Cocktail Cost Calculator

Last Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Created by

Saqib Hanif

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Reviewed by

Muhammad Waqar

Hafiz Muhammad Waqar

Hafiz Muhammad Waqar is a finance, real-estate, and sports-related calculators reviewer at Calculator Value. He is self-taught through online learning and practical experience. He drafts and reviews finance-related calculator explanations and supporting content, helping to present key assumptions and methodology in simple terms, and does not provide financial advice. He also supports the review of sports-related calculators where applicable. Read full profile

The Cocktail Cost Calculator estimates cost per cocktail and suggests a menu price using your target COGS. Enter bottle cost/size, pour size, other-ingredient cost per cocktail, and target COGS%.

Formulas

Spirit Cost per Cocktail = (Bottle Cost ÷ Bottle Size mL) × Pour Size mL
Total Cost per Cocktail = Spirit Cost + Other Ingredients Cost
Suggested Price = Total Cost ÷ (Target COGS% ÷ 100)
Gross Profit per Cocktail = Suggested Price − Total Cost
Gross Margin (%) = (Gross Profit ÷ Suggested Price) × 100

Example

Inputs: Bottle Cost $30; Bottle Size 750 mL; Pour Size 59 mL; Other Ingredients Cost $0.80; Target COGS 20%.

Spirit Cost per Cocktail = 30 ÷ 750 × 59 = $2.36
Total Cost per Cocktail = 2.36 + 0.80 = $3.16
Suggested Price = 3.16 ÷ (20 ÷ 100) = 3.16 ÷ 0.20 = $15.80
Gross Profit per Cocktail = 15.80 − 3.16 = $12.64
Gross Margin = 12.64 ÷ 15.80 × 100 ≈ 80.0%

Numbers are rounded to the nearest cent.

Resources:

https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/blog/liquor-cost-percentage
https://www.provi.com/blog/operations/understanding-bar-and-beverage-costs

Related Calculators

Food Cost Percentage→Restaurant VAT→Pour Cost→Food Cost Calculator for Recipes→

Whether you are a restaurant owner, cook, or a bar chef, you might be looking for a way to estimate cocktail cost. You no longer need to worry about it — we have prepared a dedicated cocktail cost calculator that takes a few pieces of data as input to estimate the suggested menu price based on your desired margin.

In this guide, we go through in detail the data needed for this calculator, the exact method used for estimating cost, and the FAQs.

Let’s dive deep.

What is a Cocktail Cost Calculator?

A Cocktail Cost Calculator is a free online financial tool that helps bar owners, mixologists, or cocktail enthusiasts find out how much each cocktail costs to make — including spirits, syrups, juices, and garnishes. The calculator is flexible enough to allow you to set menu prices and helps you plan your cocktail menu pricing.

We do our best to ensure the calculator solves your problem, but please remember to take this calculator as an estimate only, as there are other factors that also affect the actual cost, such as portion size, waste, and ingredient costs.

Free Cocktail Cost Calculator: Excel & Google Sheets Template

Why build a template from scratch? We have prepared an easy-to-use cocktail cost calculator template in both Excel and Google Sheets that allows you to simply plug in the values and instantly see the calculated results within the template. Whether you want to work offline in Excel or online in Google Sheets, download the template below.

Download Excel Spreadsheet Open Google Sheets Version

Curious to know exactly how the cocktail cost is calculated? Let’s take a look at the following steps.

How Cocktail Cost is Calculated?

Estimating the cocktail cost is essential for determining a profitable menu price, as every ingredient included in a cocktail costs you money. You no longer need to scratch your head, as cocktail costing will no longer cause you a headache.

We explain the steps involved in determining key data such as total cost per cocktail, target COGS, and profit margin:

Base Spirit Cost
- Start with the purchase price of your bottle (e.g., $$30$ for a $750 mL$ gin).
Bottle Size & Pour Size
- Divide the bottle’s cost by its size to get the cost per mL.
- Multiply by your standard pour (e.g., $59 mL \approx 2 oz$ ) to find the spirit cost per cocktail.
Other Ingredients
- Add juices, syrups, garnishes, and even the ice cube if you’re fancy.
Total Cost Per Cocktail
- Spirit cost + other ingredients = your true cocktail cost.
Target COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) %
- Bars usually aim for $18-25%$ pour cost.
- The calculator uses your target (e.g., $20%$ ) to reverse-engineer the suggested menu price.
Profit Margin & Gross Profit
- Once you set your price, the tool shows your gross profit (dollars per drink) and margin (%).

To make the calculation obvious and clear, in the following section we take a real-world example into consideration to help you grasp the calculation method for cocktail cost.

Example: How to Price a Classic Margarita

We are supposing the following key data to price a classic margarita:

Bottle of tequila: $$30 (750 mL)$
Pour size: $59 mL (\approx 2 oz)$
Other ingredients: $$1.20$ (lime juice, triple sec, salt, ice)
Target COGS: $20%$

👉 Spirit cost per cocktail = ($30 ÷ 750) × 59 ≈ $$2.36$

👉 Total cost per cocktail = $2.36 + $1.20 = $$3.56$

👉 Suggested menu price = $3.56 ÷ 20% = $$17.80$

👉 Profit per cocktail = $17.80 − $3.56 = $$14.4$

This calculation shows that pricing your margaritas at around $$18$ will give you a desirable profit of about $$14.4$ per drink.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a good COGS percentage for cocktails?

Most bars consider $18%$ to $25%$ a good COGS percentage, but some premium cocktails can go a little higher. Still, keeping it under $30%$ is the rule of thumb.