Throwing a Party? Here's How Much Wine, Beer & Liquor You Actually Need
Throwing a party and staring at a wine shelf wondering how much is enough? Buy too little and you're making a beer run mid-toast. Buy too much and, well, that's less of a problem, but it's still money sitting on the counter. Here's the simple math the pros use, a cheat sheet by guest count, and a free tool that builds the exact shopping list for you.
The One Rule That Covers 90% of It
Plan for one drink per guest, per hour, with a little extra for the first hour, when everyone arrives thirsty at once. That's the whole formula: guests × (hours + 1) gives you the total drinks to plan for. A four-hour party for 20 people works out to about 100 drinks. From there it's just a question of how you split that between wine, beer, and spirits.
Want us to do the math and build your shopping list? Tell us your guest count and party length and we'll hand you exact bottle counts, ready to order.
Use the Party Planner →How We Split It
Our default is 40% wine, 40% beer, 20% spirits, a safe mix for a general crowd. Leaning wine-heavy? Slide it toward wine. Cocktail party? Push the spirits up. One 750ml bottle of wine pours 5 glasses; one 750ml bottle of spirits makes about 16 cocktails at 1.5oz a pour. Beer is one-to-one, so just count heads.
The Quick Cheat Sheet
Here's what that formula looks like in practice, assuming a 4-hour party at the 40/40/20 split above:
| Guests | Total drinks | Wine (750ml) | Beer (cans) | Spirits (750ml) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 50 | 4 | 20 | 1 |
| 20 | 100 | 8 | 40 | 2 |
| 30 | 150 | 12 | 60 | 2 |
| 50 | 250 | 20 | 100 | 4 |
| 100 | 500 | 40 | 200 | 7 |
A Few Things People Forget
- Ice, mixers, and non-alcoholic options. Always more than you think. Grab extra soda, tonic, and a couple of good zero-proof bottles for the drivers and non-drinkers.
- Round up, not down. Unopened bottles keep. Running out mid-party doesn't fix itself.
- Toasting? Add one bottle of sparkling per six guests for a proper cheers.
We'll Bring It to You
Once you've got your numbers, use the Party Planner to turn them into an exact, editable shopping list from our live inventory, or just shop the whole list yourself at our shelf prices, not the marked-up delivery-app versions. Free local delivery within 10km on orders over $150, shipping anywhere in BC. Planning something big? Come see us at 2752 West Broadway and we'll build the order with you in person.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much wine do I need for a party?
Plan on about 2 glasses per guest for the first hour, then 1 per hour after that. One 750ml bottle pours 5 glasses. For 20 guests over 4 hours at a 40% wine mix, that works out to about 8 bottles.
How many bottles of wine per person?
Roughly half a bottle per person for a dinner-length event, more for a longer party. The exact number depends on how many hours you're pouring and how much of your bar is wine versus beer and spirits.
How much liquor do I need for 50 guests?
About 4 bottles of spirits, plus mixers, if spirits make up around 20% of the drinks alongside wine and beer over a typical 4-hour party.
How do I calculate alcohol for a wedding?
Multiply guests by hours plus one, then split the total across wine, beer, and spirits based on your crowd. Our free Party Planner does this automatically and builds the shopping list for you.
