Party Drink Calculator
The same drink maths as the wedding calculator, tuned for birthdays, barbecues, anniversaries, holiday parties and quieter family gatherings — with a preset for each.
Start from a preset
A preset fills in the guests, hours, drinking level and drink mix below. You can change any number afterwards.
Example prices (edit to match your store)
| Item | Drinks needed | Buy | Unit price | Cost |
|---|
Tip: on a phone, swipe this table sideways to see the unit prices and the cost column.
How each number is worked out
Drinks per drinker = (hours + 1) x level factor. The level factor is 0.8 for light, 1.0 for average and 1.25 for heavy. This is the standard rule of 2 drinks in the first hour, then 1 drink per hour after that.
Drinkers = guests x drinker percentage / 100. Drinker drinks = drinkers x drinks per drinker.
Mix: the beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic percentages are normalised so they add up to 100, then each share is applied to the drinker drinks. Non-alcoholic drinks also add 1 set of drinks per drinker for every non-drinker: non-drinkers x drinks per drinker.
Signature cocktail: if switched on, add 1 serving per drinker to the spirits drinks before bottling.
Wine: 5 glasses per 750ml bottle, bottles = glasses / 5 rounded up. Champagne toast: 1 glass per guest, 5 glasses per bottle, separate from the wine.
Beer: 1 drink = 1 can, cases = cans / 24 rounded up. Spirits: 17 drinks per 750ml bottle and 39 drinks per 1.75L bottle, both rounded up; the 750ml count is the buy line used for cost.
Non-alcoholic: cans = drinks rounded up, 12-packs = cans / 12 rounded up. Ice: pounds = guests x ice per guest (1 lb by default), 10 lb bags = pounds / 10 rounded up.
Cost: each line is the rounded-up buy quantity multiplied by its editable price, and the total is the exact sum of those line costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much alcohol do I need for a birthday party with 30 guests?
At the Birthday Bash preset (30 guests, 80 percent drinkers, 4 hours, average level), you need 60 beer cans, 24 wine glasses, 24 spirits drinks and 42 non-alcoholic drinks. That buys as 3 cases of beer, 5 bottles of wine, 2 bottles of spirits, 4 non-alcoholic 12-packs and 3 bags of ice, for $198.00 at the example prices.
How much beer do I need for a backyard BBQ with 25 guests?
At the Backyard BBQ preset, beer is 60 percent of the mix, giving 56 cans, which rounds up to 3 cases of 24. The full BBQ list costs $147.00 at the example prices.
How much wine do I need for an anniversary dinner with 40 guests?
Wine is 50 percent of the mix at the Anniversary Dinner preset, giving 85 glasses, which is 17 bottles of 750ml. The champagne toast adds a separate 8 bottles, and the full list costs $438.00.
What does the Holiday Party preset allow for?
For 50 guests over 5 hours at the heavy level, each drinker gets 7.5 drinks. With the signature cocktail on, spirits come to 138 drinks, or 9 bottles of 750ml, and the full list costs $621.00 at the example prices.
Can I use this calculator for a funeral reception or family gathering?
Yes. The Reception / Memorial Gathering preset is a plain, quiet starting point for a funeral reception or family gathering where most drinks are non-alcoholic: 40 guests, 40 percent drinkers, 3 hours at the light level, with non-alcoholic drinks at 50 percent of the mix. It works out to 103 non-alcoholic cans (9 packs of 12), 1 case of beer, 3 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of spirits, plus 4 bags of ice, for $152.00 at the example prices. You can lower the alcohol shares further, or set them to zero, if no alcohol is being served.
How many drinks per person should I plan for a 4-hour party?
At the average level the rule is (4 hours + 1) x 1.0, which is 5 drinks per drinker: 2 in the first hour and then 1 per hour.
What each preset buys at the example prices
| Preset | Guests | Beer (24-cases) | Wine (750ml) | Champagne (750ml) | Spirits (750ml) | Non-alcoholic (12-packs) | Ice (10 lb bags) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birthday Bash | 30 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | $198.00 |
| Backyard BBQ | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | $147.00 |
| Anniversary Dinner | 40 | 2 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 4 | $438.00 |
| Holiday Party | 50 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 5 | $621.00 |
| Reception / Memorial Gathering | 40 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | $152.00 |