Guide
Latin party food, how to feed a crowd the Mexican, Venezuelan and Colombian way
Finger food, big-pot mains, salsas, pitcher drinks and make-ahead desserts, with amounts per guest and a prep plan.
The Latin way to feed a crowd is to cook ahead. Pick one main that scales and reheats (tamales, pozole, barbacoa, cochinita pibil or a Colombian picada), two or three finger foods you freeze raw and fry from frozen (tequeños, empanadas, flautas), two salsas, one or two pitchers and a dessert made the night before. On the day you only fry, reheat and set out bowls.
Every country has its own word for party snacks: botanas or antojitos in Mexico, pasapalos in Venezuela, pasabocas in Colombia. They're grouped that way below, with the per-guest amounts from our own recipes and what you can make in advance. One rule runs through all of them: when several snacks share the table, each one needs half or less of what it would take as the meal.
Most of the ingredients are in the international aisle of a large US supermarket or a Latin grocery; in the UK, online Latin and Mexican shops cover the dried chiles and masa harina. On a tight budget, see our budget Latin recipes, and for December, the Latin Christmas and New Year's Eve guides.
A make-ahead plan for a Latin party
These timings come from the recipes on this page. Adjust to what you pick; the point is that nothing that takes hours is left for the day itself.
- One or two weeks ahead Shape and freeze raw anything that fries straight from frozen: tequeños, Venezuelan empanadas, carimañolas or flautas. Tamales are steamed, cooled and frozen in their husks.
- Two days ahead Shop for fresh produce and simmer the carnitas until the water is gone; they keep in their fat and only need browning on the day.
- The day before Cook the fillings, simmer the pork and fry the sauce for pozole rojo, make the whole birria or marinate the barbacoa, make the cooked salsas and finish dessert: tres leches, chocoflan or mosaic gelatin. Chill every drink.
- The morning of the party Chop the vegetables for fresh salsas and the discada, and leave the drink bases in the fridge with no ice or fizz added.
- The last hour Pack the cooler of tacos de canasta, fry in batches, make the guacamole, and add soda to the clericot and ice to the glasses as you pour.
Mexican party snacks and taco-bar food
Tacos de canasta, soft "basket tacos" that steam in a lined cooler, feed the most people with the least stovetop: fillings and chile oil are made the day before and the cooler is packed an hour before guests arrive. Allow 5 per guest as a meal, 2 or 3 with other food; about 100 for 20 people. Chicken flautas and crispy potato tacos dorados follow the same count, 4 per person as a main and 2 or 3 alongside other snacks, and flautas can be rolled and frozen raw days ahead.
For a help-yourself bar, esquites, Mexican street corn in a cup with mayo, cotija and chile, need about 150 g (5 oz) of kernels per cup and can be cooked the day before; frozen corn works. Sopes, thick masa bases with a pinched rim, can be griddled the day before and crisped on the day, 3 per guest for a meal. On a hot day, shrimp ceviche scales without extra work; for pregnant guests, young children and older people, make the version with blanched shrimp.
SnacksTacos de Canasta, Mexico City Basket Tacos Without a Basket
Tacos de canasta are Mexico City's basket tacos, soaked in guajillo chile oil and sweated for 1 hour so the tortillas go soft and glossy. 30 tacos for 6 in 2 hours, no basket needed, with cooler, oven and party plans.
LunchChicken Flautas, Crispy Rolled Tacos That Stay Shut
Chicken flautas are corn tortillas rolled tight around shredded chicken and fried at 350°F (175°C) for 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Makes 16 in 65 minutes, with US and UK swaps, baked and air fryer versions, a freezer plan and party amounts.
LunchTacos Dorados, Crispy Potato Tacos Folded or Rolled
Tacos dorados, or crispy folded potato tacos, are corn tortillas filled with cold mashed potato and fried at 350°F (175°C) until hard. Makes 16 in 80 minutes, with rolled, baked and air fryer versions, US and UK swaps and a freezer plan.
SnacksEsquites, Mexican Street Corn in a Cup with Cotija
Esquites the Mexican street-cart way, with corn kernels simmered in their own broth with epazote, butter and serrano, ready in 35 minutes for 4 cups. Fresh, frozen or canned corn, the charred corn salad, cotija swaps and a party plan.
DinnerMexican sopes recipe, masa harina bases that don't crack
Mexican sopes are thick masa harina shells with a pinched rim, made with 3 cups of water per 4⅓ cups of flour so they don't crack. 18 sopes in 75 minutes for 6, with make-ahead and freezer steps and US and UK swaps.
SnacksShrimp ceviche, raw or cooked, and how long in lime juice
Mexican-style shrimp ceviche with ½-inch pieces cured 20 minutes in lime, or blanched first for anyone who can't eat raw seafood. Ready in 45 minutes for 4, with how to keep it from going watery, amounts for 20, storage and US cost.
Venezuelan pasapalos
No Venezuelan party happens without tequeños: sticks of firm white cheese wrapped in a thin wheat dough and fried. Count 4 per guest when there's other food and 8 when they're the main event. They freeze raw and fry straight from the freezer, and halloumi or paneer stand in for Venezuelan cheese. Venezuelan empanadas are made with precooked corn flour (sold as P.A.N. or masarepa in the Latin aisle of most large US supermarkets), shaped days ahead and frozen: 1 per guest on a party spread, 2 at breakfast, 3 as a meal.
For a brunch party, mandocas, sweet plantain-and-corn rings with salty cheese, run 3 per person and freeze raw. Pastelitos andinos are blistered fried turnovers, 24 to a batch, that also fry from frozen, and cachitos are ham-filled bread rolls you can shape the night before and bake in the morning: one batch makes 16. Serve salsa rosada or guasacaca for dipping.
SnacksVenezuelan Tequeños, Homemade Dough and Cheese That Holds
Venezuelan tequeños are cheese sticks wrapped in a thin spiral of homemade wheat dough and fried at 350°F (175°C), 40 in 130 minutes. Which US and UK cheeses hold, how to freeze them for parties, air fryer times and dips.
BreakfastVenezuelan Empanadas, Crispy Corn Dough That Won't Crack
Venezuelan empanadas are crisp half-moons of precooked corn dough with a spoonful of sugar, fried at 350°F (175°C) for 4-5 minutes. Twenty in 70 minutes once the filling is made, with beef, chicken, cheese or bean fillings and freezer tips.
BreakfastVenezuelan mandocas, sweet plantain and cheese fritters
Mandocas recipe for Venezuelan ring-shaped fritters of very ripe plantain, corn flour, papelón and salty white cheese, fried at 350°F (175°C). 18 fritters in 65 minutes, with freezer, air fryer and US/UK swap notes.
BreakfastVenezuelan Pastelitos Andinos, Blistered Fried Turnovers
Venezuelan pastelitos andinos are Andean breakfast turnovers of wheat dough rolled to 2 mm that blisters in oil at 350°F (175°C). Makes 24 in 105 minutes, with four fillings, freezer and air fryer notes, a plan for 20-40 and US costs.
BreakfastVenezuelan Cachitos, Ham-Filled Bakery Rolls from Scratch
Venezuelan cachitos are soft, slightly sweet ham-filled crescent rolls, not flaky croissants, baked 20 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Makes 16, with an overnight fridge rise, a shaping guide, freezing tips and real US costs.
Colombian pasabocas
Colombian empanadas from Cali have a crisp corn shell and a beef-and-potato filling you make the day before. Two or three per person make a snack, four a meal, always with Colombian ají, the fresh, vinegary hot sauce on the side. Peanut empanadas from Popayán are meat-free and freeze shaped and raw; fry them from frozen with one extra minute.
Carimañolas, torpedo-shaped cassava fritters filled with beef, keep 2 months raw in the freezer and fry from frozen in 6 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Stuffed potatoes can be shaped the day before and fried as people arrive. Patacones, twice-fried green plantain, are the one thing here that won't wait, though the hogao sauce that tops them can be made ahead.
SnacksColombian Empanadas, the Crispy Corn Empanadas of Cali
Colombian empanadas the Cali way: yellow masarepa shells filled with shredded flank steak and yellow potato, fried at 350°F until they shatter. Ready in 150 minutes for 20. US swaps, why they burst in the oil and how to freeze them unfried.
SnacksEmpanadas de Pipián, Colombian Peanut and Potato Empanadas
Empanadas de pipián from Popayán are filled with yellow potato, ground toasted peanut and hogao, fried in four minutes and eaten with a peanut ají. Why the peanut defines them, and why the filling has to go in cold.
SnacksColombian Carimañolas, Cassava Fritters With Beef
Carimañolas from Colombia's Caribbean coast: boiled cassava mashed while hot, stuffed with seasoned ground beef and fried at 350 °F. Why the dough must be mashed hot, which cassava to buy and how to freeze them.
SnacksColombian Papas Rellenas, Stuffed Potato Balls Recipe
Colombian papas rellenas are russet mash wrapped around beef in tomato sofrito with rice and egg, battered and fried at 350°F (175°C). Makes 12 in 2 hours, with a freezer plan, air fryer method, party quantities and US cost.
SnacksColombian Patacones with Hogao, Twice-Fried Green Plantains
Colombian patacones are tostones with a job to do, fried twice at 330 and 355 °F and topped with hogao, a scallion and tomato sauce cooked for 20 minutes. Why the plantain must be green, two oil temperatures, US swaps and a 45-minute plan.
Mexican mains for a crowd
For a taco party, discada, a northern Mexican mix of beef, pork, bacon and chorizo cooked in a plow disc or big skillet, takes about 9 oz (250 g) of raw meat per guest as the main and 7 oz (200 g) with other dishes, plus 3 or 4 tortillas each; everything can be chopped the night before. Beef barbacoa runs 10 oz (275 g) raw per person, about 4 tacos, and 12 people take as long as 8 because cooking time depends on chunk size. For carnitas, plan 3 tacos and about 9 oz (250 g) raw pork shoulder per guest. Birria is even better made the day before.
If you'd rather skip the taco line, pozole rojo, a red chile hominy soup, works as well for 25 as for 10: 7 oz (200 g) drained hominy and 9 oz (250 g) pork per guest, with toppings set out so everyone finishes their own bowl. Green chicken tamales and rajas con queso tamales for vegetarians are counted at 2 per guest and 24 per 2.2 lb (1 kg) of fresh masa, and only need steaming on the day. Cochinita pibil takes the same oven time for 8 as for 20, and mixiotes are one sealed parcel per person.
LunchDiscada Recipe, Northern Mexican Mixed Meat Tacos
Discada is a northern Mexican mix of bacon, chorizo, hot dogs, ham, beef and pork, browned one after another in a single pan. Made in a 12-inch skillet for 6 in 75 minutes, with a plan for 12 or 20 and UK swaps.
LunchBeef Barbacoa Recipe with Beef Cheeks and Consommé
Beef barbacoa made with beef cheeks and shank in a guajillo, ancho and chipotle adobo, steamed over its own consommé to 200°F (93°C). Ready in 330 minutes (75 hands-on) for 8, or 165 in an Instant Pot, with amounts for 20 and freezing.
LunchCarnitas Tacos at Home, Crispy Pork With Less Lard
Carnitas tacos made with pork shoulder simmered in water and orange juice until it fries in its own fat, with just 50 g (¼ cup) of lard. Ready in 145 minutes (50 hands-on) for 18 tacos, plus oven and Instant Pot methods and a party plan.
LunchBirria Recipe with Beef, Consommé and Quesabirria Tacos
Beef birria braised in a guajillo, ancho and morita adobo with shank and short ribs, ready in 260 minutes (65 hands-on) for 8. Consommé, the red fat for crisp birria tacos, Instant Pot and slow cooker times, US and UK swaps.
SoupsPozole rojo, Mexican pork and hominy stew for a crowd
Pozole rojo is Mexico's red chile pork and hominy stew, ready in 150 minutes (80 hands-on) for 10 bowls from guajillo and ancho chiles. Canned vs dried hominy, US and UK swaps, scaling to 25, make-ahead plan and freezing.
LunchGreen Chicken Tamales (Tamales Verdes) for a Tamalada
Green chicken tamales with tomatillo salsa and masa whipped with lard until a pinch floats in ice water, 24 tamales in 3 hours, 90 minutes hands-on. Masa harina swap, steaming without a tamalera, a party plan for 40 and freezing.
LunchRajas con Queso Tamales, Cheese and Poblano Pepper Tamales
Rajas con queso tamales with charred poblano strips, tomato and melting Oaxaca cheese in masa whipped until it floats. 24 tamales in about 3 hours. Easy vegetarian swap, Monterey Jack option, steaming without a tamalera and freezing.
LunchCochinita Pibil Recipe, Yucatán Achiote Pulled Pork
This cochinita pibil recipe marinates pork shoulder 12 hours in achiote and sour orange, then bakes it in banana leaves at 325°F (160°C) until it shreds. Serves 8 with 75 minutes of work, a 20-person plan, Instant Pot timing and swaps.
Colombian and Venezuelan dishes for a big party
A Colombian picada is a shared platter of crackling pork belly, chorizo, blood sausage, little yellow potatoes, cassava and plantain, eaten with toothpicks. Our shopping list feeds 6 as a meal and stretches to about 10 as a game-day snack; it's 50 minutes of work the day before and 100 on the day, with early batches held in a 200°F (90°C) oven. Lechona, a whole pork skin stuffed with seasoned pork and yellow peas, gives 20 servings with 45 minutes of hands-on work over about 7 hours; order the skin from a butcher well ahead.
Colombian tamales from Tolima come twelve at a time because the work is the same and the freezer keeps the rest. Venezuelan hallacas are a two-day project for 40, best done as an assembly line with family. And pasticho, Venezuelan lasagna, gives 10 main-course servings and slices cleanly the next day.
SnacksColombian Picada, the Shared Platter and How to Time It
Colombian picada is a shared platter of crackling pork belly, chorizo, blood sausage, fried potatoes, cassava and sweet plantain. A day-ahead plan, the cooking order that gets it all hot at once, US and UK swaps, and amounts for 4 to 20.
LunchColombian Lechona, Roast Pork With Crackling Skin
Lechona tolimense is pork skin stuffed with marinated pork and yellow split peas, roasted 3 hours at 320 °F and 40 minutes at 390 °F so the skin puffs. The two temperatures, what to order from a butcher and how to carve it.
LunchColombian Tamal Tolimense, With Rice in the Dough
Tamal tolimense: cracked corn soaked three days, rice and split peas in the dough, chicken, pork ribs and belly. Boiled two and a half hours in banana leaf, why the soak cannot be rushed and what to buy in the US.
LunchVenezuelan Hallacas, the Christmas Tamal Wrapped in Leaves
Venezuelan hallacas the family way: beef, pork and chicken marinated a full day, corn dough colored with annatto lard. Olives, capers and raisins, tied in plantain leaf and boiled, with US substitutions and a two-day plan.
LunchVenezuelan Pasticho, the Lasagna with Béchamel, Ham and Cheese
Venezuelan pasticho is lasagna layered with meat sauce, a generous béchamel, ham and mild melting cheese, 10 servings in 160 minutes. No-boil noodle method, clean slicing, make-ahead, freezing, US and UK swaps.
Salsas and dips
Guacamole takes half an avocado per guest when there are other snacks, and it's the last thing you make because it browns. For pico de gallo, count about 3½ oz (100 g) of tomato per person when it's the main salsa and half that alongside guacamole. Taqueria-style red salsa runs ¼ cup (60 g) per person, and like boiled salsa verde, it's better made the day before.
For Venezuelan snacks, guasacaca, a tangy avocado-and-herb sauce, lets you blend the base without avocado the day before. Salsa rosada, mayo and ketchup, takes 5 minutes; since it's egg-based, put out small bowls and swap them every 2 hours. One batch of Colombian ají covers about 30 empanadas.
SnacksAuthentic Guacamole Recipe, the Ratio per Avocado
Authentic guacamole recipe built on a per-avocado ratio of 13 g onion, a third of a serrano and 1 tsp lime, ready in 15 minutes for 6. How to ripen avocados on time, what really stops browning and how many to buy for a party.
SnacksPico de Gallo Recipe, Fresh Salsa That Never Goes Watery
Pico de gallo recipe with seeded Roma tomatoes salted and drained for 20 minutes, white onion, serrano, cilantro and lime, ready in 30 minutes for 6. Ratios per 100 g of tomato, serrano vs jalapeño, party math and storage.
SnacksMexican Red Taco Salsa, Taqueria-Style with Chiles de Árbol
Taqueria red salsa made with 12 toasted chiles de árbol, skillet-charred Roma tomatoes and tomatillos, blended and simmered in 30 minutes. Makes about 21 oz (600 g). Heat by chile count, why it turns bitter, US and UK swaps.
SnacksSalsa Verde Recipe, Boiled, Raw or Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Mexican salsa verde from 1.1 lb (500 g) of tomatillos, 2 serranos, onion, garlic and cilantro, simmered 8 to 10 minutes. Ready in 20 minutes for 10 servings. Raw or roasted versions, heat levels, why it turns bitter, canned swaps.
SnacksVenezuelan Guasacaca Recipe, the Tangy Avocado Sauce
Venezuelan guasacaca is a tangy avocado sauce blended with sweet peppers, herbs, vinegar and oil, ready in 15 minutes for 10 servings. How it differs from guacamole, US and UK swaps, how to keep it green and how long it lasts.
SnacksSalsa Rosada, Latin Pink Sauce with the 2-to-1 Ratio
Salsa rosada is Latin pink sauce, a mayo ketchup sauce made 2 parts mayonnaise to 1 part ketchup with a little lime, ready in 5 minutes for 12 servings. How it differs from Marie Rose and fry sauce, storage and party batches.
SnacksColombian Ají Picante, the Fresh Hot Sauce for Empanadas
Colombian ají picante is a fresh, spoonable hot sauce of scallions, tomato, cilantro, chile, lime, vinegar and water, ready in 15 minutes for 12 servings. Scoville heat per chile, lime vs vinegar, fridge life and US and UK swaps.
Pitcher drinks for a crowd
Aguas frescas are the classic Mexican party drinks: plan 2 glasses of 250 ml (about 8½ fl oz) per person with a meal, 3 on a hot day or if it's the only drink. Agua de jamaica, made from dried hibiscus, can be brewed as a concentrate and diluted as guests arrive. Horchata, a cinnamon rice drink, runs 2 cups (500 ml) per guest with another drink on the table; keep it cold and refill a small pitcher from the fridge. Venezuela's papelón con limón, raw cane sugar and lime, can dissolve overnight in the pitcher with no cooking.
For adults, clericot, Mexico's answer to sangria, takes one bottle of red per pitcher; don't mix it in one big dispenser for 20 or more, and add the soda only when you pour. Micheladas run 2 per guest, with the lime-and-sauce base bottled ahead and the beer opened glass by glass. For kids' birthdays, Venezuela's tizana is a fruit punch at its best the day it's made, and Colombia's champús, a cold corn, lulo and pineapple drink, gives 12 glasses per pot and is made a day ahead.
DrinksAgua de Jamaica, Hibiscus Water Recipe with Exact Ratios
Agua de jamaica (hibiscus water) made with 30 g of dried flowers per liter, simmered 5 minutes and steeped 10, ready in 30 minutes for 2 liters. Cold brew, party concentrate, sugar-free, storage and where to buy sorrel.
DrinksMexican Horchata Recipe, Rice and Cinnamon Without the Grit
Mexican horchata made with 200 g (1 cup) of rice, a Ceylon cinnamon stick and an 8-hour fridge soak, for 2 quarts and 20 minutes of work. The exact ratio, how to stop it turning gritty, dairy-free or creamy, a concentrate, party amounts.
DrinksPapelón con Limón, Venezuelan Panela Limeade Recipe
Papelón con limón made with 125 g (4.4 oz) of papelón per liter, dissolved hot and topped up with cold water and lime, in 20 minutes. Serves 8. Lighter version, sugar per glass, a party batch for 20 and where to buy panela in the US and UK.
DrinksClericot Recipe, Mexican Red Wine Punch by the Pitcher
Clericot is Mexico's party wine punch, red wine with diced fruit topped up with lemon-lime soda and sparkling water. One bottle makes a 3-quart pitcher for 8, with amounts for 20 to 30 guests, soaking times and a kid-safe version.
DrinksMichelada Recipe, Exact Ratios per Glass and for a Pitcher
A michelada is Mexican lager with lime juice, Worcestershire, Maggi and hot sauce in a chili-salt rimmed glass. 1.5 fl oz (45 ml) of base per 12 oz beer, 10 minutes for 4, plus party, Clamato and alcohol-free versions.
DrinksVenezuelan Tizana, the Fruit Punch You Eat with a Spoon
Venezuelan tizana is diced tropical fruit in orange juice with grenadine, 200 g (7 oz) of fruit per glass, ready in 60 minutes for 6. When to add the banana and apple, a party plan for 24, US cost and how long it keeps.
DrinksColombian champús, a cold corn, lulo and pineapple drink
Colombian champús from Valle del Cauca, made with 10.6 oz (300 g) of soaked cracked corn, lulo, pineapple and spiced panela syrup for 12 glasses. US and UK swaps, a make-ahead plan, how long it keeps and the cost.
Make-ahead desserts for a party
Tres leches cake gives 15 generous squares and is better after a night in the fridge; only the topping goes on the day. One Bundt pan of mosaic gelatin, jewel-like cubes set in sweet milk, serves 20, and chocoflan, chocolate cake and flan baked together, gives 16 slices but needs 8 hours in the fridge, so bake it the day before.
No oven needed for Mexican lime pie, which sets overnight on a Maria-cookie crust, or for Venezuelan chocolate marquesa, an icebox cake that doubles in a 9×13 in (23×33 cm) pan for 24 squares. Bienmesabe, a coconut custard trifle, gives 15 squares made the night before, and for a cookie table, Mexican polvorones run 3 per guest: one batch serves 12, a double batch 20 or more.
DessertsTres Leches Cake Recipe, Soaked Overnight and Never Soggy
Tres leches cake made with a whipped-egg sponge that drinks 900 ml (3¾ cups) of milk without going soggy, for 15 squares. Baked at 350°F (175°C), chilled 4 hours, with soak amounts per pan, meringue vs whipped cream, swaps and storage.
DessertsMexican Mosaic Jello, Gelatina de Mosaico That Unmolds Clean
Mexican mosaic jello, or gelatina de mosaico, sets cubes of three colored gelatins in a creamy milk gelatin for 20 servings. Pour the milk layer below 86°F (30°C) so the cubes stay sharp, with 50 minutes of work and an overnight chill.
DessertsChocoflan Recipe, the Mexican Impossible Cake with Cajeta
Chocoflan, the Mexican impossible cake, layers cajeta, chocolate cake and cream cheese flan, baked in a water bath at 350°F (175°C) for 85 minutes. Serves 16, with why the layers flip, how to tell it's done and the box-mix shortcut.
DessertsMexican Lime Pie (Pay de Limón), No-Bake with Maria Cookies
Mexican lime pie is a no-bake pay de limón with a Maria cookie crust and a condensed and evaporated milk filling that sets with lime juice in 4 hours. 10 slices at about $0.71 each, plus US and UK swaps, clean slicing and a baked version.
DessertsVenezuelan Chocolate Marquesa, No-Bake Maria Cookie Cake
Venezuelan chocolate marquesa is a no-bake icebox cake of Maria cookies dipped in milk and layered with chocolate buttercream. Yolks cooked to 160°F (71°C) so it is safe, 8x8 in pan, 40 minutes of work, overnight chill, 12 squares.
DessertsVenezuelan Bienmesabe, Coconut Custard Cake with Meringue
Venezuelan bienmesabe is a chilled layered dessert of wine-soaked sponge, coconut custard and cinnamon meringue, made a day ahead. Serves 15 in 330 minutes, with US and UK swaps, a no-alcohol version, safe egg temperatures and costs.
DessertsMexican Wedding Cookies, Polvorones That Keep Their Shape
Mexican wedding cookies, or polvorones, made with butter, toasted pecans and a double roll in powdered sugar, 36 cookies in 130 minutes. Chill the dough balls and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 14-16 min so they stay round. Gifting and freezing.
Frequently asked questions
What Latin food is easiest to make for a crowd?
Big-pot and oven dishes whose cooking time doesn't grow with the number of guests: pozole rojo, cochinita pibil, beef barbacoa and tamales. Add finger food that fries from frozen, two salsas, a pitcher and a make-ahead dessert.
What Mexican party food can I make the day before?
Taco fillings, birria, the pork and sauce for pozole, cooked salsas, tamales, tres leches cake, chocoflan and agua fresca concentrates. Leave guacamole, frying and anything fizzy for the last hour.
How many tacos per person for a party?
As the main meal, about 5 tacos de canasta or 4 flautas or tacos dorados per guest; with other food on the table, 2 or 3. For carnitas, plan 3 tacos and about 9 oz (250 g) of raw pork shoulder per person.
How many tequeños or empanadas per guest?
With other food: 4 tequeños, 1 Venezuelan empanada or 2 to 3 Colombian empanadas per person. As the main event: 8 tequeños, or 3 to 4 empanadas.
How much drink do I need per guest?
For aguas frescas, 2 glasses of about 8½ fl oz (250 ml) per person, 3 if it's hot or the only drink. For micheladas, 2 per guest; for clericot, figure one bottle of wine per pitcher of 8 glasses.
What's the difference between botanas, pasapalos and pasabocas?
They all mean party finger food; only the country changes. Botanas is the Mexican word, pasapalos the Venezuelan one and pasabocas the Colombian one, and each comes with its own classics: tacos de canasta and esquites, tequeños and corn empanadas, Cali empanadas and carimañolas.