Getting the drinks right for your party can be tricky. The last thing you want is to run out or be unable to serve the type of drinks your guests like as the party progresses. Here are some tips to help you get it right!
Tips for calculating beverages
Here are some tips to help with drink calculations. You will, of course, have to adjust these calculations: if your guests are big drinkers, your calculations will need to go up; if your party takes place during daylight hours or if your guests are elderly or teetotallers, you can reduce these figures.
• Guests drink an average of two drinks the first hour and one drink each hour after.
• A 700ml bottle of alcohol yields approximately 23 single-shot mixed drinks
• Allow one half bottle of champagne per bubbly-guzzling guest and one bottle of wine per 2-3 guests, remembering that white wine tends to be more popular than red.
• Factor in 3-4 beers per male (or beer-drinking female) guest.
• One 750ml bottle of champagne fills six regular champagne glasses. If you plan to have a champagne toast, you will need to purchase additional bottles. You only need to pour about a third of a glass for a toast, so plan on one bottle of bubbly for every 10 guests.
• Garnishes are relatively cheap, so it’s always smart to buy extras. Plan on one quarter of a lemon and one quarter of a lime per guest. This means that if you have 24 guests, you’ll need at least 6 lemons and 6 limes.
• Plan on one 5kg bag of ice per 8 guests. This will provide enough ice for drinks as well as any ice baths for wine or beer.
Number of drinks in standard-size bottles
Here are some tables to help you calculate how many drinks you can make from standard-size bottles:
Number of 30ml shots in bottles of spirits/liquor
| Bottles Of Spirits/Liquor | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 700ml | 23 | 46 | 93 | 140 | 186 | 233 |
| 1000ml | 33 | 66 | 133 | 200 | 266 | 333 |
Number of 120ml glasses of champagne per bottle
| Bottles Of Champagne | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 750ml | 6 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 60 |
| Magnum(1.5L) | 12 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Jeroboam(3L) | 25 | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Methuselah (6L) | 50 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 |
Number of 150ml glasses of wine per bottle
| Bottles Of Wine | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 750ml | 5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 |
| 1000ml | 6 | 13 | 26 | 40 | 53 | 66 |
| Magnum(1.5L) | 10 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 100 |
| Double Magnum (3L) | 20 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 | 200 |
Beverage quantity charts to make calculations a piece of cake
Here are guidelines on quantities of beverages to buy for a full bar setup and a basic bar set up for your party. You can adjust them according to the type of bar setup you choose and the drinks you wish to serve. If you remove a bottle of spirits on the full bar set up, replace it with extra bottles of wine to ensure you still have enough drinks for all of your guests. If you have more males at your party with a basic bar set up, increase the beers and decrease your wines and vice versa. It’s always good to throw in a couple more of your favourite bottles in case the party goes late, unexpected guests arrive, or one drink is more popular than the rest.
Full bar setup quantity guidelines
| Number of Guests | 10-25 | 25-35 | 35-60 | 60-100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottles of white wine | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
| Bottles of red wine | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Bottles of champagne | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Bottles of vermouth dry | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Bottles of vermouth red | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bottles of vodka | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Bottles of rum | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bottles of gin | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Bottles of scotch | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Bottles of whiskey | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Bottles of bourbon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bottles of tequila | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Bottles of brandy/cognac | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Bottles of aperitif | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Bottles of lime cordial | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Beer (bottles/cans) | 50 | 75 | 80 | 100 |
| Soda water (1 litre) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Ginger ale (1 litre) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Cola (1 litre) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Diet cola (1 litre) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Lemon/lime soda (1 litre) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Tonic water (1 litre) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Grapefruit juice (1 litre) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Orange juice (1 litre) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Cranberry juice (1 litre) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Angostura bitters | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Basic Bar set up quantity guidelines
| Number of guests | 10 | 10 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 50 | 100 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party duration | 2 hours | 4 hours | 2 hours | 4 hours | 2 hours | 4 hours | 2 hours | 4 hours |
| Champagne (750ml bottle) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 25 |
| Red wine (750ml bottle) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| White wine (750ml bottle) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 20 |
| Beer (330ml bottle) | 12 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 60 | 100 | 120 | 200 |
| Soft Drink/Juice ( 1 litre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 19 |
| Water (1 litre) | 3 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 25 | 30 | 15 |
| Ice (5kg Bag) | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 13 |
If your planning a basic bar setup and would like to work out the quantities to buy for specific amounts of guests and different lengths of parties let us do it for you! Head to our handy drinks calculator:
