Bar Pour Cost Calculator
Work out pour cost percentage, pours per bottle and a target menu price for liquor, wine and draft beer. Enter the wholesale bottle cost, your pour size in fluid ounces and the menu price, and the calculator shows cost per pour, gross margin per drink and the price you would need to hit your target pour cost.
Estimates from wholesale bottle cost, pour size and selling price — a pricing guide only. Measure every pour and stocktake regularly to keep the real figure on target.
How pour cost is worked out
Four small sums
Pour cost falls out of four steps. First, pours per bottle = bottle volume ÷ pour size — a 750 ml bottle is 25.36 fl oz, so at the standard 1.5 oz pour that is 16.9 drinks. Second, cost per pour = bottle cost ÷ pours — a $30 bottle over 16.9 pours is about $1.77. Third, pour cost % = cost per pour ÷ menu price — that $1.77 pour on the menu at $9 is a 19.7% pour cost. And to work backward to a price, menu price = cost per pour ÷ target pour cost — at $1.77 and a 20% target you would charge $8.85. The gap between menu price and cost per pour is your gross margin per drink.
US pour standards and bottle sizes
The standard US pour is 1.5 fl oz, though 1.25 oz and 2 oz houses both exist and the choice moves cost per drink sharply. Bottle sizes: a 750 ml is 25.36 fl oz (16.9 pours), a 1 liter is 33.8 oz (22 pours) and a 1.75 L handle is 59.2 oz (39 pours). Wine is normally poured at 5 fl oz, giving five glasses from a 750 ml. Draft is sold by the 16 oz pint; a half-barrel keg is 15.5 gallons, about 124 pints before foam and line loss. Most operators plan on 16 pours from a 750 rather than 16.9, to absorb spillage.
Worked example. A $30 bottle of well vodka is $1.18 an ounce, so a 1.5 oz pour costs about $1.77. On the menu at $9 that is a 19.7% pour cost, leaving $7.23 gross margin per drink and sitting right inside the 18–22% liquor benchmark. Drop the house pour to 1.25 oz and the same bottle gives 20 drinks at $1.48 each — a 16.4% pour cost at the same price. Pour cost is a liquor-cost measure, not profit: labor, rent, mixers and waste still come out of that margin.
What is a good pour cost by category
There is no single "right" pour cost — it varies by category, concept and how a drink sells. As a rough guide to where most US bars aim:
- Liquor — 18–22%. The strongest category: a small measure of a moderately priced bottle at a solid menu price. Jiggering every pour is what protects it.
- Cocktails — 18–24%. Multiple ingredients, so the liquor-only figure understates the true cost. Garnish, mixers, ice and citrus all belong in the real number.
- Wine by the glass — 25–28%. The highest of the three. Five 5 oz glasses per 750 ml, and an opened bottle has a short life if it does not sell.
- Draft beer — around 24%. Cheap per ounce but foam, line cleaning and the first pull off a fresh keg all cut into the yield.
A blended pour cost at or below 22% across the whole program is the usual target for a healthy bar. If a category drifts well above its range it is normally over-pouring, comps or waste rather than a pricing decision.
Pricing to a target and keeping pour cost there
Price to a target pour cost
Menu pricing is pour cost in reverse. Decide the pour cost you want for the category, then menu price = cost per pour ÷ target %. A $1.77 pour at a 20% target wants $8.85, so $9 on the menu; at a tighter 18% it is $9.83. Set the target to the benchmark, read the floor price, then let the local market set the ceiling — you can always charge more than the minimum on a drink that moves.
Bottle sizes & pours
750 ml = 16.9 instead of jiggering is the main leak. A 1.5 oz pour thrown by hand is often 1.75–2.25 oz — a 20–50% over-pour landing straight on cost. Add spillage, comps, staff drinks, breakage and unrung sales, and a well drink costed at 19% can quietly run near 26%. A jigger or controlled pourer on every drink, plus a regular inventory comparing theoretical to actual usage, is the single most effective fix.
Cost the pour, not the bottle
Always cost the pour. Two bottles at the same wholesale price have very different economics if one pours at 1.5 oz and the other at 2 oz, or if one is a 750 ml and the other a 1.75 L handle. Enter the real pour and bottle size for each item so the percentage reflects what actually goes in the glass.
❓ Frequently askedFrequently asked questions
What is pour cost?
Pour cost is the wholesale cost of a drink as a percentage of its menu price. Work out the cost of one pour — bottle cost divided by the pours in the bottle — then divide by what you charge. A $30 bottle of well vodka is about $1.18 an ounce, so a 1.5 oz pour costs roughly $1.77; on the menu at $9 that is a 19.7% pour cost. The lower the pour cost, the higher the margin on the drink.
How many drinks do you get from a 750 ml bottle?
A 750 ml bottle holds 25.36 fl oz, so at the standard 1.5 oz pour it yields 16.9 drinks on paper. Most operators plan on 16 to absorb spillage and over-pouring. A 1 liter bottle is 33.8 oz (22 pours) and a 1.75 L handle is 59.2 oz (39 pours). Dropping to a 1.25 oz pour lifts a 750 to about 20 drinks, which is why the house pour size is one of the biggest levers on liquor cost.
What is a good pour cost percentage?
It depends on the category. Most US bars target 18–22% on liquor, 18–24% on cocktails, 25–28% on wine by the glass and around 24% on draft beer. A healthy blended pour cost across the whole bar program sits at or below 22%. There is no single right number — a signature cocktail that sells in volume can carry a higher pour cost — but a category drifting well above its range usually means over-pouring or waste rather than a pricing decision.
How do I price a drink at my bar?
Divide the cost per pour by your target pour cost. A drink costing $1.77 a pour at a 20% target should sell for 1.77 ÷ 0.20 = $8.85, so $9 on the menu. At a tighter 18% target it is $9.83. This works backward from the margin you want instead of guessing. Set the target to the benchmark for the category, then let your market set the ceiling — the calculator gives you the floor.
Does sales tax affect pour cost?
No. US menu prices are quoted pre-tax and sales tax is added at the register, so it never enters the pour-cost sum — the price you enter here is the price you keep. This is a real difference from markets that use a value-added tax, where the posted price includes the tax and has to be stripped out before margin is worked. Rates vary widely by state and city, and some states tax on-premise alcohol at a special rate, but none of that changes your pour cost.
Why is my actual pour cost higher than the number on paper?
750 ml = 16.9 is the usual culprit. A 1.5 oz pour thrown by hand is often 1.75–2.25 oz, and that 20–50% over-pour lands straight on cost. Add spillage, comps, staff drinks, breakage and unrung sales and a well drink costed at 19% can be running near 26%. Jiggers or measured pourers on every drink, plus a regular inventory comparing what sold to what poured, is the most effective fix.
Where these figures come from
Pour cost is a standard hospitality cost-of-goods measure, not a regulated figure. The formulas here are the mainstream bar-management method; the pour standards and benchmark ranges are typical US conventions you can replace with your own numbers.
- Pour cost formula — pour cost % = cost per pour ÷ menu price, where cost per pour = bottle cost ÷ (bottle volume ÷ pour size).
- Target menu price — cost per pour ÷ target pour cost %.
- US pour standards — standard pour 1.5 fl oz; 750 ml = 25.36 fl oz (16.9 pours, commonly planned at 16); 1 L = 33.8 oz; 1.75 L = 59.2 oz; wine 5 fl oz; draft 16 oz pint from a 15.5 gallon half-barrel.
- Benchmark ranges — liquor 18–22%, cocktails 18–24%, wine by the glass 25–28%, draft around 24%, blended at or below 22%; typical industry targets, not fixed rules.
- Alcohol regulation and labeling — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Standards of fill and container sizes are set federally; on-premise service rules and sales tax are set by each state.
Last checked: August 2026. This is a pricing and cost-control estimate, not financial advice. Menu prices are pre-tax; sales tax varies by state and city and does not affect pour cost. Actual yields fall short of theoretical pours because of spillage and over-pouring, so jigger every drink and take inventory regularly.
Select the question that matches where you are right now.
The headline number is the pour cost percentage for this drink — the wholesale cost of one pour as a share of what you charge for it. The breakdown shows pours per bottle, the cost per pour, the gross profit per drink and the price you'd need to hit your target pour cost.
Compare the pour cost to the benchmark for that drink type. If it's above the band, either lift the price to the suggested figure or tighten the pour — a smaller measure or a controlled pourer brings the percentage straight back down.
It's not your profit. Pour cost only counts the wholesale liquor — wages, rent, sales tax, wastage and card fees all come out of the gross margin on top. A 15% pour cost does not mean an 85% profit.
Two bottles at the same price can have very different pour costs if the measures differ. Enter the real pour and bottle sizes so the percentage reflects what actually goes in the glass.
Four things move pour cost the most: the wholesale bottle cost, the pour size, the bottle size and the price you charge.
These set how many pours you get. A 1.5 oz pour from a 750 ml bottle is ≈23 pours; drop to 15 ml and you double it, halving the cost per pour and the pour cost.
Pour cost is cost per pour ÷ price, so raising the price or buying the bottle cheaper both pull the percentage down. It's the ratio that matters, not either figure alone.
Spirits, beer and wine sit in different benchmark bands, and real yield always falls short of the theoretical pours because of spillage, foam and over-pouring — so the actual pour cost runs a little above the calculated one.
A few habits keep the pour cost you calculate close to the one you actually run.
Use a jigger or controlled pourer — free-pouring a 1.5 oz pour often lands at 35–45 ml, a 20–50% over-pour straight onto your cost. This is the single biggest lever.
Compare theoretical usage to actual. A gap between the two is wastage, un-rung sales or over-pouring — find it before it becomes a habit.
Set the target pour cost per category and use the suggested price as your floor. Revisit it whenever a supplier price rises so margins don't quietly erode.
Pour cost is one line in the venue's numbers. Model the wider margin, sales tax and running costs of the business.
Turn cost and price into a gross margin across the whole list.
Profit margin calculator →