Estimate how many drinks, wine bottles, and beer cans to buy for a party of a given length.
| Drinks | – |
| Wine bottles | – |
| Beer (cans) | – |
Use this party drinks calculator for a wedding bar or a long dinner: you know the guest list and roughly how long people will be drinking. This is a shopping sketch, not a blood-alcohol calculator.
Total drinks = guests × hours × drinks per person per hour. Wine bottles assume about 5 glasses per bottle, using the wine-share percent of those drinks. The rest is counted as beer cans (one drink each). 1.5 drinks per person per hour is a busy bar; dry guests still sit in the headcount unless you lower the rate.
Guests: Adults you are buying for. 40 is a small wedding.
Hours: How long the bar is open. 4 is a typical reception.
Drinks / person / hour: Drinks each person averages per hour. 1.5 is lively; 1 is calmer; 0.5 if many people are not drinking.
Wine share (%): Percent of drinks that should be wine. Type 40 for a mixed beer-and-wine table.
Drinks: Total drinks to plan for.
Wine bottles: Bottles at 5 glasses each for the wine share.
Beer (cans): Remaining drinks counted as cans.
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