How Many Drinks for a Party? Amounts for 20, 30, 40 and 50 Guests

Quick answer: drinks for 20, 30, 40 and 50 guests

20 guests (15 drinking alcohol): 27 beers, 5 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of spirits for 12 cocktails, 23 soft drinks, 20 L of water and 7 kg of ice.

30 guests (22 drinking alcohol): 39 beers, 6 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of spirits for 17 cocktails, 35 soft drinks, 30 L of water and 11 kg of ice.

40 guests (30 drinking alcohol): 53 beers, 9 bottles of wine, 2 bottles of spirits for 24 cocktails, 46 soft drinks, 40 L of water and 14 kg of ice.

50 guests (37 drinking alcohol): 65 beers, 11 bottles of wine, 2 bottles of spirits for 29 cocktails, 58 soft drinks, 50 L of water and 18 kg of ice.

Assumptions: a 4-hour party, a mixed crowd (45% beer, 35% wine, 20% cocktails) and about a quarter of guests not drinking alcohol. A 10% buffer is already included. Beer means 330 ml bottles, a wine bottle pours 5 glasses of 150 ml, and a cocktail uses 40 ml of spirits.

The rule behind the numbers

Per guest who drinks alcohol, plan 1.25 drinks in the first hour, 0.75 per hour in hours two to five, and 0.35 per hour after that. People drink most at the start and then slow down, so don't multiply one per-hour figure by the length of the party. A 4-hour party comes to 3.5 alcoholic drinks per drinking guest, plus a 10% buffer.

A drink is one serving: a 330 ml beer, a 150 ml glass of wine or a cocktail with 40 ml of spirits. Split the alcoholic drinks by your crowd — mixed: 45% beer, 35% wine, 20% cocktails; beer crowd: 65/20/15; wine crowd: 20/65/15.

Example: 15 guests, 4 hours, everyone drinks. 15 × 3.5 × 1.1 ≈ 58 alcoholic drinks, rounded up per type to 27 beers, 21 glasses of wine (5 bottles) and 12 cocktails.

Soft drinks and water

Every guest gets half a soft drink as a baseline. Guests who don't drink alcohol get a full alternative on top: 0.7 drinks plus 0.35 per hour. Add the same 10% buffer — for a 4-hour party that is about 3 soft drinks per non-drinker.

Water: 0.5 L per guest, plus 0.125 L per hour for the first six hours and 0.075 L per hour after that. A 4-hour party needs 1 L of water per guest.

Ice, spirits and mixers

Ice: 0.35 kg per guest, or 0.45 kg if cocktails make up more than a quarter of the alcoholic drinks. 20 guests need about 7 kg.

Spirits: a 0.7 L bottle covers about 17 cocktails of 40 ml. Mixers: plan 160 ml of cola, tonic or juice per cocktail — 12 cocktails need 2 L.

Practical examples

Summer BBQ, 20 guests (4 not drinking), 5 hours, beer crowd: 49 beers, 15 glasses of wine (3 bottles), 12 cocktails (1 bottle of spirits), 22 soft drinks, 23 L of water, 7 kg of ice.

Birthday dinner, 12 guests (2 not drinking), 3 hours, wine crowd: 7 beers, 21 glasses of wine (5 bottles), 5 cocktails (1 bottle of spirits), 11 soft drinks, 11 L of water, 5 kg of ice.

Office party, 30 guests (6 not drinking), 4 hours, mixed: 42 beers, 33 glasses of wine (7 bottles), 19 cocktails (2 bottles of spirits), 31 soft drinks, 30 L of water, 11 kg of ice.

What to adjust yourself

Heat: on a hot day guests drink noticeably more water and soft drinks — stock extra of those, not more alcohol.

Children: count their drinks separately — mostly juice and water, no alcohol math.

Designated drivers and non-drinkers: offer more than water. Alcohol-free beer, mocktails and sparkling water with fruit make them feel included.

Leftovers: the buffer is already in the numbers. Unopened bottles keep, and in many countries they can be returned.