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EVENT ALCOHOL CALCULATOR

STEP 1: Calculate the total number of alcoholic drinks for the whole night. You can expect approximately 1 drink to be consumed per guest per hour the bar is open.

[ Number of guests x number of hours bar will be open = total drinks ] Example: There will be 200 guests in attendance at the event and the bar will be open for 6 hours 200 guests x 6 hours = 1,200 drinks

STEP 2: Calculate the total number of liquor, and wine drinks. Below is a breakdown of consumption if liquor is available.

40% liquor 30% wine 30% beer

OR

50% wine 50% beer

[ Total number of drinks x percentage of use = specific alcohol total ] Example: 1,200 drinks x .40 = 480 liquor drinks 1,200 drinks x .30 = 360 of wine 1,200 drinks x .30 = 360 glasses of beer

1 STEP 3: Calculate the total oz for liquor, beer and wine drinks. Below is a breakdown of the average pour sizes for each alcoholic drink. Before you calculate confirm the size of the glassware you are renting or cups you are purchasing. It is recommended to use smaller cups because it will cut down on waste (i.e. 5 oz cup for wine vs. 12 oz cup)

Liquor = 1.5 oz (plus mixer) Wine = 5 oz Beer = 12 oz Champagne = 4 oz for toasting size - 6 oz for standard

[ Specific alcohol total x pour size = number of oz of alcohol ] Example: 480 liquor drinks x 1.5 oz = 720 oz of liquor 360 wine glasses x 5 oz = 1,800 oz of wine 360 glasses of beer x 12 oz = 4,320 oz of beer

STEP 4: Make your alcohol shopping list. Now that we know the total of alcohol we need we can make a list of what to shop for.

LIQUOR Common liquors to carry at a wedding are vodka, gin, whiskey and rum. Other options are tequila, bourbon, scotch. Vodka is by far the most popular to I would recommend purchasing more vodka than anything else.

1 = 128 oz 1 liter = 33.8 oz ⅕ gallon = 25 oz 1 liter = 33.8 oz 1 milliliter = .0338 oz

[ Total oz of liquor needed / total oz per = how many are needed ] Example: For this example below we will only be using vodka, gin, whiskey and rum. We will also being use ⅕ . 720 oz of liquor / 25 oz bottle = 28.8 bottles (we will round up to 30) 30 bottles / 4 liquor options = 7.5 bottles of each liquor. 2 Since we are only using 4 liquors and vodka is the most popular I am going to adjust the numbers slightly. I am going to purchase the below amounts

⅕ gallons: 9 bottles of vodka 7 bottles of gin 7 bottles of whiskey 7 bottles of rum

I technically have more alcohol on that list then my calculations come out to but we would rather overestimate than under.

If you are planning to purchase any vermouth, schnapps or other specialty mixers there is not a formula for this but I would recommend 2-3 bottles of each and returning what you don’t use.

WINE Commonly at weddings there is 1 red option and 1-2 white options (1 dry and 1 sweet)

1 half (375 ml) = 12.7 oz 1 standard wine bottle (750 ml) = 25.4 oz 1 large wine bottle (1.5 l) = 50.7 oz

[ Total oz of wine needed / total oz per bottle = how many bottles are needed ]

Example: For this example below we will be using 1 red, 1 sweet white and 1 dry white. We will also being using standard wine bottles (25.4 oz). 1,800 oz of wine / 25.4 oz bottle = 70.8 bottles (we will round up to 71) 71 bottles / 3 wine options = 23.7 bottles of each wine (we will round up to 24).

750 ml bottles: 24 bottles of red (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec) 24 bottles of sweet white (Riesling, Moscato) 24 bottles of dry white (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc)

I technically have more alcohol on that list then my calculations come out to but we would rather overestimate than under.

3 If you are trying to estimate a champagne toast, the standard pour of a toast is 4 oz. So use the calculation below.

[ Number of guests x 4 oz (or whatever pour size you want) = total oz of champagne ] Example: 200 guests x 4 oz = 800 oz of champagne.

Champagne bottles vary in size, but for this example we are using a 750 ml bottle (25.4 oz) [ Total oz needed / bottle size in oz = number of bottles needed ] Example: 800 oz / 25.4 oz = 31.5 oz (we will round up to 32) 32 bottles will be needed for the champagne toast.

BEER It is standard to host 1 domestic and 1-2 craft at weddings.

1 standard beer can or bottle = 12 oz 1 quarter keg (pony keg) = 996 oz 1 half barrel keg (full size keg) = 1,980 oz

[ Total oz of beer needed / total oz per can, bottle or keg = how much is needed ] Example: For this example below we will be using 1 domestic and 1 craft beer. We will also being using half barrel kegs (aka full size kegs). 4,320 oz of beer/ 1,980 oz per keg = 2.2 kegs (we will round down to 2)

If you’re worried that 2 full sized kegs won't be enough you can add on 1 pony keg or a few packs of cans or bottles so you don’t have to purchase another full size keg. Since we are only using 2 beer options I am going to get 1 keg of each. Half /full size kegs: 1 keg of domestic (Bud Light, Budweiser, Miller Lite, Labatt) 1 keg of craft (wheat ale, IPA, stout)

4 STEP 5: Mixers, Garnishes, Cups & Extras Now that you have your alcohol shopping list, it's time to focus on getting all the extras.

MIXERS Mixers can be tricky and dependent on how heavy of drinkers your guests are. If your guests are heavy liquor drinkers, then you will need more mixers. If your guests heavy wine and beer drinkers then you will need less mixers, or if your crowd aren't heavy drinkers at all then you will need more mixers and non-alcoholic options. The good news is mixers are generally inexpensive so it doesn’t hurt to overestimate on this one.

Generally you can expect 1 (12 oz) can per guest or 1 liter (33.8 oz) per every 3 guests to be consumed throughout the whole event.

Example: For this example below we will be using 12 oz cans with 4 different mixer options (sprite, coke, diet coke and tonic water). 200 guests x 1 (12 oz) can per guest = 200 cans 200 cans / 4 options = 50 cans per option

Since the cans come in 12 and 24 packs, I am going to round up and do more than 50 cans per mixer because they are inexpensive. 12 pack of 12 oz cans: 5 packs of coke 5 packs of diet coke 5 packs of sprite 5 packs of tonic

GARNISHES Garnishes are items like lemons, limes, oranges, cherries, salt, olives, etc. and are less popular than most people think. The good news is they are also mostly inexpensive so if you purchase more than you use it isn’t a huge loss. Below is a chart of how many oz of EACH garnish you could have sliced & prepared based on guest counts.

1-25 guests = 8 oz 26-50 guests = 12 oz container 51-100 guests = 16 oz container 101-150 guests = 20 oz container 151-200 guests = 24 oz container 201-300 guests = 28 oz container 300+ guests = 32 oz container 5 CUPS For calculating how many cups you need just look at the total number of beverages you’re expecting to be served and that is your number. I recommend using 5 oz cups for wine and mixed drinks and 12 oz cups for beer. Make sure you save your receipt if you purchase plastic cups so you can return any unopened packages afterwards.

If you’re renting real glassware then see if there is a place you can wash the glasses throughout the night and if there is staff to do so. If there is then you can rent about ½ or ⅓ the amount of the beverages being served Example: 1,200 beverages served x .30 = 360 glasses

ICE Ice can be extremely tricky and depends on a lot of factors. For mixed drinks I would plan for 1 cup of ice per beverage.

5 lb of ice = about 10 cups 10 lb bag of ice = about 20 cups 20 lb bag of ice = 40 cups

Example: 480 drinks = 480 cups 480 cups / 40 cups = 12 (20 lb) of ice

You will need to ice down your wine bottles and beer so look at how many bins you have and the sizes and estimate accordingly. Ice is one of those items that is doesn’t hurt to add more on if you have the space to keep it cold.

EXTRAS Extra items you may not want to forget is:

Water (expect guests to consume 2 (16.9oz) bottles each) Wine keys (2-3) Bottle openers (2-3) Shot measuring tool (2-3) Beverage tubs to cool wine & beer Ice tubs Ice scoops Keg cooler(s) Keg tap(s)

6 Bar Bar back(s) (tables for the back of the bar to rest things on) & linens Cutting board & knife if you didn’t already pre slice the garnishes Straws Cocktail napkins Small towels to clean up messes (they WILL happen!) Trash bags & Bar menu (so your guests don’t have to ask the bartenders for the options 100 times) Tooth picks for garnishes

TIPS: 1. The more alcohol offerings the more you will have to purchase. If you are trying to keep your costs down I recommend limiting the number of offerings you have.

2. Consider what part of the world you are in and what beverages tend to be more popular in that area (i.e. Bourbon is more popular in the Southeast U.S., beer is more popular in the Midwest U.S., Tequila is more popular in Mexico, wine is more popular in Italy). Don’t be afraid to adjust your percentages based on where your event is being held.

3. Try to purchase from a supplier or store that will buy back any leftover alcohol.

4. Appoint someone that can run out and purchase extra alcohol if you happen to run out. As closely as we try to estimate you can’t alway guess what mood people are going to be in and who may or may not be drinking.

5. If you have a signature cocktail or 2, that will be more popular than anything so make sure you have plenty of supplies (liquor, mixer, ice, garnish, etc.).

6. If you are doing a champagne toast make sure you communicate the pour size to your bartenders or whoever will be pouring them. (i.e. tell them you are doing a 4 oz pour so they don’t pour 6 oz per glass and run out of champagne).

7. Ask for a second opinion! Though is guide is meant to help you estimate your alcohol costs there are so many factors (location, time of year, culture, day of the week, etc.) that could change the totals, so it doesn’t hurt to ask your venue, bartending service, caterer, or wedding coordinator/planner to look over your shopping list and throw in an extra input.

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