Drinks for 200 guests
At 200 guests you stop counting bottles and start ordering by the case. Use these tables to see how much wine, beer and liquor to buy for 200 guests, and how it all adds up for a bar of that size.
How much to buy for 200 guests
Every quantity is rounded up. The tables assume that 75% of guests drink, average drinkers, US bottle and can sizes and no buffer. All the assumptions are listed below the tables.
Full bar, by how long the bar is open
| Bar open | Total drinks | Wine | Beer | Liquor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | 750 drinks | 75 bottles | 225 cans (or 2 half kegs) | 10 × 750 ml bottles |
| 5 hours | 900 drinks | 90 bottles | 270 cans (or 2 half kegs) | 12 × 750 ml bottles |
| 6 hours | 1,050 drinks | 105 bottles | 315 cans (or 2 half kegs) | 14 × 750 ml bottles |
Each bar type, 5 hours
| Bar type | Total drinks | Wine | Beer | Liquor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full bar | 900 drinks | 90 bottles | 270 cans (or 2 half kegs) | 12 × 750 ml bottles |
| Beer and wine | 900 drinks | 108 bottles | 360 cans (or 3 half kegs) | None |
| Wine only | 900 drinks | 180 bottles | None | None |
| Signature cocktail | 900 drinks | 72 bottles | 270 cans (or 2 half kegs) | 17 × 750 ml bottles |
Champagne for a toast
A toast with a glass for every guest, drinkers or not, needs 25 bottles of champagne or sparkling wine.
Change the guests, hours, drinking level or bottle sizes in the wedding drinks calculator or the party drinks calculator.
Assumptions
| Guests who drink | 75% of the guest count |
|---|---|
| Drinks per drinking guest | 2 in the first hour, then 1 per hour |
| Drinking level | light ×0.75, average ×1, heavy ×1.25 |
| Full bar | 50% wine, 30% beer, 20% liquor |
| Beer and wine | 60% wine, 40% beer |
| Wine only | 100% wine |
| Signature cocktail | 40% wine, 30% beer, 30% cocktails (1.5 oz liquor each) |
| Wine | 750 ml bottle = 5 glasses of 5 oz (148 ml) |
| Beer | one 355 ml can per drink |
| Liquor | 750 ml bottle = 16 drinks of 1.5 oz (44 ml); 1.75 L bottle = 39 |
| Champagne toast | 750 ml bottle = 8 toasts of 3 oz (89 ml), one toast per guest |
| Kegs (12 oz pours) | half 165, quarter 82, sixth 55 |
| Buffer | +10% on every quantity when switched on |
| Rounding | every quantity is rounded up |
What is different at 200 guests
Wine is sold by the case, and a case holds 12 bottles. Five hours at a full bar needs 90 bottles, which is 7.5 cases of 12, so order 8 cases. A wine-only bar needs 180 bottles, or 15 cases.
Beer is easier to picture in cases too: 270 cans is 11.25 cases of 24, so order 12 cases in the US (a case of 24 cans is the usual US size), and all of it has to be kept cold. If you would rather have beer on tap, 2 half kegs pour 330 beers, enough for the 270 needed. Chilling is a real job at this size, so plan the ice early with the ice calculator, including the coolers for drinks.
If your guests drink more than average, the five-hour full bar needs 1,125 drinks with the Heavy setting instead of 900. At 200 guests the gap is large enough to change the order, so be honest about your crowd.
Worked example: 200 guests, 5-hour bar, full bar
With the default assumptions (75% of guests drinking, average drinkers, a full bar and US sizes):
- 200 guests × 75% drinking × 6 drinks each = 900 drinks, rounded up. The 6 is 2 drinks in the first hour and 1 for each of the next 4.
- Wine is half of those: 450 glasses ÷ 5 glasses a bottle = 90 bottles.
- Beer is 30%: 270 cans, or 2 half kegs.
- Liquor is 20%: 180 drinks ÷ 16 measures a bottle = 12 × 750 ml bottles.
- The toast: 25 bottles of champagne, one glass for every guest.
Questions
Should I have everything delivered at once?
Ask your supplier about delivery times and whether unopened bottles can be returned, then plan where the drinks will be stored and kept cold before the event. A large order is easier to manage when someone has checked that there is room for it.
Is a wine-only bar realistic at 200 guests?
It can be, but it is a big order: 180 bottles for five hours, or 15 cases. Compare it with the beer-and-wine and full bar rows in the table before you decide.