Plan on about one drink per guest per hour, with a little extra in the first hour, so a 4-hour party needs roughly 5 drinks per guest. A 750 ml bottle of wine pours about 5 glasses, a 750 ml bottle of spirits makes about 16 cocktails, a 1.75 L bottle about 39, and a case of beer is 24. For 50 guests over 4 hours, that works out to roughly 4 to 5 cases of beer, 20 bottles of wine, and 3 to 4 bottles of spirits with mixers.
Every week someone walks into one of our stores with a guest list, a date, and a look of mild panic. Good news: the math is easy, and we've done it for enough backyard birthdays, rehearsal dinners, and full-on weddings to know where it goes wrong. Here's the simple version, plus a table you can screenshot.
The One Rule to Remember
Plan on one drink per guest per hour, and budget a bit more (call it two) for the first hour, when everyone arrives thirsty and nobody's eating yet. For a typical 4-hour party, that's about 5 drinks per guest. Nobody drinks exactly that, but across a crowd it averages out surprisingly well.
Then adjust for who's coming. A 4-hour wedding reception with a twenty-something crowd and a dance floor can run higher; a family lunch with a lot of kids and grandparents runs lower. If half your guest list doesn't drink, count them out and add a great non-alcoholic option. And always round up. Running out is a story people tell; leftovers are next weekend's party.
How Many Drinks Are in a Bottle?
| Bottle | Serving | Drinks per bottle |
|---|---|---|
| 750 ml wine | 5 oz glass | about 5 |
| 750 ml sparkling wine | 4 oz toast pour | about 6 |
| 750 ml spirits | 1.5 oz cocktail | about 16 |
| 1 L spirits | 1.5 oz cocktail | about 22 |
| 1.75 L spirits | 1.5 oz cocktail | about 39 |
| Case of beer or seltzer | 12 oz can | 24 |
Wine also comes 12 bottles to a case, which is 60 glasses. Spirits in 1.75 L bottles are the most economical way to buy for a crowd, but 750s are easier to spread across a bar.
The Party Calculator: 4 Hours, Beer/Wine/Spirits Bar
This assumes a full bar where guests split roughly 40% beer, 40% wine, and 20% cocktails, at 5 drinks per guest. Shift the columns to match your crowd; a beer-and-wine-only party just moves the spirits share into the other two.
| Guests | Total drinks | Beer (cases) | Wine (750 ml) | Spirits (750 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 125 | 2–3 | 10 | 2 |
| 50 | 250 | 4–5 | 20 | 3–4 |
| 100 | 500 | 8–9 | 40 | 6–7 |
| 150 | 750 | 12–13 | 60 | 9–10 |
For wine, lean toward white and sparkling in warm months and red in winter. For spirits, four bottles usually means vodka, tequila, bourbon, and gin; two bottles means vodka and tequila (this is Austin). Our classic cocktails guide and ranch water guide can help you pick a signature drink instead of stocking a full bar.
Mixers, Ice, and the Stuff People Forget
- Mixers: figure about 3 parts mixer to 1 part spirit by volume, so roughly 2 liters of mixer for every 750 ml bottle of spirits. Topo Chico, club soda, tonic, and a citrus soda cover almost everything.
- Ice: about 1 pound per guest for a 4-hour party, and closer to 2 pounds if it's outdoors in a Texas summer or you're chilling bottles in tubs. A 20-pound bag serves about 15 to 20 people.
- Citrus: one lime or lemon per 4 cocktails. Cut them right before the party.
- Non-alcoholic: at least one interesting option (sparkling water with fruit, a mocktail base) at roughly one drink per hour for guests who aren't drinking, plus water for everyone.
- Cups and glassware: plan 2 to 3 per guest, because people set them down and forget.
Shop this guide: build your whole order online, from cases of beer to the toast bubbles, and pick it up curbside or have it delivered.
SHOP FOR YOUR EVENTWedding-Specific Tips
- Count the toast separately. One 750 ml bottle of sparkling wine pours about 6 toast-sized glasses, so figure one bottle per 6 guests for the toast, on top of the table above.
- Cocktail hour drinks faster. Plan 2 drinks per guest for that first hour even if the reception is mostly beer and wine afterward.
- Signature cocktails simplify everything. Two signature drinks (say, a ranch water and an Old Fashioned) plus beer and wine keep guests happy and cut your spirits list from six bottles to two kinds.
- Check the venue's rules first. Many Texas venues that let you bring your own alcohol require a TABC-certified bartender to serve it and don't allow self-service. Ask before you buy.
- Buy a week ahead. Special orders and big case quantities take a few days to arrive, and you don't want to be doing this the Thursday before.
Special Orders and Case Pricing
Both our East Austin and Lakeway stores handle event orders all the time. Bring us your guest count and we'll help you build the list, suggest wines that work by the case, and place special orders for anything we don't have on the shelf. Ask about case pricing on wine, beer, and spirits when you're buying in quantity. For big orders, delivery to your venue or home is often the easiest route; details are on our delivery page. Call (512) 614-4949 or stop by either store Monday through Saturday, 10am to 9pm (we're closed Sunday, per Texas law, so plan Saturday pickups accordingly). More logistics answers live in our FAQ.
Party Alcohol FAQ
How much alcohol do I need for 100 guests?
For a 4-hour party with a full bar, plan on about 500 drinks: roughly 8 to 9 cases of beer, 40 bottles of wine (about 3 1/2 cases), and 6 to 7 bottles of spirits with about 2 liters of mixer per bottle, plus about 100 pounds of ice.
How many bottles of wine for 50 people?
If wine is about 40% of what's poured over 4 hours, about 20 bottles. If it's a wine-only event, plan closer to 40 to 50 bottles (about 4 cases), split between white, red, and sparkling to suit the season.
How much ice do I need for a party?
About 1 pound per guest for a 4-hour indoor party, and up to 2 pounds per guest outdoors in warm weather or if you're icing bottles in tubs. A 20-pound bag covers roughly 15 to 20 guests.