How Much Ice Does a Bar Need per Night?
Running out of ice on a busy night means slower service and lost sales. Here is a simple way to estimate how much ice your bar needs.
Ice per drink
A highball or spirit and mixer uses roughly 150–200 g of ice in the glass. Shaken cocktails use more, because ice is used in the shaker and again in the glass, and crushed-ice cocktails such as mojitos and juleps use the most. Ice for bottle buckets, back-bar wells and chilling stock comes on top of that.
A quick estimate
- Count the iced drinks you sell on a busy night (from your till reports).
- Multiply by about 0.2 kg for mixed drinks, or 0.3–0.4 kg for cocktails.
- Add 20–30% for ice wells, buckets, wastage and melt.
Example: 400 mixed drinks × 0.2 kg = 80 kg, plus 25% = about 100 kg, or around eight or nine 12 kg bags.
Ice machine or bagged ice?
Most bars use both. An ice machine covers normal trade, and bagged ice covers peaks: Friday and Saturday nights, big matches, private hire, bank holidays and heatwaves, or days when the machine breaks down. Ordering bags the day before means you always have a back-up in the freezer.
Plan for the busy days
- Keep at least a few spare bags frozen at all times.
- Order extra before forecast hot weather and big events.
- Use cube ice for spirits and highballs, crushed ice for cocktails and displays; see crushed ice vs ice cubes.
Nice Ice supplies bars, pubs and clubs across London; see ice supplier for bars and pubs.
Ordering ice from Nice Ice
- £10 per 12 kg bag: cube ice, crushed ice or 6 × 2 kg bags.
- Free delivery across London from 5 bags.
- Order by 5pm for next-day delivery, Monday to Saturday, morning or afternoon slot.
- Regular orders? Open a trade account.
Frequently asked questions
How much ice per drink does a bar use? Roughly 150–200 g for a spirit and mixer, and more for shaken or crushed-ice cocktails.
How many bags of ice does a busy bar need? Estimate your iced drinks × 0.2 kg, add 20–30% for wells and melt, then divide by 12 kg per bag. 400 drinks is about eight or nine bags.
Should a bar use bagged ice if it has an ice machine? Yes, as back-up for busy nights, events, hot weather and breakdowns.