Party Drink Calculator

Enter how many guests are coming, how long the event runs, and the mix of beer, wine and cocktails you want to serve, and get how many beers, bottles of wine, bottles of spirits and bags of ice to buy, as a tidy shopping list. A free party drink calculator that runs in your browser, with no sign-up.

Work out how much to buy for a party so you do not run dry or badly overbuy. Enter the guest count, how long the event runs and a beer, wine and cocktails mix, and get how many beers, bottles of wine and spirits, and bags of ice to buy as a shopping list. Set the pace to light, average or heavy to match the crowd.

  • Ingredient-aware accuracy
  • 100% free
  • No sign-up, no app
  • Instant as you type
  • Works offline after first load
Read the guide: How Much Alcohol to Buy for a Party
How much the crowd drinks

Average (≈1 drink/guest/hr). A balanced spread of beer, wine and cocktails.

Shopping list

80 drinks total
Beer (cans or bottles)40
Wine (750 ml bottles)4
Spirits (750 ml bottles)2
Ice30 lb

These are estimates for planning. Buy a little extra, offer water and soft drinks too, and please serve responsibly.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Enter guests and hours

    Type how many people are coming and how long the party will last.

  2. 2

    Pick the mix and pace

    Choose a beer/wine/cocktails split and whether the crowd drinks light, average or heavy.

  3. 3

    Read the shopping list

    See how many beers, wine bottles, spirit bottles and pounds of ice to buy, and copy the list.

When it comes in handy

House party or birthday

Work out roughly how much to buy so you do not run out or badly overbuy.

Wedding or big event

Scale the numbers for a large guest count and a long evening in one go.

Dinner or cocktail night

Switch the mix toward wine or spirits to match the kind of evening you are hosting.

Instant, exact & 100% in your browser

The conversion runs right here in your browser using exact, standard factors. Nothing you type is sent to a server, there is no sign-up and no limit, and once the page has loaded it keeps working even with no connection.

Frequently asked questions

How much alcohol do I need per person?
A common planning rule is about one standard drink per guest per hour. For a four-hour party that is roughly four drinks each, though the light and heavy settings adjust this up or down. Always buy a little extra and offer water and soft drinks alongside.
How many drinks are in a bottle of wine or spirits?
A 750 ml bottle of wine pours about 5 glasses, and a 750 ml bottle of spirits makes about 16 cocktails at roughly 1.5 oz of alcohol each. The calculator uses these to turn your drink counts into bottles to buy, rounding up so you have enough.
How much ice should I buy for a party?
Plan on about 1 to 1.5 pounds of ice per guest, more in hot weather or if you are chilling cans and bottles in tubs as well as using it in drinks. The calculator uses 1.5 pounds per guest by default.
Is this an exact figure?
No, it is an estimate for planning. Real consumption depends on your guests, the weather, the food and how long people stay, so treat the shopping list as a sensible starting point and buy a bit extra. Please serve alcohol responsibly.