Party Drinks Calculator
Enter your guest count, event length, and how many drinks per person per hour to plan for, to calculate total drinks needed and how many bottles to buy.
Bottles needed
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Enter your party details to calculate.
How the Party Drinks formula works
Total drinks scaled by guests, time, and pace, then converted to bottles:
Total drinks = Guests × Hours × Drinks per person per hour Bottles needed = ceil( Total drinks / Servings per bottle )
Step-by-step calculation
- Multiply guest count by event length in hours and by your assumed drinking pace (commonly around 1 drink per person per hour).
- Divide total drinks by how many servings a single bottle provides.
- Round up to a whole bottle.
Worked example
40 guests, a 4-hour party, at 1 drink/person/hour: Total drinks = 40 × 4 × 1 = 160. With wine bottles serving 5 glasses each: Bottles = ceil(160/5) = 32 bottles.
Frequently asked questions
How many drinks does one bottle of wine serve?
A standard 750ml wine bottle is commonly cited as providing about 5 standard glasses, though pour size varies by venue and glass.
Should I plan for exactly 1 drink per person per hour?
It's a commonly used general planning average, but actual consumption varies significantly by guest group, event type, and time of day — many hosts add a buffer of 10-20% on top of the calculated total.