Last month, a bartender friend charged just €35 per person for a three-hour cocktail workshop and barely broke even. The problem? He'd only calculated the booze costs, ignoring labor, materials, and overhead. Most workshop hosts make this same costly mistake.
All costs of a cocktail workshop
Your workshop expenses go way beyond the bottles behind the bar:
- Ingredients: Alcohol, mixers, garnish, ice
- Materials: Shakers, jiggers, glasses, napkins
- Staff: Bartender/instructor time
- Space: Part of your fixed costs
- Preparation: Mise-en-place, purchasing, cleaning up
💡 Example: Workshop for 8 people
Each participant makes 3 cocktails (Mojito, Cosmopolitan, Old Fashioned):
- Alcohol per person: €12.00
- Mixers and garnish: €3.50
- Materials (depreciation): €2.00
- Instructor (2 hours): €15.00
Cost price per person: €32.50
Calculating ingredients
Figure out your alcohol and mixer requirements for each cocktail recipe. Then multiply by how many drinks each person will make.
⚠️ Note:
Alcohol carries 21% VAT, not 9%. Always work with the price excluding VAT for accurate cost calculations.
For spirits, use this formula: Cost per cl = (Purchase price incl. VAT / 1.21) / Number of cl per bottle
💡 Example: Vodka calculation
Vodka bottle 70cl costs €24.20 incl. 21% VAT:
- Price excl. VAT: €24.20 / 1.21 = €20.00
- Per cl: €20.00 / 70 = €0.286
- For Cosmopolitan (4cl vodka): €1.14
Including staff costs
Don't forget prep and cleanup time. Most workshops need 2-3 hours total including setup and breakdown.
Workshop instructor rates typically run €25-50 per hour, varying by experience and location. One of the most common blind spots in kitchen management is undervaluing this skilled labor time.
💡 Example: Staff costs
Workshop from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, prep from 6:00 PM, cleanup until 9:30 PM:
- Total time: 3.5 hours
- Hourly rate: €35
- Total: €122.50
- Per person (8 participants): €15.31
Materials and overhead
Your glassware and bar tools aren't free, even if you already own them. They break, wear out, and need replacing.
Add a slice of your fixed expenses too: rent, utilities, insurance. Budget €5-10 per person for these overhead costs.
Determining margin and selling price
Your cost price is just the starting point. You need profit on top to make this worthwhile.
Workshop margins usually fall between 40-60%. Use this formula: Selling price = Cost price / (1 - Desired margin)
💡 Example: From cost price to selling price
Cost price: €32.50 per person, desired margin: 50%
- Minimum selling price: €32.50 / 0.50 = €65.00
- Rounded: €67.50 per person
- For group of 8: €540 total
How do you calculate the cost price of a cocktail workshop?
Calculate ingredient costs per person
Add up all alcohol, mixers, garnish and ice that each participant uses. Calculate alcohol excl. 21% VAT. Don't forget the ice and limes.
Calculate staff costs
Add up preparation, the workshop itself and cleanup. Divide this by the number of participants. Use a realistic hourly rate for instruction.
Add materials and overhead
Calculate €2-5 per person for material use and €5-10 for overhead (space, energy, insurance). This gives you the total cost price per participant.
✨ Pro tip
Track your actual ingredient usage for the first 3 workshops against your estimates. Most hosts underestimate garnish costs and ice consumption by 20-30%, so adjust your standard calculations accordingly.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I include VAT in my cost price calculation?
No, always calculate excluding VAT. Alcohol carries 21% VAT, so divide the purchase price by 1.21. Your cost price stays VAT-free, then you add VAT back to your final selling price.
How much alcohol do I use per person in a workshop?
Plan for 3-4 cocktails per participant with roughly 5cl spirits per drink. That's about 15-20cl alcohol per person, depending on your cocktail selection.
What's a reasonable margin for cocktail workshops?
Aim for 40-60% margin minimum. Workshops are labor-heavy and you're selling an experience, not just drinks. Calculate at least 50% margin to stay profitable.
How do I handle different group sizes?
Calculate your per-person cost price first. Split staff costs across all participants - smaller groups mean higher per-person costs due to fixed labor expenses.
Should I account for no-shows?
Absolutely. Budget for 5-10% no-shows and require advance payment. You've already bought ingredients and blocked out time, so establish clear cancellation policies.
What if participants drink more than planned during the workshop?
Build a 10-15% buffer into your ingredient calculations. Some guests will sample extra or remake cocktails, so factor this waste into your original cost estimates.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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