Over 25 years of cocktail catering, countless events and the same question time and again: how many drinks do we actually need? With our free crystal ball, we have developed a drinks calculator that helps you plan parties, weddings and corporate events.
Anyone organising a celebration knows the problem: the guest count is confirmed, the venue is booked and the drinks have been chosen. But how much beer, wine, water, soft drinks and cocktails should you actually plan for?
Running out of drinks would be frustrating. Buying too much costs money and may leave you with unnecessary leftovers.
This is exactly where our crystal ball – the free drinks calculator for parties and events comes in.
Over 25 years of experience behind the bar
At moving bars, we have been providing mobile cocktail catering for over 25 years. We cater for corporate parties, weddings, trade fairs and private events – from small gatherings to large functions.
Planning drinks is part of our everyday work. After all, running a mobile cocktail bar means estimating which drinks will be needed, and in what quantities, before the event even begins.
And over the years, we have learned one thing: there is no single correct quantity of drinks per guest.
A lively company party unfolds differently from a formal reception. People drink differently at a wedding than at a short trade fair event. The duration, the age of the guests and the selection of drinks also play a part.
A simple rule of thumb such as “two drinks per person per hour” can therefore only ever be a rough guide.
Experience sparked an idea
At some point, we asked ourselves: could we make our event planning experience available to others?
The idea was to develop a drinks calculator based on real events, rather than simply multiplying fixed averages by the number of guests.
To do this, we analysed historical consumption data from events we had actually catered for and used it as the basis for a prediction model.
The result was the crystal ball.
The name is, of course, a little tongue-in-cheek. Even after more than 25 years behind the bar, we cannot predict whether a guest will prefer beer, wine or a mojito on a particular evening.
But we can try to use past events to arrive at a sensible estimate for the next celebration.
How our free drinks calculator works
Above all, the crystal ball should be easy to use.
You only need a few details to get a drinks forecast:
- How many guests are expected?
- How long will the event last?
- What is the average age of the guests?
- What kind of event is it?
- Which drinks will be available?
Using this information, the crystal ball estimates consumption of beer, white wine, red wine, sparkling wine, water, soft drinks and cocktails – only for the types of drinks you have selected, of course.
The results are shown not just in litres, but also in practical units such as crates of beer, bottles of wine and cocktail servings.
This turns an abstract quantity of drinks into a guide you can actually use for planning.
A prediction is not a guarantee
Even our crystal ball cannot really see into the future.
The prediction model is based on real consumption data from past events. It identifies patterns in that data and uses them to produce an estimate for the celebration you have entered.
But every event is different. The weather, the atmosphere, the food, individual preferences and many other factors can affect actual consumption.
The results are therefore not definitive quantities, but a starting point for your own drinks planning.
If you know your guests well, you can adjust the suggested quantities accordingly. And for larger events, it is worth considering what reserves make sense and which drinks could be delivered later if needed.
Who is the crystal ball for?
We did not develop the drinks calculator just for professional event planners.
It can help anyone wondering how many drinks they need for a celebration.
For private parties and birthdays: Anyone shopping for 30, 50 or 100 guests gets an initial guide to the quantities of drinks needed.
For weddings: At a wedding celebration lasting several hours and offering different types of drinks, the forecast helps you estimate demand more accurately.
For company parties and team events: An initial drinks forecast can also make planning a company party or summer celebration easier.
For clubs and event organisers: Anyone who regularly organises events can use the crystal ball as an additional reference point for their own calculations.
Give it a try – free and without registration
It was important to us that the idea should not turn into a complicated planning system.
That is why the crystal ball is free, runs directly in your browser and does not require registration.
Enter a few details, select your drinks, calculate the forecast – done.
This way to the crystal ball: Try the free drinks calculator
We are curious to see how the crystal ball works in practice. And perhaps it will help ensure that, at the next party, neither the beer runs out too soon nor far too many bottles of wine are left over.
Enjoy gazing into the crystal ball!
Your moving bars team