Estimate an event bar budget from the parts your venue actually needs.
There is no honest single price for every 100-guest event. A venue with its own working bar and supplies may only need bartenders; a blank room needs a service point; an all-in-one booking also brings the agreed ingredients, ice and glassware. Use the published starting figures below to build a planning estimate, then check the full scope in a written quote.
Published starting figures
- Bartender labour: £270 per person for the first three service hours, then £67.50 per additional hour, per person. As a planning baseline, allow one bartender per 50 guests. Staff-only hire does not by itself supply the event's drinks ingredients, ice, glassware or physical bar.
- Mobile bar structure: £325 for a 1.5-metre unit planned for up to 100 guests. An additional unit is £325 when the numbers or room layout require it. Staffing is booked alongside the bar; the bar-unit figure is not a complete drinks-service price.
- Glassware and travel: glassware with mobile bar hire is usually £2 per person when required. Travel is 35p per mile where applicable and is confirmed from the event location. Other agreed setup needs sit in the quote rather than being hidden inside a starting figure.
A worked example: 100 guests and four hours
At the one-bartender-per-50-guests planning ratio, 100 guests start with two bartenders. Four service hours would be 2 × (£270 + £67.50) = £675 in labour. If the venue also needs one 1.5-metre Cocktailhire bar unit, add its £325 starting figure: £1,000 for those two components. If glassware is required at the usual £2 per person, that adds a further £200.
This is an arithmetic planning example, not an event quote or an all-in-one package price. It has not priced travel, drinks ingredients, ice, any wider setup, or a second bar unit if the room needs one. A sharp arrival wave or a change in service hours can also alter the staffing plan. See what changes the cost of mobile bar hire before comparing quotes.
Choose the right comparison before adding figures
For a venue with a suitable bar and its own supplies, compare bartender hire. If the room needs a physical service point, start with mobile bar hire and add the agreed staffing and extras. If you want the bar, team, selected cocktail ingredients, ice and glassware handled together, compare the all-in-one package; its actual figure depends on the event brief. Do not compare a labour-only number with a package total as though they include the same things.
Use the drinks planner for quantities, then request the event price
The free Wedding & Party Drinks Planner helps with purchasing quantities and working glassware for a self-supplied event. Its method notes explain its assumptions; it does not confirm Cocktailhire availability or replace a supplier quote.
For an early guide figure, send the event town or postcode, guest count, service hours and whether you need staff, a bar or a complete booking. Add the date if known so availability can be checked. You can choose drinks from the existing Cocktailhire menu after the first figure; menu choices do not have to hold up that initial price. Check your date and request the written quote once the venue and service requirements are clear.