Holiday Party Drink Calculator
Holiday parties lean on cocktails and spirits, so plan a spirit-forward mix. This calculator sizes the spirits, mixers, wine, beer, soft drinks, and ice for your headcount, estimates the cost, and gives a copyable shopping list for the bar.
Your plan
Enough drinks for a 4-hour party of 30
Total items
7
food and drink to buy
Est. cost
$202.15
$6.74 per guest, rough estimate
Planning drinks for 33 guests over 4 hours, 75 percent drinking alcohol, spirit forward drink mix.
- 30 cans
Beer
1 drink per guest per hour
- 4 bottles
Wine
1 drink per guest per hour
- 4 bottles
Cocktails and spirits
1 drink per guest per hour
- 44 cans
Soft drinks and juice
1 drink per guest per hour
- 36 bottles
Water
1 drink per guest per hour
- 50 lb
Ice
about 1.5 lb of ice per guest
- 66 pieces
Disposable cups
2 cups per guest
Estimate from average US grocery prices, a planning aid, not a quote. Non-USD is converted at rough parity. Set the price level in advanced options for your area, or see how we estimate cost.
Shopping list
Drinks
- Beer30 cans (3 packs)$
- Wine4 bottles (4 packs)$
- Cocktails and spirits4 bottles (4 packs)$
- Soft drinks and juice44 cans (4 packs)$
- Water36 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 holiday party?
- Plan one drink per guest per hour, weighted toward spirits and cocktails for a holiday crowd. A 750 ml spirit bottle makes about 16 cocktails, which is how the tool converts servings to bottles.
- What about mixers and a signature cocktail?
- A spirit-forward party needs mixers, garnishes, and ice in proportion to the cocktails, not as an afterthought. If you are pouring one signature drink, work out its recipe per serving and multiply by the cocktail count; the calculator sizes the base spirits, wine, beer, and ice so you can layer mixers on top.