How to use it
- Enter the number of guests and the length of the party in hours.
- Set the share of guests who drink alcohol, and the beer and wine shares of those drinks (the rest is spirits).
- Set how many soft drinks or glasses of water each guest will have per hour.
How it works
Each drinking guest has 2 drinks in the first hour plus 1 for every further hour (a party shorter than an hour counts pro rata). Total drinks = guests × share who drink × drinks per drinker. Wine counts 5 glasses per bottle and spirits 1.5 US fl oz per drink in 750 mL bottles. Everything is rounded up.
Worked example
30 guests, 4 hours, 80% drink: each drinker has 2 + 3 = 5 drinks, so 30 × 0.8 × 5 = 120 drinks. With 40% beer, 40% wine and 20% spirits that is 48 beers, 48 glasses of wine (10 bottles) and 24 spirit drinks (2 bottles). Soft drinks at 1 per guest per hour: 120. Ice: about 30 lb.
Tips
- If the party has a toast, add a glass of sparkling wine per guest on top.
- Buy a little extra of what keeps: unopened wine, spirits and canned drinks can be kept or returned.
- Drive safely: this tool plans quantities, not safe limits.