Introducing our custom Alcohol Calculator built by us, Kitsap Bartending Services. Drawing from a decade of hands-on experience in the Event & Wedding Bar Service industry, we’ve crafted a comprehensive tool to assist you in planning alcohol quantities for your big event.
While there are numerous Alcohol Calculators available online, many are generic. What distinguishes our calculator is its consideration of additional factors like Temperature, Type of Drinkers, Date, and Region. Moreover, unlike most calculators that merely specify the amount of beer or wine to purchase, ours goes a step further. It provides tailored recommendations for beer and wine varieties based on the event conditions; for instance, lighter-bodied options for warmer days and richer choices for cooler weather.
Our percentage scale defaults to the “Industry Standard,” but you have the flexibility to fine-tune Beer, Wine, or Cocktail ratios to suit your guests’ preferences. If your crowd leans towards beer and cocktails over wine, simply adjust the quantities up or down accordingly.
USEFUL TIPS BEFORE CALCULATING
Limited Cocktail Service Time
We know that some venues only allow cocktail service for a limited time (i.e. first 2-hours can be cocktails, beer, and wine, then beer and wine only for the remainder of the event) OR occasionally hosts prefer to only have cocktails for a limited time. Whether it is by venue rule or self-imposed, you will need to adjust your calculating a bit.
In this example, if your venue only allows for 2-hours of liquor/cocktails but the event is 5-hours total, calculate 2-hours for beer, wine, and cocktails then note the totals. Then calculate for 3-hours with beer and wine only. Then combine the two amounts.
Keep in mind, the first 2-hours will be a much larger percent of cocktails, so instead of the defaulted 50%, raise it to 60-70%. Also, the majority of drinking is in the first 2-hours (regardless of what is served), so when calculating the remaining 3-hours, calculate more conservatively with amounts on “Type of Drinkers” than you would with the first 2-hours.
Signature Cocktails + Mixers
The calculator will give you a total amount needed for cocktails, according to your event details. If you are offering signature cocktails, this will be the total needed – so divide by 2 (or how many signature cocktails you are offering). If using our Signature Cocktail Guide HERE you can then determine how much of each mixer to get, OR if offering basic cocktail, a general rule-of-thumb is 1:2 on mixer – so if it says you need 6 750ml bottles of liquor, you will need 12 750ml bottles (or equivalent) of mixers. Of course, if you are offering a full bar (see our Pros vs. Cons of that HERE), you will need more to cover the variety on top of amounts.
We hope this calculator helps guide you in the right direction so you can spend your money wisely.