Party Drink Calculator

We created this party drink calculator that helps you calculate how much alcohol or drinks you need to buy for your party based on the number of guests and the duration of the event.

Total drinks = Number of guests × Duration of party in hours

If you have 100 guests attending a 4-hour party, the total number of drinks needed would be:

100 guests × 4 hours = 400 drinks

Beer: Typically accounts for 40% of total drinks
Wine: Typically accounts for 60% of remaining drinks after beer
Liquor: Depends on the type of cocktails you plan to serve
Beer: 400 × 40% = 160 beers
Wine: (400 – 160) × 60% = 144 glasses of wine (approximately 29 bottles)
Liquor: Depends on the cocktails, but you can estimate based on the ingredients

Event Type	Guests	Duration (hours)	Total Drinks	Beer	Wine	Spirits/Cocktails	Non-Alcoholic
Dinner Party	20	3	60	20	25	5	10
Birthday Bash	40	4	160	60	40	20	40
Wedding	150	5	900	270	270	180	180
Corporate Event	300	6	1800	450	450	270	630
Cocktail Reception	75	3	225	90	75	45	15
Family Reunion	100	4	400	150	100	80	70
Graduation Party	50	5	300	120	90	60	30
Holiday Party	80	4	320	120	80	50	70
Anniversary Celebration	200	5	1200	300	300	180	420
Charity Gala	250	6	1500	375	375	225	525
Outdoor BBQ Party	60	4.5	270	100	60	40	70
Sports Viewing Party	30	3.5	105	40	25	15	25

Party Drink Calculation Formula

The formula for calculating drink quantities typically follows:

Total Drinks = (Number of Guests) × (Event Duration in Hours) × (Drinks Per Person Per Hour)

Guest Composition: Adults vs. children, drinkers vs. non-drinkers
Event Type: Casual gathering vs. formal affair
Time of Day: Daytime events may require fewer alcoholic beverages
Season: Hot weather might increase consumption of refreshing drinks

Example Calculation:

50 guests
3-hour event
Assumption: 1 drink per person per hour

Total Drinks = 50 × 3 × 1 = 150 drinks

60% alcoholic (90 drinks): 45 beers, 30 glasses of wine, 15 cocktails
40% non-alcoholic (60 drinks): 30 sodas, 30 waters

How many drinks do I need for 50 guests?

120 beers (40%)
90 glasses of wine (30%)
60 cocktails (20%)
30 non-alcoholic beverages (10%)

When planning for 50 guests, consider the following scenario:

4-hour evening cocktail party
Mixed crowd of light and moderate drinkers
Offering beer, wine, and spirits

Calculation:

Total Drinks = 50 guests × 4 hours × 1.5 drinks/hour = 300 drinks

Suggested Distribution:

120 beers (40%)
90 glasses of wine (30%)
60 cocktails (20%)
30 non-alcoholic beverages (10%)

This distribution ensures a good variety while accounting for different preferences.

How many drinks do you need for a 100 person party?

180 beers (30%)
180 glasses of wine (30%)
100 champagne flutes for toast (one per guest)
60 cocktails (10%)
180 non-alcoholic beverages (30%)

For a larger gathering of 100 people, let’s consider a different scenario:

5-hour wedding reception
Mix of drinkers and non-drinkers
Offering beer, wine, champagne toast, and non-alcoholic options

Calculation:

Total Drinks = 100 guests × 5 hours × 1.2 drinks/hour = 600 drinks

Suggested Distribution:

180 beers (30%)
180 glasses of wine (30%)
100 champagne flutes for toast (one per guest)
60 cocktails (10%)
180 non-alcoholic beverages (30%)

How much drinks for 200 people?

300 beers (25%)
300 glasses of wine (25%)
180 cocktails (15%)
120 mocktails (10%)
300 non-alcoholic beverages (25%)

For a large-scale event with 200 attendees:

6-hour corporate gala
Professional setting with moderate drinking
Wide variety of options including mocktails

Calculation:

Total Drinks = 200 guests × 6 hours × 1 drink/hour = 1200 drinks

Suggested Distribution:

300 beers (25%)
300 glasses of wine (25%)
180 cocktails (15%)
120 mocktails (10%)
300 non-alcoholic beverages (25%)

Related Tools:

Party Drink Calculator – Calculate How Many Drinks for a Party