Standard Drinks: How Much Alcohol Is In Your Beverage?

February 14 2022

What is a Standard Drink?
The Formula for Standard Drinks
Consuming Guidelines of Standard Drinks
Standard Drinks of Alcohol Beverages
Standard Drinks FAQ

Whether you're at a bar, club, or party, it's important to know how much alcohol is in your drink. That way, you can pace yourself and avoid getting too drunk. If you're looking for something to wet your whistle, look no further! This article will tell what a standard drink is and how it's different from every other type of liquor.

What is a Standard Drink?

A standard drink is a measurement of alcohol in a beverage. Beer, wine, and spirits all have the same ethanol content measured in grams. Many countries like Canada utilize standard drinks, while others use the term unit to represent the same concept.

All alcoholic beverage bottles, cans, and casks must be labeled with the standard drinks they contain.

Counting standard drinks and looking at labels is a solid approach to knowing and regulating how much alcohol you're consuming. Drinks come in various sizes and strengths, some more potent than others. It depends on the container's size and the amount of alcohol inside.

Serving sizes are generally consistent in pubs and bars. At home, you're probably pouring different amounts every time you make cocktails. However, by looking at the label of a typical drink, you may get a sense of how many drinks you should serve from each bottle.

The basic beverages' contents are listed on the label of each container. If your beer bottle says, it contains 1.5 standard drinks, meaning you can consume 15 grams of pure alcohol.

The Formula for Standard Drinks

A single drink isn't usually the same as a standard drink (std drink). The majority of alcoholic beverages are not available in single-serving containers. Cocktails and mixed drinks can make calculating the amount of alcohol in them challenging.

In calculating the number of standard drinks in an alcoholic beverage, you may use the following formula:

Std drink = Amount of drink (in L) x % ABV x 0.789

The standard drink value is equal to the product of multiplying the amount of drink in liters by the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) multiplied by 0.789 (which is the density of ethanol at room temperature).

For instance, the standard drink for a 750 mL bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon containing 14.5% ABV (alcohol by volume) is calculated this way:

0.75 (bottle in liters) x 14.5 (ABV) x 0.789 (density of ethanol) = 8.58 standard drinks per bottle. This means there are 8.58 standard drinks in a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

So you're a little confused about what constitutes a beverage? Let's put this into perspective. A standard drink in the United States contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol. That number can change depending on the type of liquor and the liquor's alcohol by volume value.

The "standard" drink for liquors is different for every beverage. This means for a regular beer with 5% ABV, the standard drink per bottle is approximately 12 ounces, and for a bottle of wine with a 12% ABV, the std drink would be 5 ounces only.

Consuming Guidelines of Standard Drinks

Indeed, what is considered a standard drink does not always correspond to how drinks are delivered. Many cocktails may contain multiple spirits or are blended with wine or champagne, so they will undoubtedly include more alcohol than a basic drink.

Also, because wine comes in various strengths and glasses come in multiple sizes, the amount of alcohol you consume may not be typical. This is true if you're at home and forget to finish your glass.

The concept of a standard drink, on the other hand, is still valid. Because drink concentrations vary. A standard drink guarantees that the amount of ethanol in each serving is consistent, critical for disseminating information about drinking and its health consequences.

Whether the drinks are spirits, wine, or beer, using a standard drink allows for guidance of standard amounts.

In addition, most recommendations are based on the number of standard beverages that you should not consume in a single day, week, or on a particular event.

Standard drink equivalents to 10 grams of alcohol, which is similar to

285 mL of full-strength beer
425 mL of low strength beer
100 mL of wine (red and white)
30 mL of spirits
275 mL bottle of ready-to-drink beverage (5 percent alcohol content).

Standard Drinks of Alcohol Beverages

The size of an alcoholic drink's container determines how many standard drinks it contains. The figures below should only serve as estimates as brands vary significantly in the actual content levels.

Beer

A small glass of beer

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Full-strength beer (285ml - 4.8%)	1.1
Mid-strength beer (285ml - 3.5%)	0.8
Low-strength beer (285ml - 2.7%)	0.6

A large glass of beer

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Full-strength beer (425ml - 4.8%)	1.6
Mid-strength beer (425ml - 3.5%)	1.2
Low-strength beer (425ml - 0.7%)	0.9

Bottles of cans and beer

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Full-strength beer (375ml - 4.8%)	1.4
Mid-strength beer (375ml - 3.5%)	1.0
Low-strength beer (375ml - 2.7%)	0.8

A Case of beer

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Full strength beer (24 x 375ml - 4.8%)	34
Mid strength beer (24 x 375ml - 3.5%)	24
Low strength beer (24 x 375ml - 3.5%)	19

Wine

Red wine and port

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Average restaurant serving of red wine (150ml - 13.5%)	1.6
A standard serving of red wine (100ml - 13.5% - 3.5%)	1.0
Bottle of red wine (4 liters - 13.5%)	8
Cask of red wine (4 liters - 13.5%)	43
Cask of red wine (2 liters - 13.5%)	21
A standard serving of port (60ml - 17.5%)	0.9
Cask of port (2 liters - 17.5%)	28

White wine

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Average restaurant serving of white wine (150ml - 11.5%)	1.4
A standard serve of white wine (100ml - 11.5%)	0.9
Bottle of white wine (750ml - 11.5%)	6.8
Cask of white wine (4 liters - 11.5%)	36
Cask of white wine (2 liters - 11.5%)	18

Sparkling Drink

Champagne

Alcohol Drink Size

Approximate Number of Standard Drinks

Average restaurant-serve champagne

(150ml 12%)

1.4

Bottle of champagne

(750ml - 12%)

7.1

Spirits

Straight Spirits

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
High strength (30ml - 40%)	1.0
High strength bottle (700ml - 40%)	22

Ready-to-Drink Spirits

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Full strength (275ml - 5.0%)	1.1
Full strength (330ml - 5.0%)	1.2
Full strength (660ml - 5.0%)	2.6
High strength (275ml - 7.0%)	1.5
High strength (330ml - 7.0%)	1.8
High strength (660ml - 7.0%)	3.6

Pre-Mixed Spirits

Alcohol Drink Size	Approximate Number of Standard Drinks
Full strength (250ml - 5.0%)	1.0
Full strength (300ml - 5.0%)	1.2
Full strength (375ml - 5.0%)	1.5
Full strength (440ml - 5.0%)	1.7
High strength (250ml - 7-10%)	1.4 to 1.9
High strength (300ml - 7-10%)	1.6
High strength (375ml - 7%)	2.1
High strength (440ml - 7%)	2.4

Standard Drinks FAQ

1. Why should I know about standard drinks?

Knowing about standard drinks helps people understand what and how much they are drinking and reduces the risks associated with the overall consumption overall. It promotes safe drinking by providing information about standard drinks.

Using a standard drink gives guidance on drinking levels, regardless of whether the drinks are spirits, wine, or beer. Advice is also generally given regarding the number of standard drinks it's best not to exceed in a day, week, or occasion.

2. Are there other ways to check standard drinks?

You can check your alcohol's standard drink by doing the following:

Reading the drink label - All alcohol containers must show the number of standard drinks they contain.

Using an online calculator - There are various websites available.

Asking the bar or staff - The staff can tell you about the drink they serve.

3. Can you pour a standard drink?

When you drink at home, you have to keep in mind that the volume and percentage of your drink affect how many standard drinks you are consuming. The higher the alcohol percentage, the smaller the size of a standard drink.

4. How many standard drinks can I consume?

For men, consuming four or fewer drinks on a single day and less than 14 during a given week is considered low-risk drinking. An alcohol drinker must meet these guidelines daily to stay at this level of risk; if they do so, they will be deemed safe.

Women may develop alcohol use illnesses at lower consumption levels than men, and the suggestions for low-risk drinking vary depending on gender. It is three or fewer standard drinks per day for women with no more than seven weekly total beverage intake.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a way to gauge how much alcohol is in your drink, try counting standard drinks. This approach will help you regulate the amount of alcohol that's safe for consumption and can also be used as an opportunity to reduce intake if necessary.

Checking the labels is another great way to determine the number of standard drinks one glass contains; most labels will list the alcoholic content on them somewhere near the ingredients section.

Finally, don't forget about all those other beverages like wine or beer—they have an ethanol content measured in grams too! Regardless of which type of beverage it is, learning more about its strength can help ensure we stay within our limits while still enjoying it.

Did you find this article helpful? Comment down below and let us know!