Drinks for 250 guests
Two hundred and fifty guests is the largest size we tabulate. These tables show how much wine, beer and liquor to buy for 250 guests at four bar types and three lengths, and what a toast for everyone needs.
How much to buy for 250 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 | 938 drinks | 94 bottles | 282 cans (or 2 half kegs) | 12 × 750 ml bottles |
| 5 hours | 1,125 drinks | 113 bottles | 338 cans (or 3 half kegs) | 15 × 750 ml bottles |
| 6 hours | 1,313 drinks | 132 bottles | 394 cans (or 3 half kegs) | 17 × 750 ml bottles |
Each bar type, 5 hours
| Bar type | Total drinks | Wine | Beer | Liquor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full bar | 1,125 drinks | 113 bottles | 338 cans (or 3 half kegs) | 15 × 750 ml bottles |
| Beer and wine | 1,125 drinks | 135 bottles | 450 cans (or 3 half kegs) | None |
| Wine only | 1,125 drinks | 225 bottles | None | None |
| Signature cocktail | 1,125 drinks | 90 bottles | 338 cans (or 3 half kegs) | 22 × 750 ml bottles |
Champagne for a toast
A toast with a glass for every guest, drinkers or not, needs 32 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 250 guests
A full bar for five hours at 250 guests needs 1,125 drinks. That is 2.5 times the 100 guest figure, because the numbers scale in proportion to the guests. If you know the quantities for a smaller event, you can scale them up the same way.
Beer needs 338 pours, and buying kegs alone leaves a lot over: 3 half kegs pour 495 beers, 5 quarter kegs pour 410 and 7 sixth kegs pour 385. A closer fit is two half kegs (330 pours) and 8 cans to make up the rest.
Liquor is 15 × 750 ml bottles, or 6 × 1.75 L bottles in the larger size. The toast is 32 bottles of champagne for one glass for every guest, which is the point where comparing bottles and magnums in the champagne toast calculator can change how you buy it.
Worked example: 250 guests, 5-hour bar, full bar
With the default assumptions (75% of guests drinking, average drinkers, a full bar and US sizes):
- 250 guests × 75% drinking × 6 drinks each = 1,125 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: 563 glasses ÷ 5 glasses a bottle = 113 bottles.
- Beer is 30%: 338 cans, or 3 half kegs.
- Liquor is 20%: 225 drinks ÷ 16 measures a bottle = 15 × 750 ml bottles.
- The toast: 32 bottles of champagne, one glass for every guest.
Questions
Can I scale the 100 guest numbers instead?
For the drink total, yes: it grows in proportion to the guests. The container counts are rounded up one at a time, so they can differ by a bottle or two from a straight multiple. The tables above already do that rounding for you.
What should I ask the venue at this size?
Ask how many bars they recommend, where the drinks can be stored and chilled, and whether they have rules about outside alcohol. The quantities stay the same whatever the answers are.