Home › Food & Cooking › Cocktail ABV Calculator

Cocktail ABV Calculator

Computes the alcohol by volume of a cocktail from the volume and strength of each ingredient plus the water added by shaking or stirring with ice, and converts the pure alcohol to grams, US and Australian standard drinks and UK units per serving.

When to use

You want to know how strong a cocktail recipe is, how much pure alcohol a serving contains, or how many standard drinks or units it represents.

Do not use when: You need the alcohol of a fermented batch from gravity readings (use homebrew-abv). Results are informational and must not be used to decide whether someone is fit to drive or how much is safe to drink.

Formula

alcohol_ml = Σ ingredient_volumes_ml_i × ingredient_abvs_percent_i / 100; total_volume_ml = Σ ingredient_volumes_ml_i × (1 + dilution_percent / 100); final_abv = alcohol_ml / total_volume_ml × 100; alcohol_g = alcohol_ml × 0.789; per serving = ÷ servings; US standard drinks = g / 14, Australian = g / 10, UK units = g / 8

Ethanol density 0.789 g/ml at 20 °C; the small volume contraction when mixing alcohol and water is ignored. Dilution defaults to 25 %, a typical value for a shaken or stirred cocktail; actual dilution depends on ice, time and technique. Informational only: results must not be used to decide whether anyone is fit to drive.

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Unit	Required	Description
`ingredient_volumes_ml`	number_list	ml	yes	Volume of each ingredient in millilitres (1 US fl oz = 29.57 ml), in order.
`ingredient_abvs_percent`	number_list	%	yes	Alcohol by volume of each ingredient in percent (0 for juice, syrup, soda), same order.
`dilution_percent`	number	%	default 25	Water added by ice as a percentage of the undiluted volume: about 20–30 % for shaken or stirred drinks, 10–15 % for drinks built over ice and sipped quickly, 0 for neat or pre-batched drinks. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 100
`servings`	integer		default 1	Number of servings the listed ingredients make (per-serving outputs divide by this). Range: ≥ 1, ≤ 100

Outputs

Output	Type	Unit	Description
`total_volume_ml`	number	ml	Sum of ingredient volumes plus dilution water, for all servings.
`serving_volume_ml`	number	ml	total_volume_ml / servings.
`alcohol_ml`	number	ml	Σ volume_i × abv_i / 100 for all servings.
`final_abv_percent`	number	%	alcohol_ml / total_volume_ml × 100 after dilution.
`alcohol_grams`	number	g	alcohol_ml × 0.789 g/ml for all servings.
`alcohol_grams_per_serving`	number	g	alcohol_grams / servings.
`standard_drinks_us`	number		Grams of alcohol per serving / 14 g.
`standard_drinks_au`	number		Grams of alcohol per serving / 10 g.
`units_uk`	number		Grams of alcohol per serving / 8 g (= ml of alcohol / 10).
`strength_description`	string		The cocktail's ABV compared with beer, wine, fortified wine and neat spirits.
`warning`	string		Informational-use notice.

Example

Martini: 60 ml gin 40 % + 30 ml vermouth 18 %, 25 % dilution: {"ingredient_volumes_ml":[60,30],"ingredient_abvs_percent":[40,18],"dilution_percent":25,"servings":1} → {"alcohol_ml":29.4,"total_volume_ml":112.5,"final_abv_percent":26.13,"alcohol_grams":23.2,"standard_drinks_us":1.66,"standard_drinks_au":2.32,"units_uk":2.9}

Margarita batch for 4: 200 ml tequila 40 %, 100 ml triple sec 30 %, 100 ml lime, 20 % dilution: {"ingredient_volumes_ml":[200,100,100],"ingredient_abvs_percent":[40,30,0],"dilution_percent":20,"servings":4} → {"alcohol_ml":110,"total_volume_ml":480,"serving_volume_ml":120,"final_abv_percent":22.92,"alcohol_grams_per_serving":21.7,"standard_drinks_us":1.55}

GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/cocktail-abv?ingredient_volumes_ml=60%2C30&ingredient_abvs_percent=40%2C18&dilution_percent=25&servings=1

Machine access

API: GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/cocktail-abv (query parameters) or POST with a JSON body {"inputs": {...}}
Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/cocktail-abv · Markdown: https://tttkmbb.com/food/cocktail-abv.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/food/cocktail-abv.json
MCP: server https://tttkmbb.com/mcp, tool run_calculator with calculator_id="cocktail-abv"
OpenAPI operationId: calculate_cocktail_abv
Freshness: static. Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use (see rate limits).

Sources

NIAAA – What is a standard drink? (14 g of pure alcohol) (government)
NHS – Calculating alcohol units (1 unit = 10 ml / 8 g of pure alcohol) (government)
Wikipedia – Standard drink (grams of ethanol per standard drink by country) (reference)

FAQ

How much water does ice really add?

Measured dilution is roughly 20–25 % for a stirred drink and 25–30 % for a shaken one (shaking chips ice faster); a drink served on the rocks keeps diluting as it sits. Set dilution_percent to 0 for neat pours or pre-diluted batches.

Why do standard drinks differ between countries?

A US standard drink is 14 g of pure alcohol, an Australian one 10 g and a UK unit 8 g (10 ml); other countries use 8–20 g. Compare grams of alcohol when in doubt.

Can I enter ounces?

Convert first: 1 US fl oz = 29.57 ml, so a 2 oz pour is 59.1 ml. Using 30 ml per ounce introduces only about 1.5 % error.

Related calculators

Homebrew ABV Calculator — Alcohol content of home-fermented beer, cider or mead.
Cooking Measurement Converter — Convert fluid ounces or cups to millilitres.
Calories from Macros Calculator — Alcohol grams contribute 7 kcal/g to the drink's energy.