How pour cost is calculated
Pour cost is the bar's version of food cost: what the liquid in the glass cost you, as a share of what you sold it for.
The cost of the drink is the bottle cost divided by the bottle size, times the amount poured, plus any mixer, garnish or juice. For draught beer it's the keg cost spread over the serves you actually get out of the keg after line cleaning and foam, which is why the calculator includes a loss allowance.
A worked example
The calculator opens on a vodka and tonic. A 700ml bottle costs $38, so each millilitre costs about 5.4 cents and a 30ml pour costs $1.63. Add $0.40 for tonic, lime and ice and the drink costs $2.03 to make.
At $12 before tax, that's a pour cost of 16.9% and $9.97 profit per drink. The bottle gives 23 pours, so it earns about $230 in profit before it's empty.
Now let the pour run 15% over, a 34–35ml pour instead of 30ml. The drink now costs $2.27, pour cost rises to 19%, the bottle gives 20 drinks instead of 23, and you lose 24 cents on every drink. At 300 drinks a week that's about $3,800 a year, for nothing anyone can see.
Pour cost targets by drink type
| Category | Target pour cost |
|---|---|
| Spirits | 15–20% |
| Draught beer | 20–25% |
| Wine by the glass | 20–28% |
| Cocktails | 18–24% |
| Bottled wine | 30–40% |
| Coffee | 12–18% |
| Soft drinks and house sodas | 10–15% |
A well-run beverage program blends out at 18–25%, about ten points better than food. That's why moving part of a table's spend from food to drinks lifts profit without adding covers. Our guide to restaurant beverage profit margins covers the full picture.
Percentage versus dollars
Pour cost percentage is the right tool for catching waste and theft. It's the wrong tool for deciding what to sell. A bottle of wine costing $18 and selling for $52 has a 35% pour cost, the worst in the table, and still puts $34 in the till in one transaction with almost no labour. A $13 glass at 24% returns around $9.
Use the percentage to spot problems, and the profit per drink and profit per bottle to decide what your staff should recommend. The same applies to food. The menu price calculator shows both for each dish.
Where pour cost leaks
- Free pouring. Measured by eye, a 30ml pour routinely comes out at 35–40ml. Jiggers or measured pourers close it immediately.
- Wine by the glass yield. A 750ml bottle should give five 150ml glasses. Poured generously it gives four, and cost per glass rises by a quarter.
- Draught line losses. Line cleaning, foaming and settling all use real volume. Compare kegs bought against pints sold each month; 5–8% loss is normal, more is training or gas pressure.
- Unrecorded comps and staff drinks. Fine as a deliberate decision. As an unexplained gap in the stocktake, it looks like a pour cost problem.
- Old bottle prices. Supplier increases creep in a few percent at a time. Re-cost your top sellers every quarter.
The only way to know your real bar pour cost is a regular stocktake. Do restaurants need stocktakes? explains how to do it without losing a Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate pour cost?
Divide the cost of what's in the glass by the selling price excluding tax. A $2.03 vodka and tonic sold for $12 has a pour cost of 16.9%.
What is a good pour cost percentage for a bar?
15–20% for spirits, 20–25% for draught beer and 20–28% for wine by the glass. Blended across the bar, 18–25% is a well-run program.
How do I price a cocktail?
Add up the cost of every ingredient at the amount used, plus garnish, then divide by your target pour cost. A cocktail costing $3.60 to make at a 20% target needs to sell for $18 before tax.
How many standard pours are in a bottle?
A 700ml bottle gives 23 30ml pours; a 750ml bottle gives 25 30ml pours or 16 1.5oz pours; a litre bottle gives 33 30ml pours, before any spillage.
Should I use fl oz or ml?
Whichever your bottles and jiggers use. Pour cost depends only on the share of the bottle in each drink, so the result is the same either way. The toggle at the top of the calculator switches the labels and examples.