Cocktail Pour Cost & Menu Pricing Calculator

What is Beverage Unit Economics and Pour Cost Benchmarks?

Pour cost is the master metric of bar profitability. While food cost targets hover around 28–32%, highly profitable beverage programs target a pour cost between 18% and 24% to offset the high overhead of a liquor license, insurance, and trained staff.

Mathematical Foundation

The Pour Cost Formula

Menu\ Price = \frac{Total\ Liquid\ Cost}{Target\ Pour\ Cost\%}

Total\ Liquid\ Cost

= The exact fraction of the bottle used (cost per oz × pour size) plus all mixer, garnish, and service costs.

Target\ Pour\ Cost\%

= The percentage of the drink's menu price dedicated to ingredient cost. A 20% pour cost means ingredients make up exactly $0.20 of every $1.00 in revenue.

Laws & Principles

A standard 750ml bottle of liquor contains exactly 25.36 fluid ounces. A 1-liter bottle contains 33.81 oz, and a 1.75-liter handle contains 59.17 oz.
Garnishes, ice, cocktail napkins, and straws must be factored into the drink cost as a 'hidden cost.' These pennies erode margins across thousands of drinks served per week.
A well-run bar typically achieves pour cost between 18% and 22%. Bars with high liquor theft or over-pouring will see their effective pour cost climb toward 28–35%.
Calculate pour cost separately for beer, wine, and spirits — beer and wine typically have higher pour costs (25–30%) while spirits have the most margin at 15–22%.

Step-by-Step Example Walkthrough

" A bar manager buys a $30 bottle of premium gin (750ml / 25.36 oz) and builds a Gin & Tonic using a 2 oz pour, $0.75 worth of tonic and lime wedge. "

Calculate cost per ounce: $30 ÷ 25.36 oz = $1.183/oz.
Calculate spirit ingredient cost: $1.183 × 2 oz = $2.37.
Add mixer and garnish cost: $2.37 + $0.75 = $3.12 total COGS.
Divide by target pour cost to find menu price: $3.12 ÷ 0.20 = $15.60.

Final Result: The Gin & Tonic costs $3.12 to build and must be listed at $15.60 on the menu to achieve a 20% pour cost target, yielding $12.48 in gross profit per drink.

Quick Answer: What is a good pour cost for a bar?

A well-run bar targets a blended pour cost between 18% and 22% across all beverage categories. This means ingredient costs should consume no more than $0.22 of every $1.00 in drink revenue. Pour cost below 18% usually indicates overpricing that drives customers away. Pour cost above 25% signals over-pouring, theft, or sous-costed recipes that are eroding your profit margin. The formula is simple: Menu Price = Total Drink Cost ÷ Target Pour Cost %.

Standard Bottle Sizes & Pour Yield

Understanding how many drinks each bottle yields at different pour sizes is critical for inventory management and revenue forecasting. All volumes are US fluid ounces.

Bottle Size	Ounces	1.5 oz Pours	2.0 oz Pours
375ml (Half Bottle)	12.68 oz	8 drinks	6 drinks
750ml (Standard)	25.36 oz	16 drinks	12 drinks
1 Liter	33.81 oz	22 drinks	16 drinks
1.75L (Handle)	59.17 oz	39 drinks	29 drinks

Pro Tips & Common Bar Pricing Mistakes

Do This

✓Use measured pours (jiggers) for every cocktail. Free-pouring creates 15-30% variance in pour volume. Over a typical bar doing 300 cocktails per night, free-pouring wastes $500-1,000 in inventory per week. Jiggers are non-negotiable in high-volume environments.
✓Track pour cost by category, not as a single blended number. Spirits typically target 18-20%, wine 20-25%, and draft beer 22-28%. A single blended number can mask a catastrophic problem in one category (e.g., 40% wine pour cost) if the spirits program is carrying the average.

Avoid This

✗Don't price cocktails by "feeling." Every drink on the menu must have a costed recipe card. Without one, bartenders will under-pour premium spirits and over-pour well spirits, destroying both quality consistency and margin control. Price by math, not vibes.
✗Don't forget spillage and buybacks in your cost model. Industry standard is 2-5% loss from spillage, tasting, and comp'd drinks. A $30 bottle that theoretically yields 16 drinks at 1.5 oz will realistically yield 15 or fewer after accounting for loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between pour cost and food cost?

The formula is identical (Ingredient Cost ÷ Sale Price = Cost %), but the target percentages are very different. Food cost targets are typically 28-32% because food is perishable and generates more waste. Beverage (pour) cost targets are much lower at 18-22% because liquor has a virtually infinite shelf life and zero spoilage — the profit margin per unit is inherently higher.

How do I detect bartender over-pouring or theft?

Compare your theoretical pour cost (what the recipes say you should spend) to your actual pour cost (total beverage purchases ÷ total beverage revenue). If actual exceeds theoretical by more than 3-5 percentage points, you have a shrinkage problem. Install pour spouts with flow meters, require jiggers on every cocktail, and conduct weekly bottle inventory counts weighted by cost to identify which specific products are disappearing.

Should I use well or call pricing on my menu?

List a base price using well spirits and offer premium upgrades for call/top-shelf. For example: "Margarita $12 / Casamigos +$5." This anchors the customer on the lower price while generating higher margin on the upsell. The call spirit upgrade typically costs you only $1-2 more per drink but charges the customer $4-6 more — dramatically increasing per-drink gross profit.

Cocktail Pour Cost & Menu Pricing Calculator

Cocktail Pour Cost & Menu Pricing Calculator