Party Alcohol Calculator
Tell it how many people are coming, how long the bar is open, and what they drink. It gives you back a shopping list — bottles, cases, ice and bartenders — using the same arithmetic our bartenders use when we build one for a client. We do not mark up alcohol, so this list is not trying to sell you anything.
Your shopping list
85 drinking guests × 6 drinks = 510 drinks
- 7 cases of beer (153 servings)
- 41 bottles of wine (204 glasses)
- 10 × 750 ml spirits (153 cocktails)
- 90 zero-proof servings
- 100 lb of ice (plan 100–200 lb)
- 2 bartenders
Send us the list and we'll sanity-check it against your menu — we don't mark up bottles, so there is nothing in it for us to pad.
Get a quotePlanning the bar itself? See what a mobile bar includes or what it costs in LA.
How the calculator works
No secret formula, and nothing you cannot check yourself. Here is every assumption it makes:
- Drinks per guest: two in the first hour, then one an hour. A five-hour event is six drinks per drinking guest.
- Who is drinking: 85% of guests by default. Dial it down for a family event, up for a wedding reception.
- Spirits: a 750 ml bottle pours about 16.9 cocktails at a 1.5 oz pour.
- Wine: 5 glasses per 750 ml bottle at 5 oz.
- Beer: one serving is one bottle or can; 24 to a case.
- Ice: 1 lb per guest, 2 lb if it is hot or outdoors.
- Bartenders: one per 50 guests, rounded up.
Guests who are not drinking alcohol still drink. The zero-proof line adds a full share of servings for them, on top of whatever percentage of the mix you assign to mocktails and soft drinks.
How much alcohol for 50, 100 and 150 guests
Worked from the defaults — 85% of guests drinking, a 30/40/30 beer, wine and spirits split. These are generated by the calculator above, so they move if its assumptions ever do.
| Guests | Hours | Drinks | Beer | Wine | Spirits | Ice | Bartenders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 4 h | 215 | 3 cases | 18 bottles | 4 × 750 ml | 50–100 lb | 1 |
| 6 h | 301 | 4 cases | 24 bottles | 6 × 750 ml | 50–100 lb | 1 | |
| 100 | 4 h | 425 | 6 cases | 34 bottles | 8 × 750 ml | 100–200 lb | 2 |
| 6 h | 595 | 8 cases | 48 bottles | 11 × 750 ml | 100–200 lb | 2 | |
| 150 | 4 h | 640 | 8 cases | 52 bottles | 12 × 750 ml | 150–300 lb | 3 |
| 6 h | 896 | 12 cases | 72 bottles | 16 × 750 ml | 150–300 lb | 3 |
Ice, mixers, garnishes and cups
The bottles are the part everyone remembers. These are the parts that get forgotten, and they are what separates a bar that runs smoothly from one that sends someone to the shop mid-party:
- Ice — the single most underbought item at a home party. Buy it the day of, and store it out of the sun.
- Mixers — sodas, tonic, juice and soda water, roughly one bottle or can per two cocktails.
- Garnishes — citrus, herbs, olives and cherries, matched to the cocktails on your menu.
- Glassware — count on more glasses than guests: people set them down and lose them.
- Water — still and sparkling, available all night, not as an afterthought.
When you book us, all of that comes with the bar — ice, mixers, garnishes, glassware and the tools. What we ask you to buy is the alcohol, at retail, with no markup. See what a mobile bar rental includes.
Alcohol calculator FAQ
How much alcohol do I need for 100 guests?
For a five-hour party where about 85% of guests drink, plan on roughly 510 drinks: around 7 cases of beer, 41 bottles of wine and 10 bottles of spirits on a 30/40/30 split. Shift the mix toward whatever your crowd actually drinks and the totals move with it.
How many drinks does one guest have?
The planning figure bartenders use is two drinks in the first hour and one an hour after that. A four-hour event is five drinks a head, a six-hour event is seven. It is a planning average, not a prediction about any one guest.
How much ice do I need?
One pound per guest indoors, two pounds per guest for an outdoor or hot-weather event. Ice goes to chilling bottles and cans as well as into glasses, which is why the figure is higher than people expect.
How many bartenders do I need?
One bartender per 50 guests. A 100-guest wedding wants two, 150 guests wants three. Understaffing the bar is the most common way a good party grows a queue.
Do I have to buy the alcohol myself?
With Sip Solution, yes — and that is deliberate. We give you a shopping list matched to your guest count and menu, you buy at retail, and we do not mark up a single bottle. Dry hire, where you supply the alcohol and we supply the bar and the bartenders, works the same way.
What happens if I buy too much?
Unopened bottles stay with you. Because we do not resell alcohol, there is no incentive for us to pad the list, and buying a little over is cheaper than running dry two hours in.
Send us your list and we'll check it against your menu and guest count.
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