It's often difficult to know how much to buy for a party or other social event, but we are here to help! For larger cocktail parties, most people drink 2 drinks in the first hour, then about one drink per hour, tapering off to more like 1 every 2 hours if it's a long party (5-6+ hours). For smaller dinner parties, you should be prepared to have at least 1 bottle allocated per person attending.

To determine the mix you need, it is most important to keep in mind that each party is unique. For optimal results, you should consult with The Wine Guy. Give him the details of your event and let him make recomendations accordingly.

The calculator below will give you the most general numbers you need to plan your purchases, with the margin of safety built in, and should only be used as a starting point when planning for any size occassion:

 

How many guests will you be having?
About how many are non drinkers?
How long is the event (hours)?
Will you be offering mixed drinks?	Yes No
If yes...
What percentage of people will ONLY be drinking hard liquor? (if you have no idea, figure about a third, more for an older crowd).	%
Are you offering both beer and wine?	Yes No
If yes...
What do you think will be the split between beer and wine? (if you have no idea, assume 50/50. Skew toward beer for guys and twenty-somethings.)	Beer/Wine 20/80 30/70 40/60 50/50 60/40 70/30 80/20
What do you think will be the split between red and white wine? (if you have no idea, assume 50/50. If it's summertime, skew towards whites, a good guess is 60-65%.)	Red/White 20/80 30/70 40/60 50/50 60/40 70/30 80/20

Results

Soda and seltzer:	750 ml bottles
Beer:	cases (remember, if you offer more than one choice of beer, buy a little extra. Not every beer drinker likes PBR!)
If no champagne for bar:
White wine:	750 ml bottles (remember, if you offer more than one white, buy about 20% extra!)
Red wine:	750 ml bottles (remember, if you offer more than one red, buy about 20%extra!)
Champagne for toast only:	750 ml bottles
If champagne is served at the bar (assumes 1/3 of white wine drinkers will drink champagne)
White wine:	750 ml bottles
Champagne:	750 ml bottles
Red wine:	750 ml bottles