By: Nora Khoury-Potrus
Highlights
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A standard drink in the United States contains 14 grams of pure alcohol
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1 to 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits or liquor (also known as a shot) is equal to one standard drink
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For beer 12 ounces of 5% ABV beer is considered one drink
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Most non-craft beers have an ABV of 5%, meaning one 12-ounce beer equals one drink
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A standard serving of wine is 5-ounces for wine that is 12% ABV
What is a Standard Drink in the United States?
No matter what you are drinking, whether that is liquor, wine, or beer, drinks can differ based on how strong they are. For example, a beer with 5% ABV (alcohol by volume) has a different amount of beer than one with a 10% ABV.
Because of these differences in strength, a standard drink in the United States contains 14 grams of pure alcohol.
How many ounces is a glass of beer?
For beer, 12 ounces is considered one drink. Most packaged beers that you can buy at liquor stores come in 12oz cans or bottles.
How many ounces is a glass of wine?
A standard serving of wine is 5-ounces.
Don’t let your glass fool you when you’re pouring wine. A standard white wine glass has a capacity of 8 to 12 ounces and red wine glasses, 8 to 22 ounces. This means a 5-ounce pour of wine might look deceivingly small depending on the glass you use.
How many ounces is a shot of liquor?
When pouring liquor or spirits, a standard serving is one shot, or 1 to 1.5 ounces.
How do you know how much alcohol is in your drink?
Understanding how much alcohol is in your drink is much different than knowing what a standard serving is. This is because different drinks can have different strengths of alcohol (remember our comparison of 5% ABV beer vs 10% ABV).
Below we’ll break down in more detail how you can have some clarity on how much alcohol is in your drink so you can continue to drink responsibly.
How much alcohol is in beer?
When it comes to beer, 12 ounces of 5% ABV beer is equal to 14 grams of pure alcohol - also known as one standard drink in the US.
Most non-craft beers have an ABV of 5%, meaning one 12-ounce beer equals one drink.
If you’re drinking a beer with a higher ABV, for example a 10% ABV craft beer, a 12-ounce serving of that beer will have 28 grams of pure alcohol or be equal to two standard drinks.
How much alcohol is in a glass of wine?
For most wines, 5-ounces of wine is considered a standard serving and is equal to 14 grams of pure alcohol as long as the wine has a 12% ABV.
How much alcohol is in one shot of liquor or spirits?
1 to 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits or liquor (also known as a shot) is equal to one standard drink (14 grams of pure alcohol).
Most shot glasses are sized at this amount, so when making mixed drinks or cocktails, you can simply fill a shot glass to understand how many servings of liquor you’re adding.
This applies whether you’re using a shot of whiskey or another favorite liquor of choice.
Standard Drink FAQs
How many glasses are in a bottle of wine?
A standard wine bottle is 750ml and contains 5 glasses of wine. This assumes a standard 5oz serving of wine is being used when pouring.
How many drinks are in a 12-ounce beer with a 10% ABV?
A 12-ounce beer with a 10% ABV has twice the amount of alcohol as a standard bottle of beer, which usually has an ABV of 5%. This is equal to not one, but two standard drinks,
How many drinks are in a pint of beer?
In the United States, a pint has 16 ounces, which is 1.5-times larger than a standard 12-ounce beer.
When drinking a pint, if your beer of choice has 5% ABV, you should consider your pint to equal 1.5 drinks. If it is stronger and has 10% ABV, your pint would be equal to 3 standard drinks.
Why is it important to understand standard drink measurements?
Understanding what is a standard drink is important for all wine, liquor, or beer drinkers. Doing so allows you to drink responsibly and makes it easier to enjoy your favorite beverage of choice or to properly measure and serve your friends and loved ones.
Keep reading below to learn more about what is a standard drink and how that definition differs when you are drinking liquor, wine, or beer.
Sources
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https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drink
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https://www.marthastewart.com/how-many-glasses-of-wine-in-bottle-8422047