Standard drink size: what is one drink?
In the US, one standard drink is any drink that holds 14 grams (about 0.6 fluid ounces) of pure alcohol. That is a 12-ounce beer at 5%, a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12%, or a 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof spirits. Most real drinks are bigger or stronger than that, so a pint, a home pour of wine or a cocktail is often 1.5 to 2 standard drinks.
Below: the standard drink chart, a simple sum that works for any drink, a table of common pours, cans and bottles, how other countries count, and how to measure your own glass at home.
The standard drink chart
These are the US government's reference sizes from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Each one holds the same amount of alcohol: about 14 grams.
| Drink | Size of one standard drink | Typical strength |
|---|---|---|
| Regular beer, hard seltzer | 12 fl oz | about 5% |
| Malt liquor, flavored malt drinks | 8–10 fl oz | about 7% |
| Table wine | 5 fl oz | about 12% |
| Fortified wine (sherry, port) | 3–4 fl oz | about 17% |
| Liqueur, cordial, aperitif | 2–3 fl oz | about 24% |
| Spirits (vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, brandy) | 1.5 fl oz | about 40% (80 proof) |
The point of the chart is that "a drink" is a measure of alcohol, not of liquid. A small glass of port and a tall can of beer can hold the same amount. A big glass of wine and a small one do not.
How to work out the standard drinks in any drink
You only need two numbers from the label or menu: how many ounces you are drinking, and the alcohol by volume (ABV, the percent on the label).
Ounces × ABV ÷ 0.6 = standard drinks. Write the ABV as a decimal: 5% is 0.05, 13.5% is 0.135.
- A 16-ounce pint of 5% lager: 16 × 0.05 = 0.8 ounces of alcohol. 0.8 ÷ 0.6 = 1.3 standard drinks.
- A 16-ounce can of 7% IPA: 16 × 0.07 = 1.12. 1.12 ÷ 0.6 = 1.9 standard drinks.
- A 9-ounce glass of 14% red: 9 × 0.14 = 1.26. 1.26 ÷ 0.6 = 2.1 standard drinks.
- A 2-ounce pour of 40% bourbon: 2 × 0.4 = 0.8. 0.8 ÷ 0.6 = 1.3 standard drinks.
If you think in milliliters: milliliters × ABV × 0.789 gives grams of alcohol (0.789 is how much a milliliter of alcohol weighs). Divide the grams by 14 for US standard drinks. A 500 ml can at 5% is 500 × 0.05 × 0.789 = 19.7 grams, or 1.4 standard drinks.
Proof, on US spirits, is twice the ABV. 80 proof is 40%; 100 proof is 50%, so a 1.5-ounce shot of 100-proof spirits is 1.25 standard drinks.
Standard drinks in common pours, cans and bottles
All worked out with the sum above. Real strengths vary by brand, so check your own label; these use typical figures.
| What you're drinking | Size | ABV | Standard drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beer and seltzer | |||
| Light beer, can | 12 oz | 4.2% | 0.8 |
| Regular beer or hard seltzer, can | 12 oz | 5% | 1.0 |
| Pint of lager | 16 oz | 5% | 1.3 |
| Tallboy can | 16 oz | 5% | 1.3 |
| IPA, can or pint | 16 oz | 7% | 1.9 |
| Double IPA, can | 16 oz | 8.5% | 2.3 |
| Large can of malt drink | 24 oz | 8% | 3.2 |
| Malt liquor bottle | 40 oz | 8% | 5.3 |
| Pitcher of beer | 60 oz | 5% | 5.0 |
| Wine | |||
| Standard pour | 5 oz | 12% | 1.0 |
| Restaurant pour | 6 oz | 13.5% | 1.4 |
| Large home pour | 9 oz | 13.5% | 2.0 |
| Small bottle ("split") | 187 ml (6.3 oz) | 12% | 1.3 |
| Canned wine | 375 ml (12.7 oz) | 12% | 2.5 |
| Bottle of wine | 750 ml (25.4 oz) | 12% | 5.1 |
| Bottle of strong red | 750 ml | 14.5% | 6.1 |
| Box of wine | 3 liters | 12.5% | 21 |
| Port or sherry glass | 3 oz | 19% | 1.0 |
| Spirits | |||
| Shot | 1.5 oz | 40% | 1.0 |
| Double | 3 oz | 40% | 2.0 |
| Generous home pour | 2.5 oz | 40% | 1.7 |
| Pint bottle of spirits | 375 ml | 40% | 8.5 |
| Fifth (bottle of spirits) | 750 ml | 40% | 16.9 |
| Canned cocktail | 12 oz | 8% | 1.6 |
Two things stand out. Wine and craft beer are where most people undercount: a large glass of red or a hazy IPA is two drinks, not one. And whole containers add up fast: a bottle of wine is five, a box of wine is about twenty. For the full breakdown of bottles by strength, see how many standard drinks are in a bottle of wine.
Cocktails: how many drinks are in one?
A cocktail is the sum of its alcoholic parts. Mixers like juice, soda and tonic add nothing. Using common recipes:
| Cocktail | Alcohol in a typical recipe | Standard drinks |
|---|---|---|
| Gin and tonic, rum and Coke | 1.5 oz of 40% spirit | 1.0 |
| Bar double, same drink | 3 oz of 40% spirit | 2.0 |
| Margarita | 2 oz tequila (40%) + 1 oz orange liqueur (30–40%) | 1.8–2.0 |
| Martini | 2.5 oz gin (40%) + 0.5 oz dry vermouth (18%) | 1.8 |
| Old fashioned | 2 oz bourbon (45%) | 1.5 |
| Long Island iced tea | Five spirits, 0.5–0.75 oz each (about 40%) | 1.7–2.5 |
| Aperol spritz | 3 oz prosecco (11%) + 2 oz Aperol (11%) | 0.9 |
| Mimosa | 4 oz sparkling wine (12%) | 0.8 |
Bar recipes differ, and many bars pour more than the classic recipe. If a cocktail tastes strong or comes in a big glass, count it as two.
Why your glass is probably more than one drink
The standard sizes were set to make counting easy, not to match how people pour. A few common reasons the real number is higher:
- Big glasses. Many modern wine glasses hold 15 to 20 ounces when full. Filled halfway, that can be 8 to 10 ounces: about two standard drinks.
- Stronger wine. Many reds from warm regions are labeled 14% to 15%. At 15%, a 5-ounce glass is 1.25 drinks.
- Stronger beer. Craft IPAs are often 6.5% to 8%, and they often come in 16-ounce cans.
- Free pours. At home, few people measure spirits. A "splash" is often 2 to 3 ounces.
- Topping up. When a glass gets refilled before it's empty, it's easy to count one glass when you drank two.
Labels can also be a little off. US label rules let a wine of 14% ABV or less be up to 1.5 percentage points away from the stated figure, and a wine over 14% up to 1 point. A bottle labeled 12.5% may really be closer to 14%.
How to measure your own drink at home
This takes five minutes and changes how you count for good.
- Take the glass you actually use most nights.
- Pour your usual amount of water into it, the way you'd pour wine or beer, without trying to be careful.
- Tip the water into a kitchen measuring cup and read the ounces.
- Do the sum with the ABV on your usual bottle: ounces × ABV ÷ 0.6.
- Now pour exactly 5 ounces of water into the same glass and look at the line. That's one drink of 12% wine. Some people mark it with a dot of nail polish or a wine-glass marker.
For spirits, a cheap 1.5-ounce jigger does the same job. For beer, the can is the measure: just read the size and the percent.
Standard drink sizes in other countries
Each country picks its own amount, so a "drink" in one guideline is not a "drink" in another. When you read advice or use an app from abroad, check which one it means.
| Country | One standard drink or unit | Roughly equals |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 14 grams of alcohol | 12 oz beer at 5% |
| Canada | 13.45 grams | 341 ml (12 oz) beer at 5% |
| Australia, New Zealand | 10 grams | about 285 ml of full-strength beer |
| United Kingdom | 8 grams (1 unit = 10 ml of pure alcohol) | half a pint of 3.6% beer |
So one US standard drink is about 1.75 UK units, and a UK guideline of "14 units a week" is about 8 US standard drinks. UK apps count in units; most US advice counts in standard drinks. The drink tracker app guide explains how to set an app to the right one.
Why counting standard drinks matters
Every US guideline and screening question is written in standard drinks. If you count glasses instead, you can be well over a line without knowing it.
- Weekly limits. NIAAA describes low-risk drinking as no more than 14 standard drinks a week for men and 7 for women, and no more than 4 or 3 on any day. Heavy drinking is 15 or more a week for men and 8 or more for women.
- Binge drinking. About 5 drinks for men or 4 for women in around 2 hours, the amount that usually brings blood alcohol to 0.08%.
- Calories. Alcohol has about 7 calories per gram, so each standard drink carries about 100 calories from the alcohol alone, before any sugar or mixer.
- Screening. Doctors' short questionnaires, like the AUDIT-C, ask "how many drinks on a typical day." The score only means something if your "drink" is a standard one.
Someone who has "two glasses of wine a night" from a 9-ounce pour at 14% is having about 4 standard drinks a night, or close to 30 a week. Counted as glasses, that sounds moderate. Counted properly, it is well past the heavy line. To see where your week lands, read how many drinks a week is normal, then am I drinking too much alcohol for the self-checks.
Using standard drinks to cut back
Counting is the first tool almost every cutting-back method uses, because it turns a vague feeling into a number you can change.
- Count one normal week in standard drinks, using the table above. Don't change anything yet.
- Look for the big ones. Usually it's one drink type or one pour size that carries most of the total.
- Shrink before you skip. Smaller glasses, a 5% beer instead of an 8% one, a single instead of a double. This often cuts a quarter of the week without giving up a single drinking occasion.
- Then add dry days and set a weekly number. The step-by-step version is in how to cut down on alcohol gradually.
Counting tells you how much. It doesn't tell you why you pour. Our free drinking pattern quiz asks when and why you usually drink and names your pattern, so you know which moment to work on first.
Questions people ask
Is a pint of beer one standard drink?
No. A 16-ounce pint of 5% beer is about 1.3 standard drinks. A pint of a 7% IPA is close to 2.
Is a glass of wine one standard drink?
Only if it's 5 ounces of 12% wine. A restaurant pour of 6 ounces is about 1.2 to 1.4, and a generous home glass is often 2.
How many standard drinks are in a bottle of wine?
About 5 for a 750 ml bottle at 12%, and about 6 at 14.5%.
Is a hard seltzer the same as a beer?
Most 12-ounce hard seltzers at 5% are one standard drink, the same as a regular beer. Some are 8%, which makes them 1.6.
Does a mixer make a drink weaker?
It makes it taste weaker, not hold less alcohol. A gin and tonic with 1.5 ounces of gin is one standard drink whether it's topped with 4 ounces of tonic or 8.
Is a UK unit the same as a standard drink?
No. A UK unit is 8 grams of alcohol; a US standard drink is 14 grams. One US drink is about 1.75 units.
Know your number, then find your moment
Once you've counted, the free 2-minute drinking pattern quiz shows when and why most of your drinks happen, and where a 30-day plan to drink less would start.
Take the quizMore on drinking less: all our drink-less guides.
Sources: NIAAA, "What Is a Standard Drink?" and Rethinking Drinking (standard drink sizes, drinking levels, cocktail content). NIAAA, "Drinking Levels Defined" (heavy and binge drinking). Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health, 2023 (13.45 g). Australian Government Department of Health, standard drinks guide (10 g). UK NHS, alcohol units (8 g / 10 ml). US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, wine labeling: alcohol content tolerances. AUDIT-C, World Health Organization AUDIT manual. This guide is general information, not medical advice.