Use Our Drinks Chart to Plan Soft Drinks and Alcohol for a Party

Party planning has a way of turning confident adults into people whispering math at a shopping cart like it’s a high-stakes exam.
“If 25 people come… and it’s four hours… and Chad always brings his own weird hard seltzer… do I need two bags of ice or all the ice?”
Breathe. You don’t need a degree in beverage economics. You need a simple drinks chart, a few realistic assumptions, and a plan that won’t leave you
(a) out of sparkling water at hour two, or (b) still storing 47 cans of soda until the next presidential inauguration.

This guide shows you how to estimate soft drinks, water, beer, wine, and spirits for a typical partyplus how to adjust for your crowd.
You’ll get a quick “copy/paste” drinks chart, example shopping lists, and the little details that keep guests happy (like ice… and not just the emotional kind).

The Fastest Way to Plan Drinks: 4 Questions

Before you buy anything, answer these:

• How many guests? (Use your “likely to show up” number, not the fantasy RSVP number.)
• How long is the party? (3 hours feels short until it isn’t.)
• What are you serving? Beer + wine only? Full bar? Mostly nonalcoholic?
• What’s the vibe? Backyard hang, dinner party, game day, holiday party, or “we hired a DJ and now anything can happen”?

For many casual gatherings, a beer + wine + strong nonalcoholic lineup is not only acceptableit’s often preferred.
It keeps your shopping list sane and your cleanup less dramatic.

Party “Drink Math” That Actually Works

Step 1: Estimate total alcoholic drinks

A widely used baseline is one alcoholic beverage per guest per hour for a typical mixed crowd.
It’s not perfect, but it’s practicaland it’s easy to adjust up or down depending on your people and your event.

Formula: Guests × Hours = Total Alcoholic Drinks (baseline)

Step 2: Convert “drinks” into bottles, cans, and mixers

Knowing standard serving sizes helps you convert party math into a shopping list:

• Beer: 12 oz is one standard serving.
• Wine: 5 oz is a typical glass; a 750 ml bottle usually pours about 5–6 glasses depending on how generous your pours get after you’re “just tasting it.”
• Spirits: A common pour is 1.5 oz per drink; a 750 ml bottle makes roughly 16 standard mixed drinks.

Step 3: Plan nonalcoholic drinks like they matter (because they do)

People drink nonalcoholic beverages faster than you thinkespecially if it’s warm, salty snacks are involved, or your friend is telling a story with hand gestures.
A practical approach is:

• Nonalcoholic servings: plan about 2 servings per guest in the first hour, then 1 per guest for each additional hour.

Formula: Guests × (2 + (Hours − 1)) = Total NA Servings

Our Drinks Chart: Quick Planning Tables

Use the chart that matches your party style, then tweak based on your crowd. The numbers below assume:
baseline drinking (about 1 alcoholic drink per guest per hour) and a mixed crowd.
If your group is lighter or heavier, adjust using the “How to Customize” section after the charts.

Chart A: Casual Party (Beer + Wine + Great Nonalcoholic Options)

This is the “I want everyone happy, not everyone hammered” setup. A common split is 60% beer / 40% wine,
but you can swap those percentages if your guests are more wine-forward or beer-forward.

What to buy (quick list): a few beer styles (include at least one “easy drinker”), 2–3 red wines, 2–3 white wines,
and a nonalcoholic lineup that doesn’t feel like punishment.

Chart B: Full Bar Party (Beer + Wine + Spirits/Cocktails)

If you’re offering a full bar, a classic planning ratio is 50% liquor / 25% beer / 25% wine.
It’s a balanced defaultespecially for parties where cocktails are the main event.

Mixers tip: If you’re serving mixed drinks, a practical estimate is roughly 1 quart of mixer per 3 guests
(split across soda, tonic, club soda, juices, etc.). That’s a starting pointyour actual needs depend on whether your crowd loves highballs, spritzes,
or cocktails that require more ingredients than a science fair project.

Nonalcoholic Drinks Chart (Works for Any Party)

These amounts assume nonalcoholic beverages are available to everyone (as they should be), and are based on:
2 NA servings per guest in the first hour + 1 per guest per additional hour.
One “serving” might be a can of soda, a bottle of water, or an 8–12 oz pour of iced tea/lemonade.

Make it feel thoughtful: Include still water and sparkling water, at least one caffeinated soda, one caffeine-free soda,
and one “fun” NA option (lemonade, iced tea, flavored seltzer, or a simple mocktail batch).

Don’t Forget Ice (The Party’s Quiet Hero)

Ice is the thing you only notice when it’s gonelike Wi-Fi or emotional stability.
A solid planning range is 1.5 to 2 pounds of ice per guest, especially if you’re chilling drinks and serving ice in cups.
If it’s hot outside or you’re doing lots of cocktails, lean high.

Pro move: keep serving ice (for cups) separate from chilling ice (for tubs/coolers). It’s cleaner and helps you avoid
the dreaded “mystery cooler water scoop.”

How to Customize the Chart for Your Crowd

If your guests are lighter drinkers

• Use 0.5–0.75 alcoholic drink per guest per hour.
• Increase NA options and fun mocktails (people still like having something in their hand).

If your guests are heavier drinkers (or it’s a big celebration)

• Use 1.25–1.5 drinks per guest per hour as a planning estimate.
• Prioritize water, electrolytes (sports drinks or coconut water), and a more serious food spread.
• Consider serving a limited bar (beer/wine + 1–2 signature cocktails) instead of “anything goes.”

If you’re serving a keg

Kegs can simplify things, but you’ll want the quick conversion:
a standard full-size keg (half-barrel) is roughly 165 12-oz beers. Smaller kegs scale down from there.
If that number sounds like a lot, that’s because it isa keg is basically a commitment.

Shopping List Examples (Realistic, Not Fantasy Hosting)

Example 1: 25 guests, 4 hours, casual beer + wine

• Beer: ~60 (mix of cans/bottles; include at least one lighter option)
• Wine: ~8 bottles total (ex: 5 white/rosé + 3 red)
• Nonalcoholic: ~125 servings (water + sparkling + soda + tea/lemonade)
• Ice: ~50 lbs

Example 2: 50 guests, 4 hours, full bar

• Beer: ~50
• Wine: ~10 bottles
• Spirits: ~7 bottles (pick 3–4 core types: vodka, tequila, bourbon/whiskey, gin; add rum if it fits your crowd)
• Mixers: roughly 1 quart per 3 guests total across mixers (club soda, tonic, cola, lemon-lime, juices)
• Nonalcoholic: ~250 servings (yes, really)
• Ice: ~100 lbs

Responsible Hosting Without Killing the Fun

If you’re serving alcohol, plan like a grown-up:

• Offer appealing NA drinks (not just “water… somewhere”).
• Serve food early and throughout the party.
• Have a ride plan: rideshare codes, a “designated driver” buddy system, or a clear “crash here” option.
• Know your local rules about serving alcohol to minors and checking IDs. (This is not the section to freestyle.)

of Real-World Drinks-Planning Experience

I’ve learned that drink planning is less about perfect math and more about understanding human behaviorespecially the kind that happens when people see a cooler.
Here are the real-life lessons that don’t show up on a receipt:

1) Ice disappears faster than confidence on karaoke night.
The first time you host, you’ll think, “Two bags is plenty.” Then you’ll watch guests build iced drinks like they’re constructing tiny glaciers.
You’ll also discover that people use ice for everything: chilling bottles, cooling down overheated soda, and saving a warm hand from a spicy wing.
The fix is easy: overbuy ice (within reason), store extra bags in a backup cooler, and separate “cup ice” from “cooler ice.”
Your future self will feel like a genius.

2) Water is the most important drink at an alcohol party.
Not because it’s glamorousbecause it’s practical. When water is hard to find, people default to soda or alcohol.
When water is easy to grab (cold, visible, plentiful), the party feels better and lasts longer.
I now treat water like the headliner: big bottles in multiple spots, a dedicated water cooler, and sparkling water for the people who want “something fun” without booze.

3) Variety beats volume.
Buying 10 cases of one beer is tempting… until you realize half your guests don’t want that beer.
A better approach is a small mix: one light beer, one “craft-ish but not intimidating” beer, one cider or seltzer, plus red and white wine.
People feel considered, and you don’t end up with a mountain of leftovers that only your uncle will touch.

4) The “mixer bottleneck” is real.
Hosts often nail the alcohol and forget the mixers: no tonic, no citrus, no club soda, no juicejust a lonely bottle of cola.
The result is a bar that looks stocked but functions like a museum exhibit. My fix: plan the cocktails you’re actually willing to support.
If you want it easy, choose one signature cocktail (like a vodka-soda-lime situation or a simple margarita batch),
then stock the basics for highballs (club soda, tonic, cola, lemon-lime, and one juice like orange or cranberry).

5) Labeling coolers is weirdly powerful.
People are shy about opening coolersuntil there’s a sign. “BEER,” “NA,” “WINE + SODA WATER,” and “ICE (DO NOT DUMP)” turns chaos into flow.
Guests serve themselves, you answer fewer questions, and nobody dumps the last of your serving ice into a cooler that already looks like a swamp documentary.

6) A “soft landing” saves your party.
Toward the end of the night, I like to shift the vibe: put out dessert, coffee/tea, and a fresh batch of NA drinks.
People naturally slow down, the room stays friendly, and the goodbye hugs become more heartfelt and less wobbly.
It’s not about policing funit’s about pacing it.

In other words: use the chart, yes. But also use common sense, a little empathy, and more water than you think you need.
The best parties aren’t the ones with the most alcoholthey’re the ones where everyone feels comfortable, included, and cared for.

Wrap-Up: Your Party, Your Chart, Your Sanity

Start with the baseline math, choose a simple serving plan, and then customize for your crowd.
When in doubt, upgrade your nonalcoholic options and your ice planbecause those two things fix most party problems before they start.