How many cocktails per guest should you plan for?
By Samantha · Silverwood Station · Updated June 2026 · 5 min read
Plan for roughly one drink per guest per hour, with a little extra in the first hour when everyone arrives thirsty. For a typical event that lands at about two drinks each in the opening hour and one an hour after. A four-hour party of 50 guests works out to roughly 250 drinks across everything on offer.
The safe planning number is one drink per guest per hour. Round up, never down. Running out is the only real mistake, and with BYO most unopened stock goes back to the bottle shop.
How many drinks per guest per hour?
The industry rule of thumb is one standard drink per guest per hour. People drink faster early on, so a good refinement is to count two for the first hour and one for each hour after. That covers the arrival rush without over-catering the back half of the night, when eating and dancing slow the pace.
How do you work out the total?
Multiply your guest count by the number of hours, then add one extra round for the busy first hour. In practice that is guests multiplied by hours plus one. Here is the quick version for common event sizes and lengths.
| Guests | 3 hours | 4 hours | 5 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | ~80 drinks | ~100 drinks | ~120 drinks |
| 50 | ~200 drinks | ~250 drinks | ~300 drinks |
| 80 | ~320 drinks | ~400 drinks | ~480 drinks |
| 120 | ~480 drinks | ~600 drinks | ~720 drinks |
These are total drinks across cocktails, wine, beer and non-alcoholic. They are a planning guide, not a strict limit, so adjust up for a big-drinking crowd or a hot day.
How many of those should be cocktails?
At a cocktail-led event, plan for about half to two thirds of each guest's drinks to be cocktails, with the rest split between wine, beer and non-alcoholic. Our packages come with a menu of three to four signature cocktails, which is the sweet spot: enough choice to feel special, few enough to pour quickly so the queue keeps moving. We help you pick the mix based on your crowd. For a showpiece moment on top of the bar, a champagne tower adds theatre to the toast.
Does BYO change how much you buy?
It changes the strategy, not the numbers. Because most bottle shops let you return unopened stock, the smart move with BYO is to over-order slightly and take back whatever you do not use. That way you never run dry and you never pay for guesswork. For the full picture on supplying your own drinks, see our guide to BYO vs a fully stocked bar.
What about non-drinkers, drivers and kids?
Count them in, then plan for roughly a quarter of all drinks to be non-alcoholic. We pour mocktails, soft drinks and coffee alongside the bar, so designated drivers and anyone pacing themselves are looked after. If you have children at the event, add a few extra soft options on top.
How we help you plan
You do not have to nail this alone. When you book, we build a tailored quantity guide from your guest count, your event length and the drinks you want to serve, so you order the right amount and nothing goes to waste. Tell us the shape of your event and we will do the maths with you.