- co*cktails
- co*cktail Basics
A Complete Guide to Stocking Liquor, Mixers, and Citrus Juice for Your Next Party or co*cktail Hour—Handy Charts Included!
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Updated on 02/13/24
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Elizabeth Brownfield
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Fact checked byElizabeth Brownfield
Elizabeth Brownfield is a writer, editor, and researcher who specializes in food, travel, home, and lifestyle content. She's worked on the staffs of Domino, Martha Stewart, Metropolitan Home, and Every Day with Rachael Ray magazines, and was Senior Digital Editor at Food Network.
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In This Article
How Much Liquor Do I Need to Make co*cktails?
How Many Shots Are in a Bottle of Liquor?
Mixer Yields
What About Bitters?
Citrus Juice
Party Stock Example
Whether you’re a hosting pro or an entertaining newbie, one of the more daunting tasks involved in throwing a party, is knowing how to stock your home bar. But with some basic information, such as how many shots are in a standard 750-milliliter bottle of liquor and how many lemons you can expect to use, you can feel confident making your list and heading to the shops to stock up. With that in mind, we're sharing a few handy charts to help take the guesswork out of estimating how much liquor and mixers you need to make the drinks you intend to serve.
Of course, if you're still nervous, it's always good to err on the side of caution and buy at least a little bit extra, especially for popular spirits like vodka. No one wants to run out of booze in the middle of the night!
How Much Liquor Do I Need to Make co*cktails?
The number of co*cktailsyou can make with one bottle of liquor will vary from drink to drink. When estimating your needs, it's helpful to know what the average co*cktail uses:
- The base liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, etc.) is often a standard shot of 1 1/2 ounces.
- Liqueurs are typically poured between 1/2 ounce and 3/4 ounce.
- Accent juices, such as lemon and lime, usually use 1/4 ounce to 1/2 ounce.
- Filling a highball or tall drink with juice or soda oftenrequires four to six ounces.
Cosmopolitan co*cktail
How Many Shots Are in a Bottle of Liquor?
Knowing how many shots are in a bottle of liquor will help youstock a barand plan for a party. The majority ofdistilled spirits(and wines) are available in 750-milliliter bottles, which is 25.4 ounces and results in about 16 shots of liquor (this size bottle is also called a "fifth"). If it's the base spirit (such as vodka, tequila, or whiskey), you can generally expect to make 16 co*cktails from one bottle.
Some alcohol producers also offer pints, half-pints, and liters, while liquor may be sold in miniature bottles as well. The largest sizes (magnums and handles) are extremely rare, so don't expect to find many of these bottles.
The following chart represents popular bottle sizes in both metric and U.S. imperial volumes and the average number ofstandard 1 1/2-ounce shotseach will yield.
| How Many Shots Are in a Bottle? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle | Milliliters | Ounces | Shots per Bottle |
| Miniature (aka Mini or Nip) | 50 ml | 1.7 oz | 1 shot |
| Quarter Pint | 100 ml | 3.4 oz | 2 shots |
| Half Pint | 200 ml | 6.8 oz | 4 shots |
| Pint | 375 ml | 12.7 oz | 8 shots |
| Standard Bottle (aka Fifth) | 750 ml | 25.4 oz | 16 shots |
| Liter | 1 L | 33.8 oz | 22 shots |
| Magnum | 1.5 L | 50.7 oz | 33 shots |
| Half Gallon (aka Handle) | 1.75 L | 59.2 oz | 39 shots |
| Double-Magnum (aka Jeroboam) | 3 L | 101.4 oz | 67 shots |
| Rehoboam | 4.5 L | 152.2 oz | 101 shots |
How many glasses are in a bottle of wine?
Unless you're making wine co*cktails, wine is an entirely different story. The standard pour of wine is five ounces, so a 750-milliliter bottle is enough for about five glasses.
How Do I Stock My Bar with Enough Mixers?
Mixers such as juices,syrups, and sodas are not as easy to estimate because there are no standard bottle sizes. However, mixers are less expensive than liquor, so it's a good idea to overstock rather than be unprepared and run out.
The following chart includes the average mixer pours found in co*cktail recipes. Not every drink uses each type of mixer, and some need more or less than others, so this is just a general guide.
For instance, acosmopolitanrequires 1/2 ounce of lime juice, but you might need twice that amount of lemon juice if you offer a whiskey sour. Similarly, tall drinks like agin and tonicrequire four or more ounces of soda to fill the glass, while a booze-filled highball like theLong Island iced teawill need just an ounce of cola.
| Mixers in the Average co*cktail | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Drink Style | Accent Juice | Syrup | Soda |
| Martinis, Sours, & Short Drinks | 1/4-1/2 oz | 1/4-1/2 oz | Splash |
| Highballs, Collins, & Tall Drinks | Splash–1/2 oz | 1/4-1/2 oz | 4–6 oz |
The average soda bottle or can is 12 ounces, so estimate two to three drinks per container. Two-liter bottles are a cost-effective option for the more popular sodas and hold about 67 ounces.
Long Island Iced Tea
What About Bitters?
Other mixers like bitters are easy. One bottle of each required style will be more than enough, and it will often last years in the average home bar.
How Much Citrus Juice Will I Need?
When using fresh citrus juice, this chart will help you decide how many pieces of fruit you will need. Keep in mind that lemon and lime juices are often accents, while orange and grapefruit juices may require three or more ounces per drink. Either way, you'll get about two or three drinks per piece of fruit.
| Fresh Citrus Fruit Yields | |
|---|---|
| 1 Average-Sized Fruit | Juice Yield |
| Lime | 1/2–1 oz |
| Lemon | 1 1/2 oz |
| Orange | 2–3 oz |
| Grapefruit | 5–6 oz |
There are a couple of tricks to maximizing the juice yield of citrus fruits. First, let the fruits reach room temperature if you store them in the refrigerator. Then, before cutting the fruit open, roll it between the palm of your hand and the cutting board, pressing firmly but not enough to squash the fruit.
Juiced fruit is not usable for garnishes, though you can cut twists before juicing. Have extra produce on hand to cut wheels and wedges for your drinks. Prepare garnishes in advance; store sliced fruits in sealed containers and peels or twists in ice-cold water to keep them fresh.
Gin and Tonic
An Example Stock for a Party
When you know the drinks you want to serve at a party, you can estimate how many bottles of each liquor are needed to create a certain number of drinks. As an example, let's say that you're hosting a party for 20 guests with a limited drink menu, so you might serve as many as 60 drinks.
Since you can get about 16 drinks from a standard bottle of liquor, you will need:
- A minimum of four bottles of base spirits.
- One or two bottles each of any liqueurs.
- At least 30 ounces (or 3 3/4 cups) each of any accent juices and syrup.
- The equivalent of five two-liter bottles of soda.
Adding more soda and juice also ensures you'll have plenty of nonalcoholic drink options.
What Is the Shelf Life of Liquor?
- co*cktail Basics
- co*cktails
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