Bar & Beverage Calculator
How much booze do you actually need? Enter your numbers and we'll do the maths.
Your Event
Drinking profile
Standard evening celebration.
Drink mix (%)
Total: 100% (auto-normalised)
Your Shopping List
total drinks (≈ 6.0 per guest)
Based on SA event-industry averages. Always round up 10–15% for a buffer. Serving liquor at a public event usually needs a temporary liquor licence — our bar team handles this.
Sorted the bar? Keep planning.
Estimates are for planning purposes only. Contact B&W Productions for full bar & beverage management.
How to Work Out Drinks for an Event
Running dry at 9pm is every host's nightmare — and over-ordering ties up cash in stock you'll return or waste. This calculator uses the drinks-per-guest-per-hour model that professional bar teams in South Africa use, then splits your total across beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks and converts it into cases and bottles you can actually order.
Standard Consumption Guide (South Africa)
| Crowd | First Hour | Each Hour After |
|---|---|---|
| Light (daytime / corporate) | 1 drink | 0.5 drink |
| Moderate (evening celebration) | 2 drinks | 1 drink |
| Heavy (party / open bar) | 2 drinks | 1.5 drinks |
Conversions used: beer/cider per bottle or can (24 per case), 5 glasses per 750ml wine bottle, ~17 tots per 750ml spirit bottle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much alcohol do I need for 100 guests?
For 100 guests at a 5-hour evening event with moderate drinking, budget around 600 drinks total — roughly 11 cases of beer, 30 bottles of wine, 4 bottles of spirits and plenty of soft drinks and water. Always round up 10–15% as a buffer.
How many drinks per person per hour?
The industry rule of thumb is 2 drinks in the first hour and 1 drink per hour after that for a moderate crowd. A lighter daytime or corporate crowd is closer to 1 then 0.5; a heavy party crowd can hit 1.5 per hour after the first.
How many bartenders do I need?
Plan roughly one bartender per 75 guests for a standard bar, or one per 50 guests for a busy cocktail bar with mixed drinks. Fewer bartenders means longer queues and lower spend at cash bars.
How much ice do I need for an event?
Budget about 0.75–1 kg of ice per guest for a full evening — more in summer or for spirit-heavy bars. That covers both chilling stock and ice in glasses.
Do I need a liquor licence to serve alcohol at my event?
In South Africa, serving or selling liquor at a public or ticketed event generally requires a temporary/occasional liquor licence from the relevant provincial authority. A private function on private property has different rules. Our bar team arranges the correct licensing as part of full bar service.