We calculate beer given the average number of beers consumed is 2 to 3 beers per hour. This is a higher average number per hour to account for people who drink more per hour vs. the average person so you don’t run out too quickly. The exact number depends on the percentage of guests who prefer beer, which you can adjust using our slider. For example, if 30% of your guests prefer beer and you have a 4-hour party, the calculator will determine how many beers you’ll need for those beer drinkers.
Wine Calculation
For wine, our calculator assumes each drinking guest will have about 1 to 2 glasses of wine per hour. You can also adjust the percentage of guests who prefer wine. Each wine bottle is estimated to serve about 5 glasses. Similarly to beer, this can be adjusted to the percent of people you think will drink more wine than other alcohol.
Liquor Calculation
The calculator uses the calculation that each drinking guest will have 1 to 2 cocktails/shots etc.. per hour. After determining how many liquor drinks are needed based on your preferences, it will tell you how many bottles of liquor to buy. Each bottle of liquor (usually at 750ml) can make about 16 drinks.
Soft Drink Calculation
Soft drinks are calculated a bit differently. The calculator estimates the total number of soft drinks based on the number of guests and the duration of the party. It assumes you’ll need one extra soft drink for each guest, in addition to what they might drink each hour. This helps to ensure the people who don’t drink alcohol have a drink, but also allowing people who do drink alcohol can also have something else to sip on between alcoholic drinks (or they can even use their soft drink as a mixer).