How much beer do I need for a cookout?

Plan on two drinks per person in the first hour and one an hour after that. For twelve people over an afternoon, a 30-pack is about right, plus one other bottle for people who do not drink beer.

How much ice do I need for a party?

Two bags for twelve people, three for twenty. Most of it goes to keeping cans cold rather than into glasses, and a cooler in summer heat gets through a bag on its own.

Do you sell bagged ice?

Yes. Emporium Liquor at 3900 147th St, Midlothian, IL 60445 sells bagged ice, cubed and crushed, along with cups, fresh limes and mixers.

What to Bring to a Cookout · Emporium Liquor

The numbers, roughly

Plan on about two drinks per person for the first hour and one an hour after that. It sounds like a lot until you remember the first hour is when everyone arrives at once.

Guests	Beer	Other bottles	Ice
6	12-pack	1 bottle	1 bag
12	30-pack	1 handle or 2 bottles	2 bags
20	30-pack + 12-pack	2 handles	3 bags
30+	2 × 30-pack + seltzer	2 handles + wine	4 bags

These are ranges, not rules. A daytime cookout with kids around runs lighter than the same headcount at night.

Ice is where people get it wrong

Ice is not a drink ingredient at a cookout, it is refrigeration. A cooler in July gets through a bag just keeping the cans cold, before anybody puts a cube in a glass. Buy two bags when you think you need one — a spare bag costs less than the drive back out for it, and a cooler in the shade will hold it most of the afternoon.

Unlabelled aluminium tallboy cans, beaded with condensation, straight off the cold line. — Cold enough to sweat

What travels well

Cans over bottles — no glass near a pool, a grill or bare feet.
A variety pack, so the one person who hates lager is covered without a second trip.
Hard seltzer, which is the thing that runs out first at every summer cookout.
Something non-alcoholic that is not warm soda. Topo Chico and Jarritos both do the job.
Limes, cups and a bottle opener. All three get forgotten, every time.

If you are the guest, not the host

Bring something the host does not have to do anything with. A cold 12-pack, a bottle of tequila, or a bag of ice all work. A bottle of wine that needs chilling at 3pm does not.

We sell singles and tallboys too, so you can round out a pack with the two specific cans somebody asked for instead of buying a second six.

See the beer packs and cases →

Ice, cups, limes and mixers →

Quick answers

How much beer do I need for a cookout?: Plan on two drinks per person in the first hour and one an hour after that. For twelve people over an afternoon, a 30-pack is about right, plus one other bottle for people who do not drink beer.
How much ice do I need for a party?: Two bags for twelve people, three for twenty. Most of it goes to keeping cans cold rather than into glasses, and a cooler in summer heat gets through a bag on its own.
Do you sell bagged ice?: Yes. Emporium Liquor at 3900 147th St, Midlothian, IL 60445 sells bagged ice, cubed and crushed, along with cups, fresh limes and mixers.