Drinks for a 5-Hour Party
A five-hour party, like a wedding or a long reception, means about five drinks per drinking guest. This calculator sizes beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, and ice for a five-hour event at your headcount, estimates the cost, and gives a copyable shopping list.
Your plan
Enough drinks for a 5-hour party of 30
Total items
7
food and drink to buy
Est. cost
$254.10
$8.47 per guest, rough estimate
Planning drinks for 33 guests over 5 hours, 75 percent drinking alcohol, balanced drink mix.
- 62 cans
Beer
1 drink per guest per hour
- 8 bottles
Wine
1 drink per guest per hour
- 2 bottles
Cocktails and spirits
1 drink per guest per hour
- 55 cans
Soft drinks and juice
1 drink per guest per hour
- 45 bottles
Water
1 drink per guest per hour
- 50 lb
Ice
about 1.5 lb of ice per guest
- 66 pieces
Disposable cups
2 cups per guest
Estimate from average US grocery prices, a planning aid, not a quote. Non-USD is converted at rough parity. Set the price level in advanced options for your area, or see how we estimate cost.
Shopping list
Drinks
- Beer62 cans (6 packs)$
- Wine8 bottles (8 packs)$
- Cocktails and spirits2 bottles (2 packs)$
- Soft drinks and juice55 cans (5 packs)$
- Water45 bottles (2 packs)$
- Ice50 lb (5 packs)$
Disposables
- Disposable cups66 pieces (2 packs)$
Tap any price to set what it costs at your store. Prices are average US estimates.
Common questions
- How much alcohol for a 5-hour party?
- Plan about five drinks per drinking guest for a five-hour event. The calculator splits that across your chosen drink style and rounds to packs and bottles for your headcount.
- How much more than a shorter party?
- A five-hour event runs roughly a quarter more than a four-hour one. The first hour is still the busiest as guests arrive and get a drink in hand, then consumption settles to about one drink per hour, which is how the tool paces the total rather than assuming a flat rate.