Most bars treat tasting flights like regular drinks, but they're completely different beasts. While a pint has one cost price, flights combine multiple premium products at varying quantities. Your margin calculation needs to account for each component separately.
What is a tasting flight?
A tasting flight features 3-6 small samples of different beers, wines or spirits sold as one package. Customers pay a fixed price for the entire selection. Think four craft beer styles or three single malt whiskeys.
The tricky part? You're not pouring full servings of one product. Instead, you're combining small pours of different items, each with its own cost structure.
The cost price of a tasting flight
Your total cost breaks down into three categories:
- Beverages: Every alcoholic drink included in the flight
- Presentation materials: Wooden boards, specialized glasses, garnishes
- Labor overhead: Extra prep time, additional glassware washing
💡 Example beer flight:
Four-beer flight (10cl each) priced at €16.50:
- IPA (€4.50/33cl): 10cl = €1.36
- Stout (€5.20/33cl): 10cl = €1.58
- Tripel (€6.00/33cl): 10cl = €1.82
- Saison (€4.80/33cl): 10cl = €1.45
- Board and glassware: €0.50
Total cost: €7.71
Calculate VAT correctly
Alcohol carries 21% VAT, not the 9% rate for food. This impacts your actual margin:
- Selling price with VAT: €16.50
- Selling price without VAT: €16.50 / 1.21 = €13.64
- Pour cost percentage: (€7.71 / €13.64) × 100 = 56.5%
⚠️ Common mistake:
Many establishments miscalculate by using 9% VAT on alcoholic flights. This makes margins appear better than they actually are. Always use 21% for alcohol.
Standard margins for tasting flights
Flights typically show higher pour costs than individual drinks because:
- You're featuring premium selections in smaller portions
- Customers pay for the curated experience
- Additional costs for specialized presentation
Typical pour cost ranges by category:
- Beer flights: 45-60%
- Wine flights: 35-50%
- Whiskey flights: 50-70%
💡 Premium whiskey example:
Three-whiskey flight (2cl portions) at €24.00:
- Macallan 12 (€85/70cl): 2cl = €2.43
- Glenfiddich 18 (€120/70cl): 2cl = €3.43
- Lagavulin 16 (€95/70cl): 2cl = €2.71
- Presentation costs: €0.75
Total cost: €9.32 | Pour cost: 47.0%
Optimize profitability
Smart flight composition maximizes both customer satisfaction and profit margins:
- Balance premium with accessible: Include one high-end option alongside more affordable choices
- Create narratives: Regional themes, seasonal selections, or style progressions justify premium pricing
- Enable upselling: Encourage full pours of customers' flight favorites
After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've seen how strategic flight design can transform slow-moving inventory into profitable experiences.
💡 Balanced composition example:
Local brewery flight (4x 10cl) for €14.50:
- House lager (€3.20/33cl): 10cl = €0.97
- Seasonal ale (€4.80/33cl): 10cl = €1.45
- Specialty IPA (€6.50/33cl): 10cl = €1.97
- Barrel-aged porter (€8.00/33cl): 10cl = €2.42
Pour cost: 46.8% | Strong quality-to-margin ratio
Digital tracking solutions
Managing pour costs across multiple products and fluctuating wholesale prices gets complicated quickly. Tools like KitchenNmbrs streamline this process by:
- Computing real-time cost calculations for each flight combination
- Enabling side-by-side profitability comparisons
- Monitoring performance metrics across different flight offerings
How do you calculate the margin on a tasting flight?
Calculate the drink costs per flight
Work out how much each drink costs per serving in the flight. Divide the purchase price by the bottle size and multiply by the quantity in your flight. Add up all drink costs.
Add presentation and overhead costs
Add the costs for glasses, boards, garnish and extra dishwashing. Budget approximately €0.50-€1.00 per flight for presentation materials, depending on your quality and style.
Calculate the pour cost percentage
Divide the total cost price by your selling price excluding 21% VAT and multiply by 100. For flights, a pour cost of 45-60% is normal, higher than for regular drinks.
✨ Pro tip
Track your flight sales data for 30 days to identify your three most popular combinations, then create seasonal variations of these winners. This approach maintains customer favorites while introducing profitable new options.
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
Why do tasting flights have higher pour costs than regular drinks?
You're typically featuring premium products in smaller servings, plus additional presentation and labor costs. Customers pay for the curated experience and education, not just the alcohol volume.
Should I use 9% or 21% VAT when calculating flight margins?
Always use 21% VAT for any flight containing alcohol. This applies to beer, wine, and spirit flights. Only completely non-alcoholic tastings qualify for the 9% rate.
How should I select products for profitable flight combinations?
Balance one premium option with two or three more affordable choices. This strategy maintains quality perception while protecting your margins. Test different combinations to find what resonates with your customers.
Can flights help move expensive inventory that's not selling?
Absolutely. Flights let you showcase premium bottles in affordable 1-2cl portions instead of requiring full glass purchases. This turns slow-moving expensive inventory into profit centers.
What's the ideal selling price formula for beer flights?
Target roughly 2.5 times your total cost price for healthy margins. So a €6 cost flight should sell for €15-16, adjusted for your market positioning and customer demographics.
How do I handle flights with drastically different product costs?
Use your most expensive item as the anchor price, then build around it with complementary but less costly options. This lets you feature premium products while maintaining reasonable overall margins.
Should I offer the same flight composition year-round?
No, rotate selections based on seasonal availability, supplier pricing, and customer feedback. Regular changes keep the offering fresh and help manage inventory more effectively.
📚 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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