Calculate how much liquor for a party
To calculate how much alcohol you’ll need, let’s say for example 50 guests, you can use a simple formula that takes into account the type of alcohol, the duration of the event, and the drinking habits of your guests. Here’s a basic formula:
Total Alcohol Needed = (Average Drinks per Guest) × (Number of Guests) × (Duration of Event in hours) × (Percentage of Alcohol Content)
Calculate
Let's break this down:
- Average Drinks per Guest: This can vary widely depending on the type of event and the drinking habits of your guests. For a general estimate, you might assume 2-3 drinks per guest for a moderate drinking crowd. Adjust this number based on your knowledge of your guests.
Number of Guests: In this case, it’s 50.
Duration of Event in hours: How long will the event last? This could be anything from a couple of hours to an all-day affair.
Percentage of Alcohol Content: Different types of alcohol have different alcohol by volume (ABV) percentages. For example, beer typically has around 4-6% ABV, wine around 9-16% ABV, and spirits (like vodka, whiskey, etc.) around 40-50% ABV. You’ll need to adjust this based on the types of alcohol you plan to serve.
Let’s say you’re serving a mix of beer, wine, and spirits, and you estimate an average of 2 drinks per guest over a 4-hour event. You might use the following estimates for alcohol content:
- Beer: 5% ABV
- Wine: 12% ABV
- Spirits: 40% ABV
Now, you can plug these values into the formula:
Total Beer Needed = (2 drinks/guest) × (50 guests) × (4 hours) × (0.05 ABV) Total Wine Needed = (2 drinks/guest) × (50 guests) × (4 hours) × (0.12 ABV) Total Spirits Needed = (2 drinks/guest) × (50 guests) × (4 hours) × (0.40 ABV)
So, the total amounts needed would be:
- 20 liters of beer
- 48 liters of wine
- 160 liters of spirits
Once you have these totals, you can add them together to get the total amount of alcohol needed for your event. Keep in mind that this is just an estimate, and it’s always better to have a little extra than to run out during the event! Adjust the numbers based on your knowledge of your guests’ drinking habits and preferences.
Capacity per bottle
To calculate your needs, first, understand bottle capacity in cups. White wine: 120 ml per glass, red wine: 150 ml per glass. A 750 ml bottle typically serves 8 to 10 glasses. Sparkling wine: 140 ml per flute, dessert wine: 75 ml per glass. Simplifying, one bottle of white wine serves 5, red wine serves 3.
Preferences: red wine
According to experts, one 750 ml bottle of red wine serves 3 people. Not all guests will drink this much, while some might drink more. For meals like roast, popular among Uruguayans, the estimated ratio is 80% red wine and 20% white wine per person. Exclude children, pregnant women, and non-drinkers from calculations. For daytime events, consider adjusting to 7 bottles of red wine for every 3 bottles of white wine.
BAR SUPPLIES FOR 100 GUESTS
Soda & Mixer
Wine & Beer
Hard Liquor
Garnishes
SODA
(1) CASE COCACOLA OR PEPSI
(1) CASE DIET COCA COLA OR PEPSI
(1) CASE 7UP OR SPRITE
(5) BOTTLES GINGER ALE
(1) CASE SPARKLING MINERAL WATER
(10) BOTTLES TONIC
MIXERS
(1) TRIPLE SEC
(1) BLOODY MARY MIX
(1) GRENADINE
(1) SWEET & SOUR MIX
(1) DRY VERMOUTH
(2) QUARTS ORANGE JUICE
(1) QUART GRAPEFRUIT JUICE
(1) ROSE’S LIME
BOTTLES AND CASES
(5-7) BOTTLES WHITE WINE
(5-7) BOTTLES RED WINE
(1) CASE REGULAR BEER
(1) CASE LITE BEER
ONE LITER SIZE BOTTLES
(2) VODKA
(2) SCOTCH
(2) GIN
(1) BOURBON WHISKEY
(1) SCOTCH WHISKEY
(1) LIGHT RUM
OPTIONAL
(1) BRANDY
(1) KAHLUA
(1) TEQUILA
(1) BAILEYS
(1) COGNAC
(1) AMARETTO
(1) GRAND MARNIER
GARNISHES
(10) LEMONS
(10) LIMES
(1) JAR OLIVES
(1) JAR MARASCHINO CHERRIES
SUPPLIES
(200) COCKTAIL NAPKINS
(200) TEN OUNCE TUMBLERS
(100) STIR STICKS OR STRAWS
(150) POUNDS OF ICE
SODA & MIXERS
SODA
(1) CASE COCACOLA OR PEPSI
(1) CASE DIET COCA COLA OR PEPSI
(1) CASE 7UP OR SPRITE
(5) BOTTLES GINGER ALE
(1) CASE SPARKLING MINERAL WATER
(10) BOTTLES TONIC
MIXERS
(1) TRIPLE SEC
(1) BLOODY MARY MIX
(1) GRENADINE
(1) SWEET & SOUR MIX
(1) DRY VERMOUTH
(2) QUARTS ORANGE JUICE
(1) QUART GRAPEFRUIT JUICE
(1) ROSE’S LIME
BOTTLES & CASES
(5-7) BOTTLES WHITE WINE
(5-7) BOTTLES RED WINE
(1) CASE REGULAR BEER
(1) CASE LITE BEER
GARNISHES
(10) LEMONS
(10) LIMES
(1) JAR OLIVES
(1) JAR MARASCHINO CHERRIES
SUPPLIES
(200) COCKTAIL NAPKINS
(200) TEN OUNCE TUMBLERS
(100) STIR STICKS OR STRAWS
(150) POUNDS OF ICE
ONE LITER SIZE BOTTLES
(2) VODKA
(2) SCOTCH
(2) GIN
(1) BOURBON WHISKEY
(1) SCOTCH WHISKEY
(1) LIGHT RUM
OPTIONAL
(1) BRANDY
(1) KAHLUA
(1) TEQUILA
(1) BAILEYS
(1) COGNAC
(1) AMARETTO
(1) GRAND MARNIER
The sparkling, infallible for toast
Surely, for the toast you offer some sparkling wine, but it is also ideal for the reception, a cocktail with snacks on a platter. This is because you can share prominence with red wine and the waiters will fill the guest glasses. Even the demand for white wine can increase in this type of reception. Depending on the case, if it will be drunk on one occasion, the calculation is one bottle of sparkling wine every 8 people. If it’s both, you should double it.
Water and sodas
The water must be on all tables. To do this, let’s calculate half a liter per person. In the case of sodas and soft drinks, these accompany the meals of guests who do not drink, but also add to the snacks. The drink with the highest output is the cola, 70%, the rest you can distribute between orange, lime-lemon and light drinks. In these cases, we calculate one liter per person.
Mixing drinks
In the calculation of the amount of bottles do not forget the spirits, even more so, if your party has a drinks bar. To do this, the main options are tequila, rum, vodka, (How You’re Supposed to Drink Vodka) fernet and whiskey, inclusive. For example, for 50 guests who lean towards long drinks, an estimated calculation for the bar would be: tequila, 3 to 4 bottles; vodka, 3 to 4; rum, 2 to 3; fernet, 4 to 5; beer and one glass per person.
Refreshing beers
A person may drink up to 4 individual beers during the event. The average would be to evaluate between 3 and 4 glasses or porrones of beer per person. Since not everyone will drink beers, an estimated calculation would be one porron per guest adult. If it’s free beer, then 2 porrones per person would be ideal
Other details
During the wedding, not everyone will drink the same. Some will choose wine; others, beer. Everything will be compensated to strike a balance between the quantities consumed. Consider that whoever starts with a drink usually continues with it until the end. If guests arrive after dinner, the same is calculated for them, as it also coincides with a guest replacement. The average consumption of one bottle of alcohol every three people is adjusted for a more fine-tuned calculation.
Moderate consumption is much more enjoyed. These tips will help you make your drinks table. We recommend buying them in a place that allows you to return what has not been consumed and also check the cooling point at the time of serving. Cheers!
