Know Exactly What to Buy Before You Get to the Store
Buying the alcohol for your own event usually means standing in an aisle doing math you are not sure about. Buy short and the bar runs dry before the last hour. Buy long and the rest goes back on Monday.
Set your guest count, event length, and the kind of crowd you are expecting. The quantities update as you go.
These are the same numbers we work from when we build a shopping list for a client, drawn from the events we staff across Southern California.
How much should you buy?
Enter your event details and see exactly what to buy. Adjust the numbers anytime — they update instantly.
Mixed ages, evening event. Most weddings and parties land here.
The part you provide.
Assumes 3 of every 4 drinks is a cocktail, with beer and wine splitting the rest. Spirit bottles are figured at a standard 1.5oz pour, about 16 cocktails per 750ml bottle. Round up rather than down. Unopened bottles can usually be returned. A bar that runs dry at 9pm cannot be fixed.
The part hosts forget until the night of.
Ice covers both drinks and chilling. Glassware assumes 2 per guest, because guests set drinks down and lose track of them. Not counted here: the 14 bar tools most hosts forget — two bottle openers, corkscrew, shaker, jigger, bar spoon, strainer, cutting board and knife, ice bucket and scoop, coolers for backup ice, bar towels, trash bins and liners, napkins and straws, garnish containers, and a table that can actually hold the bar. The full checklist is in the printable version below.
Want this as a checklist you can take to the store?
Enter your email and we'll send the printable BYOB Bar Shopping List — every quantity from 25 to 150 guests, plus the bar-tools checklist.
We handle everything else.
The Calculator Tells You How Much. It Cannot Tell You Which.
A margarita bar and a whiskey-forward cocktail list need completely different shopping trips at the same guest count. The bottle count above is the same either way. What goes in the cart is not.
Buy 15 bottles of the wrong thing and you have 15 bottles of the wrong thing. Here is how to work it out.
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Decide how many cocktails go on the menu
Three or four is usually right. More than that slows the line and multiplies the questions guests ask at the bar. -
Divide your spirit bottles across those cocktails
Weight the split toward the drink you expect to be most popular, not evenly across the menu. -
Buy one extra bottle of your most popular base spirit
This is the bottle that runs out first. It is also the cheapest mistake to avoid.
Worked example. 100 guests, 4 hours, average crowd. The calculator says 300 total drinks and 15 spirit bottles.
The menu is a margarita, a paloma, and an old fashioned. Tequila covers two of the three, so it carries most of the weight: 9 bottles tequila, 4 bourbon, 2 mezcal for the paloma variation.
Four Things That Move the Number
The averages above are a starting point. Half of all events land above them, so it is worth an honest look at who is coming.
- Event length. Every hour past 4 adds about half a drink per guest. Set the event length above and the totals adjust.
- Heat. Outdoor events above 85 degrees push guests toward beer, wine, and anything with ice. Add to your ice count first.
- A seated dinner. Wine consumption climbs during a served meal and cocktail consumption drops. Shift a few bottles from spirits to wine.
- Guests who do not drink. Count them separately and plan a real non-alcoholic option. A pitcher of water is not a menu.
The Second List Is the One That Gets Forgotten
Most hosts plan the alcohol carefully and then discover the rest of the bar the week of the event. Ice, mixers, citrus, and glassware are the visible part. Underneath them sit two bottle openers, a corkscrew, a shaker, a jigger, a strainer, a cutting board, an ice bucket, coolers for backup ice, bar towels, trash bins, garnish containers, and a table that can actually hold a bar.
That second list is what changes the day you book.
What we bring: professional bartenders, custom cocktails and mocktails, bar setup, mixers, garnishes, glassware, ice, tools, signage, service, restocking, and cleanup. You buy the bottles and choose the brands. Everything around them is ours.
See bar setup options for how the station itself comes together, or the drink menu for how we build a full cocktail program.
Since 2015, we’ve served 250+ Southern California events.
Weddings, private parties, corporate events, milestone celebrations, and hosted gatherings across Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. The numbers in this calculator come from those events.
Questions Hosts Ask About the Numbers
Why do I buy the alcohol instead of you?
Because it keeps your costs visible and the choices yours. You pick the brands, you set the alcohol budget, and you decide what is behind the bar. Once your menu is set, we tell you exactly which bottles to buy and how many.
What if I buy too much?
Most retailers accept returns on unopened bottles, so buying slightly long is the safer error. Ask about the return policy at the register before you check out, and keep the receipt.
Is this enough to plan the whole bar?
It is enough to shop with confidence. It does not account for your venue’s layout, your service window, how many bartenders the guest count needs, or how the line will move once guests arrive. Those are the details we work through with you.
How far out should I book?
2 to 3 months is comfortable for most private events. Weddings, summer weekends, and holiday dates are better booked 3 to 6 months out. If your date is closer than that, call and ask — we have built full bar programs on short notice when the details allowed.
For the wider planning picture — ice, menu size, timing, and guest flow — read the event bar planning guide.
Tell Us What You’re Celebrating
Send your date, location, guest count, and event type. We’ll shape the menu and tell you exactly which bottles to buy.
(714) 681-2996 Plan Your Bar