How to deal with drunk dinner guests? Hide their keys and call them a taxi

It’s a problem most party hosts will have faced at one time – the drunken guest who becomes rowdy and aggressive after one too many.

But now Britain’s authority on social etiquette Debrett’s has offered guidance on what to do when alcohol-fuelled friends threaten to ruin your sophisticated evening.

Rather than indulging or ignoring boozy guests who reach the stage of “maudlin introspection, verbal aggression, or neediness and over-emotionalism”, hosts should act decisively and call them a taxi.

And when their transport arrives, tell them: “Oh look, your taxi’s arrived” and propel them firmly towards the cab.

The advice appears in Debrett’s new Guide to Entertaining Etiquette which advises hosts, among other things, on how to serve the perfect breakfast and entertain elderly people. It further suggests that if an inebriated guest insists on driving themselves home you may have to hide their coat and car keys or as a last resort ply them with “an incredibly strong, unconsciousness inducing ‘last drink’.”

Another addition to Debrett’s guidance is that it is perfectly acceptable to serve takeaways to unexpected guests, as long as its presented on warm china plates.