Cocktail Calculator
Turn your guest list into a practical bar order: bottles, mixers, ice, garnishes, cups, straws and napkins—rounded to quantities you can actually buy.
Plan your cocktail service
Pick a drink, enter two numbers, and your shopping list updates instantly.
2. Set your numbers
Everyone attending
Your planned service limit
Advanced settings
Adjust drinker percentage, buffer, costs and product pack sizes.
Percentage of total guests
Covers spills and demand variation
Optional estimate, excluding labour
Supply pack sizes
Purchasing estimate only—not drinking advice. Provide free water and alcohol-free choices, check ages, and follow licensing and weights-and-measures requirements.
How the cocktail calculator works
The calculator first determines cocktail-drinking guests, multiplies by your planned serves, then applies the selected buffer. Recipe ingredients are scaled from that final serve count and rounded up to full bottles or containers.
Count drinkers
Total guests × cocktail-drinking percentage.
Plan serves
Drinkers × cocktails allocated per person.
Add buffer
Extra stock for spills and changing demand.
Round to bottles
Every ingredient becomes a purchasable quantity.
Methodology and sources
Recipes based on recognised specifications
The six presets use International Bartenders Association specifications. Where an official recipe says “splash”, “top” or a spoon measurement, the calculator declares the planning conversion used so purchasing totals remain reproducible.
Methodology last reviewed: .
UK measures and alcohol units
Alcohol units per serve are estimated as ingredient millilitres × ABV ÷ 1,000. Actual strength depends on the brands used.
Gin, rum, vodka and whisky sold by the glass are subject to specified UK measures. Licensed operators should confirm how the rules apply to their recipes and service.
Read official UK guidanceAdd this calculator to your website
Wedding venues, event planners, hospitality educators and party guides can embed this tool free of charge. Help readers turn a guest count into bottles, mixers, ice and serving supplies with a working calculator embedded directly in your page. The attribution beneath it is appreciated and can be removed if editorial policy requires it.
Preview the embedded calculatorCiting the methodology?
Copy a ready-to-use source citation for an article, lesson or industry guide.
Cocktail calculator questions
How many cocktails should I plan per guest?
Enter the number your event intends to serve rather than relying on a universal rule. Consider event duration, food, non-drinkers, transport and your licensing responsibilities. The result is a purchasing estimate, not drinking advice.
How many 50 ml cocktails come from a 700 ml spirit bottle?
A 700 ml bottle provides fourteen 50 ml measures before spills or over-pouring. This calculator divides each recipe ingredient by its normal purchasable bottle size and rounds up automatically.
Does the cocktail calculator include a safety buffer?
Yes. Choose a buffer from 0% to 25%. It is added after the guest and servings calculation, then every ingredient, garnish and serving supply is recalculated.
How much ice do I need for a cocktail party?
Ice requirements vary by recipe and service method. This planner applies a recipe-specific allowance for shaking, chilling or serving over ice and rounds the result up to whole kilograms.
Can I use the totals to batch cocktails?
The ingredient totals are useful for purchasing and mise en place, but not every ingredient should be combined in advance. Add sparkling ingredients close to service and follow safe chilled-storage guidance for fresh juice, dairy, egg and coffee.
Are UK spirit measures always 25 ml?
UK rules specify 25 ml or 35 ml measures, and their multiples, for gin, rum, vodka and whisky sold by the glass. Cocktails and other circumstances can be treated differently, so licensed businesses should follow current official guidance and local licensing conditions.
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