Party Planning Headquarters

How Much Should You Buy?Stop guessing. Start planning.

Tell us how many guests you’re expecting, how long the party will last, and what you plan to serve. We’ll estimate the drinks—then help you think through the ice, mixers, barware, kegs, and practical details that keep the whole event moving.

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Let the calculator do the math.

This estimate is designed as a practical starting point. Every crowd is different, but it gives you a dependable base to review with one of our Party Planners.

Guest Count

Event Duration

What Will Be Served?

Wine Spirits Beer

Your Recommended Starting Point

These totals include a modest planning buffer and are rounded up so you are not calculating partial bottles or servings.

0Wine Bottles750 ml

0Spirits Bottles750 ml

0Beer Servings12 oz cans or bottles

0Mixers & Soft Drinks12 oz servings

How this estimate works: approximately two drinks during the first hour, one drink per guest for each additional hour, a 10% planning buffer, 5 glasses per wine bottle, and 16 standard 1.5 oz pours per spirits bottle. The total is divided evenly among the drink categories selected.

Understand Your Results

The number is only the beginning.

A good beverage plan balances variety, simplicity, and the way your guests actually drink. These category notes help turn totals into a practical shopping list.

Wine

A balanced wine offering often means a mix of white, red, and—when the occasion calls for it—a little sparkling. For warm-weather or daytime parties, lean slightly more toward white and sparkling.

Browse Wine

Beer

Combine familiar crowd-pleasers with one or two more distinctive choices. Light lager, local craft, IPA, and a non-alcoholic option cover a surprising amount of ground.

Browse Beer

Spirits

You do not need a complete backbar. A few versatile bottles—typically vodka, bourbon, tequila, rum, or gin—plus thoughtfully chosen mixers can carry an entire event.

Explore Spirits

Don’t Forget the Supporting Cast

The drinks need a little help.

Ice, mixers, glassware, and garnishes are the details most likely to be underestimated—and the details guests notice immediately when they are missing.

Ice

Calculate your plan to see a starting ice recommendation.

Split it between chilling and serving.Shop Ice & Coolers

Mixers & Soft Drinks

Your final mix depends on the spirits and cocktails selected.

Include water and non-alcoholic choices.Shop Mixers

Cups, Glassware & Barware

Plan enough glassware or cups to avoid constant washing and restocking.

Don’t forget corkscrews and bottle openers.Shop Barware

Garnishes & Finishing Touches

Citrus, cocktail cherries, straws, stirrers, picks, and napkins make a simple bar feel complete.

Keep the garnish plan intentionally simple.Shop Cocktail Essentials

Planning Beer for a Crowd?

Would a keg make more sense?

Your beer estimate is large enough that one or more kegs may be worth considering. A keg can simplify service, reduce packaging, and make a busy beverage station easier to manage—but remember the tap, tub, ice, cups, pickup, and return logistics.

Explore the Keg Guide Shop Keg Essentials

Need More Confidence?

Keep the plan moving.

The calculator gives you the quantity. These tools help with the questions, timing, supplies, and final details that turn the estimate into a successful party.

Before the Guests Arrive

Give the bar one final look.

The math matters—but the final ten minutes before the party can matter just as much.

Chill beer, white wine, sparkling wine, and mixers.

Buy enough ice for both chilling and serving.

Set out water and non-alcoholic choices.

Stage corkscrews, bottle openers, cups, and napkins.

Prepare simple garnishes and label beverage stations.

Place trash and recycling where guests can actually find them.

Keep unopened backup product out of immediate service.

Take a breath. Welcome your guests. Enjoy the party.