Free tool · For couples & planners · For venues
How much alcohol do you need for a wedding or party?
Enter your guests, hours and drink mix to get beer cases, wine and liquor bottles, ice, mixers and cups.
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About 480 drinks: 6 cases of beer, 48 bottles of wine and 6 bottles of liquor.
Rule used: 80 drinking guests (80% of 100) × 6 drinks each (2 drinks in the first hour, then 1 an hour for 4 more hours, average crowd at 100%) ≈ 480 drinks.
| Item | Buy | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Beer | 6 cases | 144 × 12 oz, 24 per case |
| Wine | 48 bottles | 240 × 5 oz glasses, 5 per 750 ml bottle |
| Liquor | 6 bottles | 96 × 1.5 oz pours, 16 per 750 ml bottle |
| Mixers | 12 1-liter bottles | 384 fl oz for the liquor drinks |
| Ice | 10 bags | 100 lb in 10 lb bags |
| Cups | 480 | One per drink served |
Please drink responsibly.
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Get early accessHow is the amount of alcohol calculated?
- Drinking guests = guests × the percentage who drink alcohol.
- Drinks per drinking guest follow the planning rule: a set number in the first hour, then a set number for each hour after, adjusted for a light or heavy crowd.
- Total drinks = drinking guests × drinks per drinking guest, split into beer, wine and liquor by your mix. A mix that doesn’t add up to 100% is scaled so it does.
- Each drink is one US standard drink: a 12 oz beer, a 5 oz glass of wine or a 1.5 oz pour of liquor (source: NIAAA, “What is a standard drink?”). A 750 ml bottle holds 25.36 fl oz, so it gives 5 glasses of wine or 16 pours of liquor; beer comes 24 to a case.
- Every amount is rounded up to whole bottles, cases and bags.
What assumptions does it make?
The serving sizes and bottle sizes above are facts. Everything below is a planning assumption, and all but the last can be changed in the calculator:
- Planning rule: 2 drinks per drinking guest in the first hour, then 1 for each hour after.
- Crowd: a light crowd drinks 75% and a heavy crowd 125% of what an average one does.
- Ice: 1 lb per guest, every guest, in 10 lb bags.
- Mixers: 4 fl oz per liquor drink.
- Cups: one per drink served. Buy fewer if you use glassware.
These numbers are for buying stock, not a recommendation for how much anyone should drink. Please drink responsibly, and arrange safe rides home.
Worked example
A 5-hour reception for 100 guests, 80% of whom drink, with an average crowd and a 30/50/20 beer/wine/liquor mix:
Rule used: 80 drinking guests (80% of 100) × 6 drinks each (2 drinks in the first hour, then 1 an hour for 4 more hours, average crowd at 100%) ≈ 480 drinks.
| Item | Buy | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Beer | 6 cases | 144 × 12 oz, 24 per case |
| Wine | 48 bottles | 240 × 5 oz glasses, 5 per 750 ml bottle |
| Liquor | 6 bottles | 96 × 1.5 oz pours, 16 per 750 ml bottle |
| Mixers | 12 1-liter bottles | 384 fl oz for the liquor drinks |
| Ice | 10 bags | 100 lb in 10 lb bags |
| Cups | 480 | One per drink served |
Frequently asked questions
- How much alcohol do I need for a wedding of 100 guests?
- It depends on the hours, how many guests drink and what they drink. With 100 guests, 5 hours, 80% drinking and a 30/50/20 beer/wine/liquor mix, the calculator's starting planning rule (2 drinks per drinking guest in the first hour, then 1 an hour) gives about 480 drinks: 6 cases of beer, 48 bottles of wine and 6 bottles of liquor (750 ml). Change any number to match your event.
- How much alcohol do I need for a party?
- The same method works for any party. With 50 guests, 4 hours, 80% drinking and a 50/30/20 beer/wine/liquor mix, the calculator's starting planning rule (2 drinks per drinking guest in the first hour, then 1 an hour) gives about 200 drinks: 5 cases of beer, 12 bottles of wine and 3 bottles of liquor (750 ml). Change any number to match your event.
- How many drinks per guest per hour should I plan for?
- The calculator starts with 2 drinks per drinking guest in the first hour and 1 in each hour after, adjusted for a light (75%) or heavy (125%) crowd. Those are planning assumptions for buying stock, not a measure of how much anyone should drink, so change them to match what you know about your guests.
- How many glasses of wine are in a bottle?
- A 750 ml bottle holds about 25.36 US fl oz, so 5 full 5 oz glasses. Five ounces is the US standard drink of wine, according to the NIAAA.
- How many drinks are in a bottle of liquor?
- A 750 ml bottle gives 16 full 1.5 oz pours. A pour of 1.5 oz is the US standard drink of distilled spirits, according to the NIAAA.
- How much ice do I need?
- The calculator starts at 1 lb of ice per guest, counting every guest because non-drinkers want ice too, and rounds up to 10 lb bags. That is an assumption: plan for more if you also chill bottles in ice or the event is outdoors in the heat.
- Does the calculator count guests who don’t drink?
- Yes. Set the percentage of guests who drink alcohol; drinks are counted only for them, while ice is counted for everyone. Remember soft drinks and water for the rest.
Related articles
- How much alcohol do you need for a wedding?
A planning rule of two drinks in the first hour and one per hour after, worked out for 100 guests: bottles of wine, liquor and beer, plus mixers and ice.