Beer Buying Guide For A 100-Guest Party

Planning an event can be stressful, especially when it comes to figuring out how much alcohol to buy. The general rule of thumb is to plan for one drink per guest per hour of the event. For a four-hour party with 100 guests, you will need 400 drinks in total.

If you're offering a variety of alcoholic beverages, a typical breakdown is 40% beer, 60% wine, and the remaining drinks are mixed drinks. This means you'll need 160 beers and 144 glasses of wine for 100 guests over four hours.

However, it's important to consider the preferences of your crowd. Some may prefer craft beer, while others might opt for traditional choices. Similarly, the type of event and the season can impact the ratio of beer, wine, and liquor consumed.

To avoid running out, it's generally better to overestimate your liquor needs, and you can always return any unopened boxes, cans, or bottles.

Beer, wine, liquor, champagne, and mixers

When planning a party, it's important to consider the number of guests, the duration of the party, and the drinking preferences of your guests. Here are some guidelines for beer, wine, liquor, champagne, and mixers for 100 guests:

Beer:

Plan on having two bottles or servings of beer per person for the first hour, and an additional bottle or serving for each subsequent hour. For 100 guests, this would amount to 200 bottles or servings for the first hour, and 100 more for each additional hour.

Wine:

For a two-hour cocktail party, estimate one bottle of wine for every two guests. If you are serving both red and white wines, have twice as many bottles of white wine as red, unless your guests prefer red wine. For 100 guests, this would be 50 bottles of wine for a two-hour party, with a higher proportion of white wine.

Spirits and Mixers:

One 750 ml bottle of spirits will serve approximately 17 drinks. Plan on three drinks per person during a two-hour cocktail party. The amount of mixers needed depends on the cocktails you plan to serve. Look at your cocktail recipes and multiply the volume of mixer needed per cocktail by three per person for a two-hour party.

Champagne or Sparkling Wine:

One 750 ml bottle of champagne fills about six champagne flutes. If serving a toast, one glass per person is enough. If champagne is served as a pre-meal cocktail, plan on 1.5 glasses per person. For a two-hour cocktail party or dinner, plan on three glasses per person. For 100 guests, this would be 15 bottles for a toast, 22 bottles for a pre-meal cocktail, and 33 bottles for a two-hour party.

Liqueurs and After-Dinner Drinks:

Plan on getting about 15 drinks from each 750 ml bottle. Usually, one drink per guest is sufficient.

Soft Drinks and Juices:

If other beverages such as wine, beer, and cocktails are also being served, plan on one 8-oz glass per person. If there are children at the party, increase this amount by three drinks per child.

Water:

At a cocktail party, one litre of water will serve four guests. At a sit-down meal, plan on serving three guests from each litre. Offer a mix of mineral and still water.

Drink quantities per unit

When planning a party, it's important to ensure you have enough drinks for your guests. Here's a detailed guide on drink quantities per unit for a party of 100 guests.

Beer

A standard beer bottle or can is typically 12 oz or 355 ml. For a party of 100 guests, a good rule of thumb is to have 1 to 2 beers per person, depending on your crowd's preferences. This means you'll need about 100 to 200 beers for the party. If you're serving craft beer, providing a variety of options is a good idea, including a standard lager and a range of craft and light beers.

Wine

A standard 750 ml bottle of wine serves approximately 5 to 6 glasses, depending on the pour. For a party of 100 guests, allocate about 1/3 of your drinks to wine. This equates to around 33 bottles of wine. It's a good idea to provide a variety of reds and whites, and perhaps some dessert wines like Rosé.

Spirits

Spirits are typically served in smaller quantities than beer or wine. A standard spirit measure is 1.5 oz or 44 ml. A 750 ml bottle of spirits will provide approximately 16 standard drinks, while a 1-liter bottle will give you about 19 drinks. For a party of 100 guests, you'll need about 10 bottles of spirits, assuming not everyone will be drinking spirits. It's a good idea to provide a variety of fundamental spirits like vodka, whiskey, rum, and gin.

Mixed Drinks

If you're serving mixed drinks or cocktails, you'll need to consider the quantities of both the base liquor and the mixers. A standard cocktail uses about 1.5 oz of base liquor. For a party of 100 guests, you'll need about 150 oz of base liquor, or roughly 10 bottles of spirits, depending on the specific cocktails you're serving. Common mixers include soda, juice, and tonic water.

Champagne

Champagne is often served for a celebratory toast, and it's a nice touch to offer your guests. A standard 750 ml bottle of champagne serves about 6 to 8 glasses. For a party of 100 guests, you'll need about 12 to 17 bottles of champagne, depending on your guests' preferences.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

In addition to alcoholic beverages, it's essential to provide non-alcoholic options for your guests. For a 4-hour party, plan to have at least 1 to 2 waters and 3 to 4 non-water drinks (juice, iced tea, soda, etc.) per guest. This means you'll need about 400 to 1000 non-alcoholic drinks for 100 guests.

Remember, these are estimates, and actual consumption may vary depending on your guests' drinking habits and the duration of the party. It's always a good idea to have a little extra to ensure you don't run out of drinks.

Number of bottles per case

When planning an event, it's important to ensure you have enough drinks for your guests. The amount of beer you need will depend on the duration of your event, the number of guests, and their drinking preferences.

A standard case of beer contains 24 bottles or cans. If you're stocking a DIY bar, it's a good idea to have a variety of beers to cater to different tastes. Typically, a standard lager, such as Yuengling, and a range of craft and light beers are sufficient.

For a four-hour event with 100 guests, you can estimate that each guest will consume around four drinks. This means you'll need 400 drinks in total. If a third of your beverages are wine, that leaves 266 drinks for beer and liquor. With 12 oz bottles, you'll need approximately 150-200 beers or 5-6 cases.

If you're offering other alcoholic beverages besides beer, you may need less. For example, if you're also serving wine and liquor, you can allocate a third of your drinks to wine and another third to liquor, leaving the remaining third for beer. In this case, you would need around 133 beers or 4-5 cases.

It's always better to have extra drinks than to run out, and some stores will accept returns of unopened bottles. You can also find places that will buy back any unused alcohol.

Drinkers vs non-drinkers

When planning a party, it's important to consider how many drinkers and non-drinkers will be in attendance. This will help you determine how much beer, wine, liquor, and other beverages to buy. Here are some tips to help you plan for your 100 guests:

• First, assess your guest list and estimate the number of drinkers and non-drinkers. This will give you a sense of the overall drink quantity needed.
• As a rule of thumb, assume that each guest will consume one drink per hour or about five drinks throughout the evening. This, of course, varies depending on the drinking habits of your guests.
• For a group of 100, plan for around 400 drinks if the event lasts four hours. This translates to about one drink per guest per hour.
• If you're offering a variety of beverages, a good breakdown could be two-thirds liquor options and one-third wine. This ensures that guests have a range of choices.
• When it comes to beer, provide a selection of craft beers, light beers, and standard lagers. Aim for 1.5-2 beers per person. For 100 guests, this would be approximately 150-200 beers, or 5-6 cases.
• It's a good idea to have some non-alcoholic options available as well. For a 4-hour wedding, provide at least 1-2 waters and 3-4 non-water drinks (juice, iced tea, soda, etc.) per guest.
• If you're serving cocktails, consider offering 2-3 signature craft cocktails to personalize your event and make ordering easier for guests.
• Don't forget to include mixers! Common mixers to have on hand include Coke, Sprite, orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, ginger ale, tonic water, club soda, grenadine, and more.
• Garnishes are also important. Lemon and lime are the most popular choices. You may also want to have olives, maraschino cherries, and other specialty garnishes depending on the drinks you're serving.

Other Considerations:

• When in doubt, it's better to have extra drinks than to run out. You can always return unopened bottles or cans if you overestimate.
• The type of event and guest demographics will also play a role in drink preferences. A casual backyard BBQ, for instance, will likely feature more beer and refreshing beverages, while an elegant cocktail reception might offer more spirit-forward options.
• If you're serving wine with dinner, consider the food menu and choose wines that complement the cuisine.
• Don't forget to include water! It's important to have plenty of water available for your guests throughout the event.

Party duration

The duration of your party will have a big impact on how much beer you need to buy for 100 guests. Most weddings and parties are 4-5 hours long, and people typically consume 1-2 drinks per hour. So, for a 4-hour party with 100 guests, you will need 400 drinks. If you assume that 40% of the drinks will be beer, that's 160 beers.

However, it's important to note that drinking patterns may vary throughout the event. Generally, people tend to consume more earlier in the event but slow down later on. So, the drinks per guest per hour may be higher during the first few hours of the party.

If your party lasts longer than 4-5 hours, you will need to adjust the calculations accordingly. For example, if your party is 6 hours long, you would need 600 drinks for 100 guests, and 240 of those drinks could be beers.

On the other hand, if your party is shorter, you may need slightly fewer drinks. But it's always better to have extra drinks than to run out, so it's generally a good idea to overestimate your needs.

Additionally, consider the drinking habits of your guests. If you know that your guests are light drinkers, they may consume less than the average of 1-2 drinks per hour. On the other hand, if your guests are heavy drinkers, they may consume more.

In conclusion, the duration of your party is a crucial factor in determining how much beer to buy for 100 guests. By considering the length of your event, the typical drinking patterns, and the habits of your guests, you can estimate the number of drinks needed and allocate a percentage of those drinks to beer.

Frequently asked questions