Party Drink Calculator
Figure out how many drinks, and how many bottles of wine, beer, and spirits, to buy for your guests over the length of the party.
Assumptions: each drinker has about 2 drinks in the first hour, then roughly 1 per hour after — a slightly front-loaded average of ~1.25 drinks per guest per hour. A 750 ml bottle of wine pours ~5 glasses; a 750 ml bottle of spirits makes ~16 cocktails (1.5 oz each). Round up and buy a little extra — leftovers keep.
How it works
The classic host rule is about one drink per guest per hour, but people drink a little faster early on. This tool front-loads that: it plans two drinks in the first hour, then one for each hour after, which works out to roughly 1.25 drinks per guest per hour across the night.
You tell it how many guests you have, how long the party runs, and what share of them actually drink alcohol. A dry uncle and a car full of designated drivers can drop the count noticeably, so that percentage matters.
From the total it splits your chosen mix into real shopping units — 750 ml wine bottles at five glasses each, twelve-ounce beers one for one, spirit bottles at sixteen cocktails each, plus liters of mixer. Everything rounds up so you come home with enough.
Frequently asked questions
How many drinks should I buy for 50 guests over 4 hours?
About 250. Fifty guests each having two drinks the first hour and one for each of the next three works out to five drinks a head, or 250 total. Buy a little past that so you don't cut it close.
What if not everyone drinks?
Drop the drinker percentage. If only 70 percent of your crowd is drinking alcohol, the tool scales the whole order down to match, and you can stock the difference in soft drinks instead.
How many glasses are in a bottle of wine?
A standard 750 ml bottle pours about five glasses, and a 750 ml bottle of spirits makes roughly sixteen cocktails at a 1.5-ounce pour. That's how this converts drinks into bottles to buy.