If you're having a party and you're wondering how much it will take to
quench the thirsts of your guests, keep these handy Ideas in mind.
On the average, expect guests to drink 2 drinks or servings of a
nonalcoholic beverage the first hour and 1 each hour thereafter.
Remember, people drink more when the weather is warm.
If you plan to serve bar drinks, you should allow 1 1/2 ounces
of liquor for each drink. That means you'll get about 16 drinks from
each 750-milliliter bottle (fifth) of liquor. Allow about a quart of
mixer -- carbonated water, tonic water, or ginger ale -- for every 3
persons.
When serving wine, plan on one 750-milliliter bottle for every
two guests (one bottle for every 3 to 4 guests if the wine will be
served only during a meal). If you prefer to buy the large 1.5-liter
bottle of wine, it will serve 4 guests (6 to 8 guests if served only
during a meal).
When ordering beer for a party, allow about 12 ounces per guest
for every half hour to hour. For a large crowd, you might want to
buy a keg.
Always have some nonalcoholic beverages on hand. Besides having
juices, bottled water, lemonade, soda and/or iced tea, consider
nonalcoholic wines and beers.
If you're uncertain about how much to buy, ask your beverage
store if you can return any unopened bottles. If you entertain
frequently, you may want to plan ahead and shop in quantity.
How many drinks are in
a bottle?
Cocktails (16 oz. each)
Wine or Champagne (5 oz.
each)
750 ML
16
5
Liter
22
*
1.5 L
*
10
1.75L
39
*
3L
*
20
How much should I buy?
4 People
6 People
10 People
Lunch
6 cocktails or glasses of
wine
10 glasses of wine with
lunch
4 liqueurs
10 cocktails or glasses of
wine
14 glasses of wine with
lunch
6 liqueurs/
Sherry
15
cocktails/wine
15 glasses wine
w/lunch
10
liqueurs/Sherry
Cocktail Party
8 cocktails, highballs or
glasses of wine (first 2 hours)
8 glasses wine
(first 2 hours)
6 drinks per hour
thereafter
12 cocktails, highballs or
glasses of wine (first 2 hours)
9 drinks per hour
thereafter
20
cocktails/highballs or
20 glasses wine
(first 2 hours)
15 drinks an hour
thereafter
Dinner Party
8 cocktails / highballs/
wine
8 glasses of wine with
dinner
4 liqueurs/Sherry
4 drinks per hour after
dinner
12 cocktails or highballs
12 glasses
6
liqueurs/Sherry
6 drinks an hour
after dinner
20
cocktails/wine
20 glasses wine
w/dinner
10
liqueurs/Sherry*
10 drinks an hour
after dinner
Evening or Reception
Party
16
drinks (highballs, cocktails, wine)
24
drinks (highballs, cocktails, wine)
24
drinks (highballs, cocktails, wine)
Basic Stocking
a Party Bar Supply list
There are six or seven basic products
you should have at a self serve bar. They include white
Rum, (optional amber Rum), Vodka, Gin, Canadian Whisky
(Rye), Tequila and a scotch or Bourbon.
Basic Mixer list
Soft Drinks/Sodas:
Club soda, Cola, Diet cola, Ginger Ale, Lemon Lime,
Tonic
Juices: Orange, Cranberry, Tomato,
Motts Clamato
Keep a garbage can handy, but out of
sight maybe even under the bar (table)
Leave a towel or cloth near the
table or discreetly on the table so
guests can wipe their hands or any minor
spills
Cut the fruit garnishes ahead of
time (not too early an hour before
would be ideal)
If you are serving a punch you may
wish to set this up at another table as
the combination of the large punch bowl
and glassware takes up a lot of space
visit our feature on punches.
Print off a couple of recipes from
your favorite web site and place them on
the table to help spark your guests
imagination
Ensure that you have at least one or
two measuring glasses for your guests to
use to properly and responsibly pour
drinks.
Have plenty of ice ready. You can
never have too much ice!
How
Many Drinks Per Bottle Average
(commonly used by caterers)
Highballs, Cocktails,
Mixed Drinks (1.5 oz. liquor servings)
Bottles
1
2
4
6
8
10
12
750
ML (25.4 oz.)
16
33
67
101
135
169
203
Liter
(33.8 oz.)
22
45
90
135
180
225
270
1.75
L (59.2 oz.)
39
78
157
236
315
394
473
Wines, Champagnes,
Sparkling Wines (5 oz. wine servings)
Bottles
1
2
4
6
8
10
12
750
ML (25.4 oz.)
5
10
20
30
40
50
60
Liter
(33.8 oz.)
6
13
27
40
54
67
81
1.75
L (59.2 oz.)
10
20
30
40
54
67
81
3
Liter (101 oz.)
20
40
80
121
161
202
242
4
Liter (135 oz.)
27
54
108
162
216
270
324
Wine Calculator for Dinner
Table Wines, Champagnes,
Sparking Wines (average 2 servings at 4 to 5 oz. per serving)
People
4
6
8
10
12
20
750
ML (25.4 oz.)
2
2+
3+
4
5
8
1.5
Liters (50.7 oz.)
1
1+
2
2
2+
4
Cocktail Party Hosting Bar Calculator Hints
Any list of
supply items for your beverage and bar needs at a party depend
on regional tastes, trends or customs, these lists is only a
suggested list of supplies that will help you plan your party
for 20 to 50 guests.
(have beer
and two bottles of red and white wine available for this
number of guests if you are offering more than "cocktails"
Extra supplies:
20 lbs Ice
2 Tonic water
2 Ginger ale
2 Cola
2 Soda water
2 Orange juice
1 Cranberry juice
1 Limes
1 Lemons
Olives
Maraschino cherries
Napkins
Cocktail sticks
Any extra mixers that you see fit (i.e. pineapple juice)
Any extra fruit that you see fit (i.e. oranges)
Glassware:
60 glasses
(estimate 3 per person)
Stock up on mainly lowball and
highball glasses but with a few variations too if possible.
(have beer and four bottles of
red, and four bottles of white wine available for this
number of guests if you are offering more than "cocktails")
Extra supplies:
50 lbs Ice
6 Tonic water
6 Ginger ale
6 Cola
4 Soda water
4 Orange juice
3 Cranberry juice
3 Limes
3 Lemons
Olives
Maraschino cherries
Napkins
Cocktail sticks
Any extra mixers that you see fit (i.e. pineapple juice)
Any extra fruit that you see fit (i.e. oranges)
Glassware:
150 glasses (3 per person)
You may wish to have liqueurs available. (ie: Irish Creme,
Coffee Liqueurs, Blue Curacao).
