How much ice, glassware and bar supplies do you need for an event?

Plan 0.5 kg of ice per guest for a bar without cocktails, 1 kg for a cocktail bar and up to 1.5 kg outdoors in summer, plus separate ice for chilling bottles. For each glass type, plan 1.25–2 glasses per guest depending on whether you can wash on site, plus 5–10% for breakage. Below are the rules of thumb, a summary table and a worked example for an 80-guest wedding.

How much ice per guest?

Base the ice for drinks on the bar format:

• Wine, beer, sparkling and soft drinks — 0.5 kg per guest.
• Cocktail bar — 1 kg per guest.
• Summer, outdoors, hot weather, lots of long drinks and mojitos — 1.5 kg per guest.

If you already know the menu, calculate per drink:

Chilling ice is separate. White wine, sparkling, beer and water are chilled in tubs of ice and water: a tub for about 20–25 bottles takes 10–15 kg and gets topped up once or twice during the night. For a 100-guest wedding that is usually 25–40 kg.

Practical points that matter more than the formula:

• Ice for drinks must be food-grade and clear; ice for tubs can be the cheaper kind.
• Have ice delivered as close to start time as possible and keep it in insulated boxes, not open buckets.
• Buy crushed ice ready-made rather than crushing it on site during the rush.
• A 15–20% ice buffer is normal: ice melts, and running out of ice stops the whole bar.

How many glasses per guest?

The number of glasses depends mostly on whether you can wash on site. Guests put a glass down and pick up a new one, so "one glass per guest" almost never works.

On top, add for breakage: about 5% indoors and up to 10% outdoors, near the dance floor or at a standing reception. That covers both breakage and the glasses guests carry off and leave on windowsills.

If the venue supplies glassware, ask which types and how many, who washes, and until what time the dishwasher runs.

How many napkins, straws and other small items?

The supplies people forget most often:

• Cocktail napkins — 3 per guest for the night.
• Straws — one only for drinks that need it (long drinks, crushed ice), plus 10%. Single-use plastic straws are restricted in the EU, so use paper or reusable ones.
• Cocktail picks — one per garnished drink on a pick.
• Bar towels — 2–3 per bartender.
• Bin bags — 1 per 25–30 guests, plus separate ones for glass.
• Disposable gloves, boards, knives, syrup, sugar — according to the menu.

How much garnish and citrus?

Count citrus by whether it goes into juice or garnish:

• Lime: 8 wedges or 25–30 ml of juice.
• Lemon: 8–10 wedges, 10–12 twists or 35–40 ml of juice.
• Orange: about 8 half-wheels.
• Mint: a bunch of about 50 g makes 6–7 mojitos.

Add a 15% buffer: some fruit will be small or dry, and some garnish goes on setting up the bar and photos.

Worked example: wedding, 80 guests, 5 hours

A cocktail bar plus wine and sparkling. Say guests drink about 200 cocktails: 60 mojitos, 60 spritzes, 50 G&Ts and 30 whisky sours. The alcohol itself is calculated separately — see how much alcohol per guest.

Ice:

Glassware (washing on site, dinner + dancing, 5–10% buffer): 100 wine glasses, 90 flutes, 90 highballs, 50 rocks glasses, 85 water tumblers.

Garnish and supplies:

• limes: 30 for mojitos + 7 for G&T wedges + 15% ≈ 43;
• lemons for sours: 30 × 25 ml = 750 ml of juice ≈ 22 + 15% ≈ 25;
• oranges for spritzes: 60 half-wheels ≈ 8 + buffer = 9–10;
• mint: 10 bunches;
• straws: 60 mojitos + 50 G&Ts + 10% ≈ 120;
• napkins: 80 × 3 = 240, take 250.

Pre-departure checklist

• Ice for drinks and separate chilling ice, insulated boxes, delivery time.
• Glasses by type, allowing for washing and breakage.
• Napkins, straws, picks, towels, bin bags.
• Citrus and herbs with a 15% buffer.
• Who washes glasses at the venue and where dirty glasses go.
• Glass count on the way out and on the way back.

How this works in Garnify

In Garnify, the glassware and supplies list is built from the event into a warehouse pick list. Check-out records what left and the return check records what came back: every glass out, every glass back, and breakage shows up the same night rather than a week later.