This party drink calculator will do the work for you, but we understand that you might be interested in the math behind it. Here are the formulas that we use to provide you with the most accurate party drink estimations you can get!
For clarity's sake, let's break them down into three separate sections.
1. When you know how many guests drink a specific type of alcohol:
Calculating beer 🍻: the general rule is that one person drinks one beer per hour of a party, so we get that:
# of beers = # of beer drinkers × party duration in hours
For comfort's sake, you round the result up to the nearest integer. After all, no one will sell you ⅓ of a beer bottle!
Calculating wine 🥂: with wine, it is customary to divide the number of drinkers by 2.15 and then divide this number by two. The result is the total number of standard 750 ml wine bottles, one of which typically makes for five or six glasses. Just like with beer, it's a good idea to round the result up to the nearest integer. So, the final formula goes as follows:
# of wine bottles = ½ × (# of wine drinkers / 2.15)
Calculating liquor 🥃: for drinks with an alcohol content of around 30% and higher, you usually get 0.5 liters per person. So, the formula we get is quite simple:
liquor (in liters) = # of liquor drinkers × ½
The volumes of alcohol bottles are often given in the metric system, even in countries that normally use imperial, hence our choice to only include liters in this party drink calculator. Feel free to use our volume converter if you'd like to see your result in a different unit.
2. When you need a general estimation, not knowing exactly who will drink what:
In this case, it all comes down to one basic equation telling you the total number of needed alcohol:
total # of drinks = # of guests × party duration in hours
Then, you modify this short formula to get more precise results:
Starting from beer 🍺, it should make up 40% of all the beverages you'll serve. So:
# of beers = total # of drinks × 40%
Next, you calculate wine 🍷, which should account for 60% of the remaining alcohol. Hence, we get that:
# of wine glasses = (total # drinks − # of beers) × 60%
Since, assuming that you're not holding your party in a restaurant, you can't buy wine by glasses, we need to convert that into bottles. Traditionally, a glass of wine is about 150 ml, meaning that a standard 750ml wine bottle fits five of them, so you can easily figure out that:
# of wine bottles = # of wine glasses / 5
What's left are hard liquors 🍸, which are counted in standard shots (about 1½ oz / 45 ml). Here, you simply take what's left of the total number of drinks you first calculated, so:
# of shots = total # of drinks − # of beers − # of wine glasses
In all these cases, you probably want to round the result up to the nearest integer. That will make shopping a lot easier.
3. Calculating soft drinks
Let's not forget about your abstinent and driving guests! You can find the soft drink 🥤 section in the advanced mode of our party drink calculator. It's a lot easier than calculating how much alcohol for a party to get. The formula is short and simple — all you have to do is make sure that every guest has a drink for every hour of the party, plus one extra in case they want more. So the formula is:
# of soft drinks = # of guests × (party duration in hours + 1)
Note that an hour is the only time unit in our party drink calculator. That is because we believe it's practically impossible to plan to the minute how long a celebration will last.
💡 Need more tips on party planning? Perhaps you'll find inspiration in one of our related tools:
FAQs
When planning an event, the average consumption per person is one drink every 45 minutes. If the event will last 2 hours, plan on 3 drinks per person.
How many drinks do you need for a 100 person party? ›
For example, a typical selection for a party of 100 people would be 400 standard drinks, distributed in this way: 200 – 12oz. bottles or cans of beer (400 x 50% = 200 drinks.
How much alcohol is enough for a party? ›
You can calculate your drink needs by planning on people having two drinks in the first hour and then one each hour after that. This equation will get you started. For example, a party of 15 people lasting 4 hours would be 15 Guests x (4 Hours +1), or 75 drinks.
How many sodas do I need for a party of 200? ›
I'd estimate one drink per person, per hour of the event, plus one more each. In other words, if the party is three hours long, plan on each person having around four servings of their chosen beverage. That doesn't mean each person will have that many drinks; some will have more and some will have less.
How to calculate drinks for 50 people? ›
For a 4 hour party with 50 guests, you will need approximately 200 drinks: 80 beers, 72 glasses of wine (15 bottles) and enough for 48 individual co*cktails (amounts will depend upon what type of co*cktail you serve). If you aren't serving wine, plan on 120 co*cktails.
How much soda do I need for 100 guests? ›
Served in a glass with ice, one can will make three drinks. For a wedding of 100 guests, two cases of soda should be plenty, she says.
How many drinks do I need for 200 guests? ›
Remember The Golden Ratio – 4 Drinks : 1 Guest
Whether you serve predominantly beer, or wine, or liquor you can typically assume your average guest will consume 4 drinks. A typical crowd will have a handful of heavy drinkers and perhaps an equal handful of non-drinkers.
How many cups do I need for a party of 100 guests? ›
At 100 guests, that equates to 400 cups. If you are only planning to provide bar cups for your co*cktail hour, you only need to provide enough for one hour! Whether you provide 1 or 2 cups per guest per hour is up to you.
How many bottles of wine do I need for a party of 100 people? ›
If you have 100 guests who drink alcohol, about 50 of them will drink wine. If your party lasts five hours, that adds up to 250 glasses of wine. Each bottle of wine contains four glasses, so you will need 63 bottles of wine.
How do you stock a bar for a party of 100? ›
Full bar – Beer, wine and liquor:
- 100 (guests) x 5 (hours) = 500 drinks.
- 500 x 0.33 = 170 beers or 7 cases of beer or one ½ barrel sized keg.
- 500 x 0.33 = 150 glasses of wine, /5 glasses per bottle= 37 bottles of wine.
- 500 x 0.33 = 150 mixed drinks, /39 servings per 1.75 bottle = four 1.75ml bottles liquor.
One very easy way to work out requirements is to allow two to three glasses per person for the first hour of the reception followed by two for every hour after. Another easy formula is to allow roughly ½ a bottle of wine ( excluding toasts and arrival drinks) per person.
How many bottles of champagne do I need for 100 guests toast? ›
Here's how a 100 person event looks for a champagne toast: 15 bottles for a sensible measure (leave a finger of space in the top of the glass). 17 if you're going to give a decent glassful.
How many soft drinks for party of 50? ›
How many drinks per person for a party? Plan for 2-3 drinks per person for the first hour and 1-2 drinks per hour thereafter. Include non-alcoholic options.
What soda to get for a party? ›
Try to Get Something for Everyone
If you can, try to have a variety. Get some Pepsi or co*ke, of course, and don't forget the diet! Then, add some Sprite or 7Up and a few other options, like Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper or orange soda.
How many mixers do I need for a 50 person party? ›
Each guest will drink an average of two drinks the first hour and one drink each hour thereafter. To estimate the amount of mixers needed, figure about 1 quart (1 liter) of tonic water, soda water, or juice for every 3 guests.
What is a formula for beverage? ›
A beverage formula is the commercial recipe required by a co-packer to manufacture and bottle your drink so you can get it on store shelves — and ultimately into the hands of consumers.
What is the formula for beverage cost? ›
Beverage cost analysis
The simplest way to get your average pour cost is to divide the amount you spend on each drink by the amount for which that drink is sold. You can do this very generally for your entire inventory, but to have a more precise idea it's better to take a categorical approach.
How do you calculate food and drink for a party? ›
Rules to Plan By
Each adult will consume 1 pound of food total; children, about 1/2 pound. The more options you have, the less you need of each; decrease the main course portion sizes by 1 to 2 ounces if served on a buffet. Guests will always eat — and drink — more at night than during the day.
How many drinks do I need for 50 guests? ›
How many drinks per person? You should plan to serve 2 drinks per person, for each hour for first 2 hours and 1 drink per person for each hour after that.
