[Note: This post is about bring-your-own-bottle (also bring-your-own-booze) and bring-a-bottle used attributively before the noun party—not about bring your own booze, also bring your own bottle, used as an independent phrase (cf. ‘bring your own booze’ | ‘bring your own bottle’).]
The phrases bring-your-own-bottle party (also bring-your-own-booze party) and bring-a-bottle party designate a party to which attendees are encouraged to bring their own drinks, especially alcohol.
An early description of this kind of party occurred in the column From Mayfair to Chelsea: Behold Bohemia!, by Rawdon Crawley, published in the Daily Record and Mail (Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland) of Friday 25th May 1928 [No. 25,378, page 18, column 5]:
BOTTLE PARTIES
The Bottle Party idea is spreading. It proves a mighty economy to hosts and hostesses, for each guest brings a bottle.
At a Bottle Party which I attended this week the bottles numbered over four score. They contained whisky, brandy, vermouth, gin, champagne, claret, absinthe, hock, and burgundy. One man brought a stoppered bottle of beer.
It seems that the phrase bring-your-own-bottle party (also bring-your-own-booze party) is of American-English origin, and that the phrase bring-a-bottle party is of British-English origin.
BRING-YOUR-OWN-BOTTLE PARTY – BRING-YOUR-OWN-BOOZE PARTY
The earliest occurrences that I have found of the phrase bring-your-own-bottle party are as follows, in chronological order:
1-: From The Pittsburgh Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) of Sunday 10th June 1923 [No. 171, page 1, column 7]—this text also contains the abbreviation B. Y. O. B.:
—Context: The Prohibition era, i.e., the period (1920-33) when the Eighteenth Amendment was in force and alcoholic beverages could not legally be manufactured, transported or sold in the USA:
Prohibition Agents Halt Bottle Parties Near Roadhouse
“Bring your own bottle parties” by the score were ruined last night when prohibition agents appeared at the entrance to Bongiovanni’s Wildwood roadhouse and searched every machine before it was permitted to enter. Before they left the agents had collected an assortment of liquor containing almost every known variety, brand and quality and much that was unfamiliar, even to prohibition agents.
The list, containing scores of names of those who were following the “B. Y. O. B.” custom, compiled simultaneously with the searching procedure, was as cosmopolitan as the assortment of liquor, the agents say, containing names of many persons socially, financially or otherwise prominent. In all, more than 100 machines were searched and about 75 yielded liquor, the agents say.
2-: From a letter to the Editor, by ‘a worker’, published in The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) of Friday 5th November 1926 [page 2, column 2]:
—Context: The Ontario Temperance Act (O. T. A.), a law passed in 1916 which forbade the selling of liquor for beverage purposes and the keeping, giving or having of liquor except in a private dwelling:
It is not among the families of the skilled mechanic and the steady wage earner of other crafts and callings that open defiance of the O. T. A. and hip flask and “bring your own bottle parties” are to be encountered.
3-: From an advertisement for Old Mull whisky, published in The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) of Monday 29th December 1941 [Vol. 170, No. 311, page 16, column 4]:
SAYS Mʀ. P.M. TO Mʀ. A.M. “THIS YEAR IT’S A BRING-YOUR-OWN BOTTLE PARTY, I’VE SUGGESTED THEY ALL BRING OLD MULL…”
4-: From the Atlantic City Press (Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA) of Tuesday 30th November 1943 [Vol. 92, No. 98, page 10, column 4]:
The Morris Guards are planning a unique New Year’s party… one that will bring back memories of the old prohibition days. What—with the shortage of liquor, they found that none of the local hot spots were at all anxious to sign up for an affair where joy water was to be part of the schedule. So—in desperation, they are now flirting with an idea of a “bring your own bottle” party.” If it goes through, those attending will bring along their own Scotch or rye… and the soda and ginger ale (plus ice) will be there for the necessary mixings.
5-: From the caption to the following photograph, published in The Tatler and Bystander (London, England) of Wednesday 23rd April 1947 [Vol. 184, No. 2,389, page 116, column 3]:
Mr. and Mrs. Derek Tangye, who gave an evening “bring your own bottle” party at their Mortlake cottage to watch the finish of the Boat Race
Boat Race Bottle Party
The earliest occurrence that I have found of the phrase bring-your-own-booze party is from the Algona Kossuth County Advance (Algona, Iowa, USA) of Thursday 20th October 1960 [Vol. 60, No. 42, page 18, column 5]:
“BRING YOUR OWN BOOZE” PARTY
Rockefeller will have an informal dinner with the tour party at the Snake Pit.—Passaic-Clifton (N. J.) Herald-News.
BRING-A-BOTTLE PARTY
The earliest occurrences that I have found of the phrase bring-a-bottle party are as follows, in chronological order:
1-: From the column To-Day’s Gossip, published in the Daily Mirror (London, England) of Tuesday 24th April 1928 [No. 7,626, page 9, column 2]:
Young Hostesses
A feature of this season’s entertaining is to be the advent of the young unmarried hostess. A number of girls nowadays take the brunt of entertaining on their own shoulders. Miss Loelia Ponsonby started the fashion two years ago with her “Bring a bottle” parties, at which the men guests were supposed to bring drinks and the women food. Last year several small dances were given in the names of the daughters of the house, and this year the fashion is to be developed.
2-: From Catty Communications, by ‘Kitten’, published in Smith’s Weekly (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Saturday 9th March 1935 [Vol. 17, No. 2, page 23, column 6]:
THE big whoop of the week
was the “Bring a bottle party” staged as a farewell to Kath Holden last Saturday night, and organised by the Noel Richards pair. All the gang arrived in full force, some coming on from other parties in snowball fashion, with the result that quite a lot of the guests were complete strangers to the hosts. Still, a good time was had by all, from all accounts, as the last stragglers were seen leaving in full daylight.
3-: From the following advertisement, under the heading Dancing—Modern and Old Time, published in the Manchester Evening News and Chronicle (Manchester, Lancashire, England) of Monday 26th August 1963 [No. 29, 321, page 2, column 3]—however, here, the phrase bring-a-bottle party designates a contest for the most unusual bottle shape, in which the contestants bring empty bottles:
“BRING A BOTTLE”
PARTY!
PRIZES FOR UNUSUAL BOTTLE
SHAPES!
CHIANTI BOTTLES WINE BOTTLES.
ANY BOTTLES!
—EMPTY OF COURSE! AT
GUYS & DOLLS,
12 Kennedy Street
(off Cooper Street Albert Square)
4-: From an account of a meeting of the members of Esher Afternoon Townswomen’s Guild, published in The Esher News and Advertiser (Esher, Surrey, England) of Friday 22nd May 1964 [No. 1,463, page 7, column 9]:
Mrs. Douthwaite spoke of a visit by thirteen members of the social studies section to Clayton House, one of the council’s housemother units. A “bring a bottle” tea party at The Chalet, Claremont-avenue, would be held on June 9.
5-: From the Middlesex Chronicle (London, England) of Friday 1st January 1965 [No. 5,527, page 11, column 5]:
Young Conservatives
CRANFORD
Cranford Young Conservatives—a new branch—on Monday evening starts its official programme with a New Year’s “bring-a-bottle” party at Holy Angels Church youth club room. Members of neighbouring branches are invited.
6-: From the Middlesex County Times and West Middlesex Gazette (London, England) of Friday 20th August 1965 [page 12, column 3]:
BOTTLE PARTY
Northolt Young Conservatives held a bring-a-bottle party at the community centre on Wednesday week. The room was filled to overflowing.
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