Free cocktail batch calculator. Enter servings and drink size to find total cocktail volume and how many 750 ml bottles that takes.
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Multiply servings by millilitres per drink for total volume, then divide by 750 and round up for bottles. Ten drinks at 150 ml need 1500 ml, which is 2 bottles. Add dilution, ice, and garnish planning from the sections below, because the calculator covers liquid volume, not the full party bar.
Batch volume is simply servings times drink size, and bottle count rounds up, because a part bottle still counts as a bottle to buy. Dilution from stirring or shaking is missing from a pre mixed batch, so add about 10 to 15 percent water if you serve without much ice, or serve over plenty of ice. A 750 ml bottle holds about 25.4 ounces, so a batch calling for 40 ounces of spirit needs a little over one and a half bottles. Work in ounces or millilitres, but stay consistent through the whole recipe.
Competitor serving tables give a useful starting point: a Margarita is about 4.5 ounces, a Mojito about 7 ounces, a Negroni about 3 ounces, a Sangria about 8 ounces, a Spritz about 6 ounces, and a Paloma about 6 ounces. Spirit pours are commonly 1.5 ounces per drink, so a 750 ml bottle yields about 17 spirit servings at that pour, while a 1.75 litre bottle yields about 39. Check your own recipe pour, because a larger drink size changes both total volume and bottle count.
A cocktail made one at a time gains water from ice as you stir or shake it, which softens and lengthens the drink. A pre batched mix skips that, so it can taste harsh unless you add water or serve over ice. Spirit only batches hold well refrigerated for days, and some guides say up to 5 days. Fresh citrus should be added within a few hours of service, because juice flavour fades and can turn. Never batch sparkling drinks: soda, tonic, sparkling wine, and beer go flat in a batch, so leave carbonated toppers out and add them fresh to each glass. For a pitcher, note storage days on the label, keep it chilled, and remember that fizz is lost once a sparkling drink is batched, so responsible serving and careful bitters scaling matter more than speed.
Spirit forward stirred drinks such as Negroni style, Manhattan style, and Old Fashioned style batch excellently and keep for days in the fridge once diluted. Sours with citrus, such as Margarita and Daiquiri, batch well if citrus is added the same day. Spritzes and highballs batch as a base only, with sparkling wine or soda added per glass. Drinks with egg white or cream batch poorly and are best made to order. Punches are designed for batching and serve well from a bowl with a large ice block.
Plan bottle yields from the 750 ml standard: a mini bottle gives about 1 serving at 1.5 ounces, a 375 ml bottle gives about 8, a 750 ml bottle gives about 17, a litre gives about 22, and a 1.75 litre bottle gives about 39. For ice, competitor guides suggest about 1 pound per guest for drinks, plus more for chilling, and about 1 pound per guest is a common party rule. Citrus wedges, salt rims, simple syrup, and mint sprigs all scale with servings, so multiply per drink garnish by servings, then add a small buffer for waste and second helpings.
A common planning rule is 2 drinks per guest in the first hour and 1 per hour after, so a 3 hour party is about 4 drinks per guest, before adjusting for your crowd. Count only guests of drinking age, offer plenty of water and a non alcoholic option made the same way with juices, teas, and syrups, and serve food. Keep servings measured, because batched cocktails are easy to pour and easy to over serve, and make sure guests have safe ways home. Follow local laws on serving alcohol, especially at events open to the public.
It depends on drink size. Twenty drinks at 150 ml need 3000 ml, which is 4 bottles of 750 ml, before any extra for ice dilution or garnish. Use the calculator with your own drink size for an exact bottle count.
Yes, for spirit forward drinks and punches. Batch spirits, liqueurs, syrups, and water ahead, chill the batch, and add fresh citrus within a few hours of service. Add sparkling toppers fresh to each glass.
Yes, if serving without much ice. Stirring or shaking a single drink adds dilution a batch misses, so add about 10 to 15 percent water, or serve over plenty of ice. Some guides use 20 to 25 percent for stirred drinks served over ice.
Batch only the still ingredients. Add carbonated toppers like soda, tonic, or sparkling wine fresh to each glass so they do not go flat.
Spirit only batches hold well refrigerated for days, with some guides saying up to 5 days. Batches with fresh juice should be prepared within a few hours of service for best flavour, and fresh citrus should never sit in a batch overnight.
Bitters do not always scale in a straight line. A batch of 20 drinks with 2 dashes each is 40 dashes, which can taste over seasoned, so add about three quarters of the scaled amount, taste, and adjust. The same caution applies to strong syrups.
Yes. Enter juices, teas, and syrups with no alcohol and skip or reduce the dilution, then scale the same way. Offer the non alcoholic batch beside the main batch, with its own label, so guests can find it easily.