Party Drink Count
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A widely used planning figure is about one drink per guest per hour for an event with mixed alcohol service, adjusted down for shorter events or up for occasions with heavier expected consumption like a milestone celebration. This is a starting estimate, not a fixed rule for every crowd.

Yes, but not in a simple straight line — consumption per hour tends to be highest in the first couple of hours and then taper off, so a 6-hour event doesn't need six times the first hour's consumption. Most planning guidance caps the effective hours used in the calculation rather than multiplying linearly by total event length.

A common default split for a general adult crowd is roughly 50% beer, 30% wine, and 20% spirits, but this should be adjusted based on your specific guest preferences and the season or style of event. Ask about guest preferences when you have that information rather than relying on the default split alone.

Include an estimate of how many guests will actually drink alcohol rather than your full guest list, since counting designated drivers, minors, and non-drinkers inflates the order. If you don't know the exact split, a modest reduction from the full headcount is safer than assuming everyone drinks.

A standard 750ml bottle of wine yields about five 5-ounce servings, so once you have a total wine-drink count, divide by five to estimate the number of bottles needed. The same conversion logic applies to a keg or case of beer using its own serving count per unit.