Markup & Suggested Price

How PourCost reverses the pour cost formula to tell you what to charge to hit your target.

Updated May 6, 2026

Pour cost answers "what's my percentage on this drink." Suggested price answers "what should I charge so my percentage hits the target." Same formula, solved for the other variable.

Markup

How much you raise price over cost, expressed as a multiple or percentage. A $2 cost sold at $10 is a 5x markup, or 400%.

Suggested Price

Price PourCost calculates from cost and target pour cost. It's the number that hits your goal exactly.

The math

Suggested price equals cost divided by target pour cost. A $2 ingredient cost at a 20% target gives $2 divided by 0.20, which is $10. A $4 cost at the same target gives $20.

Where you'll see it

Every cocktail screen shows a suggested price under the pour cost hero. Every spirit ingredient shows a suggested per-pour retail price based on its tier target. You can override these manually, and PourCost remembers your override and shows the resulting pour cost against the target.

Heads up

Suggested prices are a starting point. Round to a clean number that fits your menu, your neighborhood, and your guest psychology. A $9 cocktail and a $10 cocktail are mathematically a buck apart and perceptually a different drink.