Wine · Beer · Champagne · Spirits · Food
How much should you buy?
Real quantities for any party, built on how people actually drink: about a drink and a half in the first hour, slowing after, split the way your occasion pours, with a 15 percent margin so you never run out.
| Wine | ||
| Beer | ||
| Champagne | ||
| Spirits | ||
| Servings in total |
About 4.5 drinks per guest over the evening, heaviest in the first hour. Includes a 15 percent margin.
Plan the whole bar for this occasionThe numbers behind every answer
Standard pours, standard packaging, a pace that slows as the night goes on, and a split that changes with the occasion. Nothing here is a secret; the calculator just does the arithmetic.
| Drink | Standard pour | Servings per unit | Share of a wedding bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | 5 oz glass | 5 per bottle | 37.5% |
| Beer | 12 oz can or bottle | 24 per case | 25% |
| Champagne | 4 oz flute | 6 per bottle | 16.7%, plus one flute each for the toast |
| Spirits | 1.5 oz pour | 17 per bottle | 20.8%, plus mixers and ice |
Weddings pour wine. Game day pours beer.
Each occasion has its own split and its own pace. Pick yours to get the right mix.
Every answer shows its work
Start with the guests who drink (70 to 80 percent, fewer at big events). Give each one about a drink and a half in the first hour, then slow the pace as the night goes on. Split the total across the drinks you serve the way that occasion tends to, convert to bottles and cases, and add 15 percent so the last hour is not a scramble.
Every calculator page prints those steps with your numbers in them, so you can change any assumption you disagree with.
Read the full methodology