Party Drink Calculator
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Estimate drinks and bottles for a mixed party from guest count, hours, and how many guests drink.
Guests & event length
Alcoholic drinks
252
42 drinkers over 4 hours
- Soft drinks
- 150
- Wine bottles (≈40%)
- 21
- Beer bottles (≈60%)
- 152
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Estimating drinks for a party
Party drink planning starts with how many guests actually drink alcohol, then multiplies by drinks per drinker per hour and the length of the event. Not every guest drinks — this calculator uses your drinker percentage to estimate the drinking headcount separately from total guests.
Soft drinks are estimated for all guests across the event length. Alcoholic totals are split roughly 40% wine (converted to 750 ml bottles at five glasses each) and 60% beer (one bottle per drink equivalent) — adjust your actual order mix with your retailer or caterer.
Example: 60 guests over 4 hours with 70% drinkers at 1.5 drinks per hour yields about 252 alcoholic drinks — roughly 21 wine bottles and 152 beer bottles, plus soft drinks for the full guest list. Round up; returns on unopened bottles are common.
Common questions
What drinker percentage should I use?
70% is a reasonable default for mixed adult parties. Lower it for daytime showers or family events with many non-drinkers; raise it for evening cocktail parties.
Does this include water and coffee?
Soft-drink estimates cover sodas and similar non-alcoholic beverages. Add water, coffee, and mocktails separately if you're serving them.