Throwing a party. Can I legally sell tickets for drinks and food in NYC?

Maybe not legally, but what you’re doing doesn’t sound all that different from a bake sale or lemonade stand.

No lawyer am I, but I’d say that you’d be better off charging for entry and making the drinks and food complementary. Or else you can put out a basket labeled “Beer money donations” and use that to recuperate your losses.
Seems a bit odd that you’d be selling tickets to a party, though. O_o

As long as the tickets aren’t specifically labeled that they are for food, you’re good.

The tickets are for entry, the food and drinks are free up to a limit per person. I’d try to work it like that, anyway.

I suspect if alcoholic beverages are involved you could be in real trouble.

A party is not a party if you attempt to charge admission at the door. it then becomes a business. for some reason, charging admission to a party just hits me the wrong way. and, here is another point to remember: if you charge admission to cover the drinks and food, you also may be liable if one of the guests becomes sick on the food or drunk and leaves the party and kills someone, while driving intoxicated. charging admission not only helps to pay for the party, but it just might make you also liable for any damages as a result of the admission charge. a good example is a parking lot for your auto. when the parking lot charges a fee for you to park your car, its makes them liable for any damages occured to your car, while its parked there. if the parking was free, the liability would cease. the difference is the money charged…......along with it comes responsibility.

That’s like playing poker.

You use chips because if you use money it is illegal. Even in a social setting.

The only workaround I see is if instead of asking for a fee. You ask (suggest) for a gift. Like a wedding.

Selling such tickets is illegal not only in NYC but almost everywhere else.