Party drink calculator
How much beer, wine and liquor to buy for a party: enter the guests and the hours, pick the bar, and get bottles and cases, plus ice, mixers and soft drinks. Free, with no sign-up.
From cocktail hour to last call.
24 guests
The rest is white or rosé.
What to buy
About 120 drinks for 24 guests who drink over 4 hours.
- Wine
- 15 bottles
- 8 red, 7 white · 72 glasses
- Beer
- 2 cases
- 48 beers in cases of 24
- Spirits
- 0 bottles
- None on this bar
- Champagne toast
- 0 bottles
- No toast
And the rest
- Ice: about 30 lb for drinks (1 lb a guest). Double it if you chill bottles in tubs or it’s a hot day.
- Water: about 30 liters, a glass a guest each hour. Keep it on every table and at the bar.
- Soft drinks: about 30 for the guests who don’t drink alcohol, plus sparkling juice for the toast if there’s one.
Add prices for a total cost
The assumptions
Rules of thumb, not a promise: change any of them to match your crowd and your pours.
Per guest who drinks
Per guest who drinks
750 ml, 5 oz pours
750 ml, 1.5 oz pours
12 oz bottles or cans
750 ml, a short pour each
Know how many are coming
Make a free party page with the date, the place and a reply button, and buy drinks for the people who said yes. Guests reply from one link, no account needed. Free to make and publish.
Hosting a wedding? The wedding alcohol calculator starts with a full bar and a champagne toast. Sorting the food too? Make a potluck sign-up sheet.
Questions
How many drinks per person at a party?
About two in the first hour and one each hour after for guests who drink: five drinks each over a four-hour party. Count the guests who don’t drink alcohol separately and get them soft drinks at the same pace.
How much beer and wine for 30 people?
For a four-hour party where 24 of the 30 drink, about 120 drinks. With beer and wine only, split 40/60, that is 48 beers (2 cases of 24) and 15 bottles of wine. Add a bottle or two for safety; unopened bottles keep.
How much liquor for a party?
A 750 ml bottle of spirits gives about sixteen 1.5 oz drinks. If a fifth of the drinks are mixed drinks at a 30-person party, that is about 24 pours: two bottles, with around 2.8 liters of mixers. Pick Full bar above to see it for your numbers.
How much ice do I need for a party?
About a pound (half a kilo) per guest for drinks, and twice that if you are chilling cans and bottles in a cooler or tub. Buy it last, on the day.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It’s free and needs no account; the numbers stay in your browser. Change any of the rules of thumb under the assumptions, and add prices to see the total cost.