Financial Management
Pour Cost Calculator
Calculate your bar's pour cost percentage per drink. Enter bottle cost, size, and pour size to get cost per pour, target pricing, and a side-by-side comparison across your bar menu. Aim for 18-24% pour cost to keep margins healthy.
Pre-filled with common spirits, draft beer, and house wine. Edit to match your bar menu.
Avg Pour Cost
15.2%
Drinks Tracked
6
Rev per Round
$65.50
Cost per Round
$10.10
$55.40 profit
Best Margin
Well Vodka
Watch Out
Draft IPA (keg)
Target Pricing (at 20% pour cost)
Well Vodka
$2.88
Jameson Irish Whiskey
$8.57
Patron Silver Tequila
$12.71
Hendrick's Gin
$10.35
Draft IPA (keg)
$7.62
House Cabernet (bottle)
$8.38
Industry Pour Cost Benchmarks
| Category | Target Range |
|---|---|
| Spirits (neat/rocks) | 15-20% |
| Draft Beer | 20-24% |
| Bottled Beer | 24-28% |
| Wine by the Glass | 28-35% |
| Cocktails (mixed) | 18-22% |
What Is Pour Cost?
Pour cost is the percentage of a drink's menu price that goes to the liquor, beer, or wine inside it. If a cocktail costs you $2.10 to pour and you sell it for $12, your pour cost is 17.5%. It is the beverage equivalent of food cost percentage and the single most important number for bar profitability.
The formula: Pour Cost % = (Cost per Pour / Menu Price) x 100
Most bar operators target 18-24% overall pour cost. Spirits typically run lowest (15-20%), while wine by the glass sits higher (28-35%) due to spoilage risk and smaller bottle yields. Use our food cost calculator alongside this tool to track both food and beverage margins together.
How to Use This Calculator
- 1Enter each drink's name, bottle cost, and bottle size in milliliters (750mL standard, 1000mL liter, 58,670mL half-barrel keg)
- 2Set the pour size in ounces (1.5oz standard spirit pour, 5oz wine, 16oz pint)
- 3Add your current menu price to see pour cost percentage instantly
- 4Review the results panel for average pour cost, best/worst margins, and target pricing
- 5Add more drinks to compare your entire bar menu side by side
How to Calculate Liquor Cost (Step by Step)
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cost per mL | $28.99 / 750 mL | $0.0387 |
| 2. Pour in mL | 1.5 oz x 29.57 mL | 44.36 mL |
| 3. Cost per pour | $0.0387 x 44.36 mL | $1.72 |
| 4. Pours per bottle | 750 mL / 44.36 mL | 16.9 |
| 5. Pour cost % | $1.72 / $11.00 menu | 15.6% |
This per-drink approach is more accurate than the inventory method (beginning inventory + purchases - ending inventory / sales), which only tells you your blended average. Tracking individual drink pour costs lets you spot which items are dragging margins down, so you can adjust pricing or switch to a redesigned bar menu that pushes higher-margin pours.
5 Ways to Lower Your Pour Cost
Standardize every pour
Use jiggers or measured pourers on every bottle. Free-pouring averages 20-30% over-pour, which destroys your margins silently.
Negotiate bottle pricing quarterly
Ask your distributor for case discounts or volume breaks. A $2 savings per bottle on your top 10 spirits adds up to thousands annually.
Track draft beer separately
Keg yield varies by line length, temperature, and pour technique. A 1/2-barrel should yield ~124 pints, but most bars lose 10-20% to foam.
Run weekly variance reports
Compare theoretical pour cost (what you should have used) vs. actual (what inventory shows). A gap over 3% signals over-pouring or theft.
Price cocktails by ingredient cost
A margarita with premium tequila costs more to pour than a vodka soda. Cost each cocktail individually rather than using a flat markup.
Controlling pour cost is just one piece of running a profitable bar. Make sure you also have proper liquor licensing and understand your dram shop liability exposure.
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