift to the hosts - dirt cheap or fancy top shelf... It is acceptable to bring a non-alcoholic drink if you don’t drink.
A random selection: a 12 pack of Coke in glass bottles, a bottle of Grey Goose, box wine (& I know many box drinkers), 3 Buck Chuck (a case of 6... it’s cheap), a decent bottle of red/white/rosé/champagne, a jar of Moonshine (or moonshine fruit), a 4-6-12 pack or growler of local craft beer, or a bag of limes & fancy seltzer water.
The idea IS that they will have your favorite drink available the next time you visit. 🎉
Depending on the hosts & how many drinkers (aka lushes) they have as friends - I’ve had the invite specify “Bring 1 to drink & 1 to gift” (worded a bit more elegantly & still not a requirement). My friends are a bunch of lushes for the most part, so this isn’t all that uncommon for us. 🍾🍾
I’ve never thought it was rude, since BYOB (for your specific preference) is pretty common for most events we go to. The hosts provide snacks/food, pop/water, & beer/wine/hosts favorite liquor or shots. 😆 I’m picky & bring my own regardless, so that I have what I like.
There will typically be a bar when you arrive set up by the hosts with a selection of liquor (not the one you brought), a few wines, mixers, & a few non-alcoholic options.
It’s fun to see how creative the gift wrap is (or isn’t). A 24 pack of cheap beer in cans with a garbage bag bow could be possibly very funny with some crowds (& go over like a lead balloon in others). With my friends, there would also be a note attached that says something to the effect of “Desperation Beer Rations” on a large sign & everyone would laugh hysterically, make fun of the gift giver for their horrible taste & the beer would eventually be consumed (by my guy friends) during a 4AM game of beer pong or a Saturday on the lake (despite us all being old enough to know better).
Sometimes included are miscellaneous bar items that are often themed towards the hosts personal interests... like fancy mixers, a cocktail recipe book with some of the weird ingredients - like bitters or cocktail onions, bottle openers (themed & not), wine keys, bottle stoppers, speed pourers, drink stirs/mixer straws, flavored rim sugars/salts, shaker/strainer, towels with bar related sayings, paper napkins printed with the favorite sports team/video game/book theme logo. A giant wine glass (to hold a entire bottle of wine) or a giant beer stein (to hold 4 beers) can be funny, but only if you know the person well & know there will be a spot. If you know that one or both hosts are die hard sports team or specific fandom people - logo coozies, coasters, bottle covers, or napkins are popular.
It might not be correct etiquette to specify what you would prefer as a gift on the invite, but I prefer it (especially when I don’t know the people super well or don’t know them well enough to buy a good small gift).
I hope this is helpful for anyone who might have still had questions!