Fresh Alka WaterHolidays
How Much Water Do You Need for Thanksgiving? A Simple Planner
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. If you're hosting, water is the one thing nobody thinks about until it runs out. Here's a simple way to plan it, plus a quick chart for your guest count.
Where the water goes
- Drinking. Plan on about 2 to 3 cups of water per guest for a dinner, and more if people stay all afternoon or it's a warm day. Water on the table is also an easy swap for soda and other sugary drinks, which the CDC recommends.
- Coffee and tea. A full 12-cup coffee maker uses about 60 ounces of water, a little under half a gallon. Most hosts make two pots with dessert.
- Cooking. Potatoes, pasta, stuffing, gravy and soups all start with water. If you wet-brine your turkey, the brine alone often takes 1 1/2 to 2 gallons. Check your recipe.
Quick chart
These are our rule-of-thumb totals for drinking, coffee and everyday cooking. Add about 2 gallons if you're brining a turkey.
| Guests | Water to have on hand | Ice |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6 | about 3 gallons | one 7 lb bag |
| 8 to 10 | about 5 gallons (one big jug) | two 7 lb bags |
| 12 to 16 | about 8 to 10 gallons | three 7 lb bags |
| 20 or more | about 12 gallons or more | four bags or more |
For ice, a common party rule is about 1 pound per guest for drinks, more if you're also chilling drinks in a cooler. We sell 7 lb bags of ice made from our purified water, and alkaline ice too.
What it costs
- 5 gallons of purified water: $3.50 (70¢ a gallon)
- 5 gallons of alkaline water, pH 9–9.5: $7.50 ($1.50 a gallon)
Many hosts fill one jug of alkaline for the table and one of purified for the coffee maker and the kitchen. Hosting every holiday? Prepay at the counter: pay $40, get $44 of water.
When to fill up
Come in the weekend before or early Thanksgiving week so you're not in line on Wednesday. Our store is open Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Holiday hours can change, so text us at (619) 818-2868 before you come on the holiday week. Our 24/7 vending machine outside is always open and takes cash only: $1 and $5 bills, quarters, dimes and nickels.
Bring your jugs a few days early and use our free bottle cleaning when you refill, so everything is ready to go on Thursday.
After the party
Have a full jug left over? Keep it as part of your emergency supply. The CDC recommends storing at least 1 gallon per person per day for at least 3 days, and replacing stored water every six months. Our guide to cleaning and storing jugs shows how.
Need jugs or a dispenser?
We carry 1, 3 and 5 gallon jugs, caps, pumps and dispensers at our store in Grantville, at 6628 Mission Gorge Rd in Village Square. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.