Enter your guest count, event duration and drink mix. We will show you exactly how many bottles of beer, wine and spirits to buy — instantly, no email, no signup, no newsletter. Built by a California mobile bar team that has staffed 300+ weddings.
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Pours: beer 12 oz, wine 5 oz (5 glasses/bottle), spirits 1.5 oz (17 drinks/bottle). Retail estimate uses $12/case beer, $12/wine bottle, $25/spirits bottle — adjust up for premium brands. Add 10% cushion for signature cocktails or outdoor-summer events.
Nothing proprietary — just honest math from staffing hundreds of weddings and private events.
Total drinks = guests × hours × 1.5 drinks per hour × (1 - non-drinkers%). The 1.5-drinks-per-hour figure is the industry average for a 4-hour wedding reception. The first hour (cocktail hour) actually runs closer to 2 drinks per guest; the last hour tapers to about 1. The average lands within 10% of real consumption at the vast majority of events.
Beer — 12 oz per bottle. One drink equals one bottle. Multiply total drinks by the beer % to get bottles.
Wine — 5 oz per pour, which is 5 glasses per 750 ml bottle. Multiply total drinks by the wine % and divide by 5.
Spirits — 1.5 oz per pour. A 750 ml bottle is 25.4 oz, which is roughly 17 drinks. Multiply total drinks by the spirits % and divide by 17.
Mixers — roughly 4 oz of mixer per spirits drink. We convert spirits drinks to total mixer liters as a rough starting point. Split your mixer budget evenly between soda water, tonic, cola, ginger ale and juices (orange, cranberry, lime).
The 40/35/25 split works for a standard wedding. These are the common variations we see in Southern California:
Summer outdoor wedding — shift beer up to 50%, wine down to 30%, spirits to 20%. Heat drives everyone toward beer and seltzer. Add 10% cushion overall; dehydration speeds consumption.
Winter indoor wedding — spirits climbs to 35%, wine 40%, beer 25%. Cocktail hour pulls heavily toward negronis, old fashioneds and espresso martinis in December.
Signature cocktail event — if you want a batched signature drink, assume the first hour runs 80% of guests on the signature, which pulls spirits usage up 30-40% in hour one. The calculator estimates average consumption; add bottles of the signature spirit on top.
Latino wedding or quinceañera — shift spirits up to 40%, mostly tequila. Palomas, margaritas and shots of mezcal pull hard on tequila stock. See our bilingual Latino wedding cocktail menu guide.
Four things you still have to plan for separately:
All four are included in every La Barra Co. package starting at $795. Or if you only need a professional at the bar and will handle the alcohol run yourself, our mobile bar service in Los Angeles covers the entire county.
Industry standard is 1.5 drinks per guest per hour for a 4-hour reception. The first hour (cocktail hour) runs closer to 2 drinks per guest; the last hour tapers to about 1. The calculator uses 1.5 as the average, which lands within 10% of actual consumption at the 95% of weddings we have staffed.
Add a 10% cushion if your guest list skews younger (under 35), the event is outdoors in summer, or you expect a signature cocktail that will pull orders toward one spirit. Most California retailers (Costco, BevMo, Total Wine) accept returns on unopened bottles with a receipt, so overbuying 10% is low-risk.
Costco for case-of-12 wine and the Kirkland spirits line (genuinely great value). BevMo for the broadest spirits selection and clubcard discounts. Trader Joe's for everyday wine under $15. Total Wine for champagne and sparkling. All four accept returns on unopened bottles with a receipt within 30 days.
The calculator is free, no email required, use it as many times as you want. If you want someone to run the bar at your wedding, we are available for events across LA, OC, SD, Ventura and Riverside counties starting at $795. See our pricing page for packages.
Yes. Use the non-drinkers slider to adjust downward for the share of your guest list that will not drink alcohol — pregnant guests, friends in recovery, under-21 guests at a quinceañera or birthday, and designated drivers. Typical wedding figure is 10-15%.
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