We understand that trying to figure out quantities of items, on top of the normal event preparation stress, can be overwhelming. Please feel free to use our calculator below for the quantities needed.
NOTE: This calculator is based on an “average” drinker quantity. As always, SGE will help all clients with a full bar shopping list for their Event.
Alcohol Calculator
How much alcohol you’ll need for your event.
Frequently Asked Bar Questions
These are the calculations needed for a 4-hour event.
Ice calculations for ice chests include restocking and rechilling the drinks.
- 1.5 pounds of ice per person for alcoholic drinks
- 1 pound of ice per person for non-alcoholic drinks
- 100 pounds – per 150 quart (large ) ice chest used to hold drinks
- 60-70 pounds – per 80-100 quart (medium) ice chest used to hold drinks
*Events that are held outside will require more ice.
Non-Alcoholic Drink Cups / 1.5 Cups per person
Alcoholic Drink Cups / 2.5 Cups per person
The type of signature drink that you serve is solely up to you and what type of liquor you want as a base. We do like to tell clients that a good rule to go by is having a signature drink that is not too many steps. The reasoning for this is so that the guests can get served in a timely manner without having to wait in a long line. The more steps to a drink, the longer it takes to make it. We like to follow the preparation times below for how long it takes to serve the clients.
- Bottled or Canned Beer / 8- 10 second serving time
- Wine / 15 – 20 second serving time
- Draft Beer / 20 – 25 second serving time (could be more depending on setup and location of kegs).
- 2-Step Mixed Drink / 20+ seconds
- 3-Step Mixed Drink / 25 – 30+ seconds
- Mixed drinks with muddling – 35+ seconds
Please note, these are just typical base times. Our bartenders do get multiple drinks at once to lessen guest wait times and so that multiple drinks can be made at once.
- Garnish for beer or mixed drinks
- Bar ice to chill the beer and wine
- Water bottles for after the caterer leaves.
- Salt or sugar for rimming specific drinks
- Napkins
- Straws
- Drink sign – though not needed, this does help when signature drinks are served
Two drinks are usually consumed by each guest during the cocktail hour and one drink will be consumed each hour after that.
You can get 16 mixed drinks from a 750ml bottle of liquor, 22 mixed drinks from a 1-Liter bottle of liquor, and 38 drinks from a handle (1.75 liters) of liquor.
5 to 6 glasses per 750ml bottle, depending on how heavy the pour is.
You can get 6 regular pours from a 750ml bottle of champagne. For toasts, you can get 8 pours from a 750ml bottle of champagne.
- Full Keg = 1/2 barrel = 15.5 gallons = 165 – 12 ounce servings
- Pony Keg = 1/4 barrel = 7.75 gallons = 83 – 12 ounce servings
- Wine: 9-ounce
- Beer: 16 ounce
- Mixed Drinks: 12-ounce
- Non-Alcoholic Drinks: 12-16 ounce