Party drinks calculator

How the party drinks math works

Guests drink fastest when they arrive and slow down once the food is out and the conversation is going. So instead of a flat "one drink an hour", this plans 2 drinks per drinking guest in the first hour and 1 for each hour after. A 4-hour party works out to 5 drinks per drinker. A 10% buffer covers the plus-ones and the spilled glass.

The total is split by your bar style. Then each part becomes something you can buy:

• Beer: one 12 oz can or bottle per drink, in 12-packs.
• Wine: a 5 oz pour, so a 750 ml bottle gives 5 glasses. The default split is 45% red, 40% white and rosé, and 15% sparkling. Each color is rounded up on its own, so you never end up with half a bottle of white.
• Spirits: a 1.5 oz pour, so a 750 ml bottle makes about 16 drinks. Plan 1 liter of mixer for every 8 or so spirit drinks.
• Batch & punch: the servings go to the batch scaler, which works out every bottle and lime.

Worked example: 40 guests, 4 hours

With 85% of guests drinking, that's 34 drinkers × 5 drinks × 1.10 = 187 drinks. At a cocktail party mix, that's four 12-packs of beer, 14 bottles of wine (6 red, 6 white, 2 sparkling), 2 bottles of spirits, 56 batch servings, 33 zero-proof servings for the 6 non-drinkers, and 60 lb of ice.

How many bottles of champagne for a toast?

A toast is a few sips, not a full flute. Pour 3 oz and a 750 ml bottle gives about 8 toasts. That works out to 6 bottles for 50 toasting guests and 12 for 100 (50 × 3 oz ÷ 25.4 oz, rounded up). Add one more if the head table gets a refill. Count only the guests who'll actually take a glass, and keep a sparkling cider or NA bubbly open for everyone else. If sparkling is the main drink of the night instead, plan it as wine (5 glasses a bottle), not as a toast.

Bartender tips that save money

• Pick two or three spirits, not five. A small party doesn't need a full back bar.
• A batched cocktail or punch is the cheapest way to serve a crowd, and it keeps the host out from behind the bar.
• Buy the last few bottles at a store that takes back unopened ones, and keep the receipt.
• Zero-proof should be a real drink, not just a can of soda. A good spritz or punch makes non-drinkers feel like guests, not an afterthought.