Cost & pricing
Cocktail Spec Cost Calculator
What does this cocktail cost me once I count every ingredient?
Pour cost on the base spirit hides modifiers, juice, and syrup. Enter the full build and see what the drink really costs. Container size is in millilitres, which is what the label says.
Your numbers
A worked example is already loaded. Replace any field with the figures from the source named beside it.
The answer
Drink cost
23.1%
$3.70 of cost on a $16.00 cocktail
- Total cost per drink$3.70
- Gross profit per drink$12.30
- Ingredient cost$3.35
- Garnish, ice and waste$0.35
- Price to hit your target$16.81
Spirits and cocktail pour cost, % of sales
Trade guidance- Spirits, reported category average15%
- All beverage categories blended18–24%
Widely repeated in trade press and vendor guides. Useful as a rule of thumb, but not survey data.
No industry association publishes a spirits pour-cost survey the way the National Restaurant Association publishes food and labour. These figures come from one inventory-software vendor's trade guidance, not measured industry data. Your own theoretical pour cost is the more reliable comparison.
Source: Backbar Academy, average liquor cost guide (2025)
03 Show the arithmetic
04 What the answer leaves out
- Keep container size and amount used in the same unit. The default rows use millilitres throughout; 1 oz is 29.57 ml.
- Labour is not included. A drink with a three-minute build costs more than this number says.