Never over- or under-buy for a party again. Enter your guest count, hours, and bar style below — get a complete shopping list with quantities and cost.

Party Drink Calculator – How Much Alcohol for a Party (Free)
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Party Drink Calculator

Stop guessing at the liquor store. Get an exact shopping list — beer, wine, liquor, mixers, ice, and water — plus a cost estimate for your party.

Total headcount, drinkers and non-drinkers.
How long drinks will be flowing.
What percentage of guests will drink alcohol.
0
total drinks needed

    Estimated cost

    Edit any price to match your local store — the total updates instantly.

    Estimated total $0.00
    Our assumptions: 1 drink per drinking guest per hour · 1 beer = 12 oz can · 5 glasses per 750 ml wine bottle · 17 cocktails (1.5 oz pours) per 750 ml liquor bottle · 5 oz of mixer per cocktail · 1.5 lb of ice per guest · half a water bottle per guest per hour. Distribution — Full Bar: 40% beer / 30% wine / 30% liquor · Beer + Wine: 60% / 40% · Beer Only: 100% beer.
    100% private

    Your party details never leave your browser. Plan the whole event anonymously.

    No signup

    No account, no email, no app — just enter your guest count and shop.

    Free forever

    Unlimited calculations for every party, wedding, and cookout you ever throw.

    How to use it

    1. 1Enter guests and hours

      Type your total headcount and how long the party lasts. Include non-drinkers — the drinker ratio handles that.

    2. 2Pick a bar style

      Full Bar, Beer + Wine, or Beer Only. The drink mix — and your shopping list — adjusts automatically.

    3. 3Set the drinker ratio

      Slide to the percentage of guests who will actually drink alcohol. A family barbecue might be 50%; a college reunion, 90%.

    4. 4Shop the list and check the cost

      Buy the exact quantities shown — cases, bottles, mixers, ice, water — and tweak the unit prices to match your local store for a live cost total.

    Why this calculator

    Exact shopping quantities

    No vague “a few cases” — you get precise counts in store-friendly units like 24-can cases and 750 ml bottles.

    Three bar styles

    Full bar, beer + wine, or beer only — each with realistic drink distributions built in.

    Ice and water included

    The two things hosts always forget: enough ice to keep everything cold and water to keep guests hydrated.

    Live cost estimate

    Editable unit prices turn the shopping list into a budget in real time, in USD.

    Transparent assumptions

    Every serving size and ratio is stated on the page, so you can sanity-check the math.

    Frequently asked questions

    How many drinks should I plan per person?
    The industry standard is 1 drink per guest per hour. This calculator uses that baseline, applied only to the percentage of guests you say will drink.
    How many glasses are in a bottle of wine?
    A standard 750 ml bottle pours five 5-ounce glasses. The calculator rounds up to whole bottles, so you always have enough.
    How many cocktails come from a bottle of liquor?
    About 17 cocktails per 750 ml bottle at a standard 1.5 oz pour. If your crowd pours heavy, buy one extra bottle as insurance.
    How much ice do I need for a party?
    Plan 1.5 lb per guest — that covers chilling drinks plus ice in cocktails. A 20-person, 4-hour party needs about 30 lb, or roughly five 7-lb bags.
    Should I buy water too?
    Yes — the list includes half a water bottle per guest per hour. Hydrated guests have a better time, and water keeps the ice and mixers company in the cooler.
    Can I adjust the prices to my local store?
    Absolutely. Every unit price field is editable, and the total recalculates instantly in USD.

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