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Cocktail ABV Calculator

Enter your spirit and mixer volumes and strengths to find the final ABV.

How it is calculated

The tool takes a volume-weighted average of two ingredients: ABV = (Vspirit × ABVspirit + Vmixer × ABVmixer) ÷ (Vspirit + Vmixer). Volumes are in fluid ounces, and the same unit must be used for both, since only the proportion matters for the percentage. The mixer strength is optional and counts as 0 if you leave it empty. The total is shown in oz, and the standard-drinks figure is total × ABV ÷ 100 ÷ 0.6, taking one standard drink as 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol. The result is a simple mix: it does not allow for melted ice, shaking or stirring dilution, or the slight shrinking of alcohol-water mixtures.

Worked example

Mix 1.5 oz of a 40 percent spirit with 3 oz of a 0 percent mixer. Alcohol from the spirit: 1.5 × 40 = 60, mixer adds 3 × 0 = 0, total 60. Total volume: 1.5 + 3 = 4.5 oz, shown as 4.50 oz. Divide: 60 ÷ 4.5 = 13.33, which the tool displays as 13.3%. Pure alcohol is 4.5 × 0.1333 = 0.6 oz, so the standard-drinks figure is 0.6 ÷ 0.6 = 1.00.

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Common mistakes

  • Forgetting the added volume of ice melt. Real drinks served over ice end up weaker than the figure here, which counts only the two liquids.
  • Mixing units, such as spirit in millilitres and mixer in ounces. Use the same unit for both, and note that the total is always labelled oz.
  • Entering the spirit strength as proof. An 80 proof spirit is 40 percent ABV, and the field expects the ABV percentage.
  • Putting a mixer with alcohol, such as a liqueur or vermouth, into the 0 percent default by leaving its strength empty. Enter its ABV or the final percentage is understated.
  • Using more than two ingredients in one pass. The tool has only a spirit and a mixer, so combine the other alcoholic parts into one average first.

About this calculator

When you mix spirits with mixers, the final alcohol by volume (ABV) of the drink is a volume-weighted average of every ingredient’s ABV: multiply each ingredient’s volume by its own ABV, add those up, and divide by the total drink volume. A shot of 40% ABV vodka topped with a large volume of 0% ABV soda water ends up far weaker than the vodka alone — which is exactly why a tall mixed drink can have a much lower effective ABV than a neat pour of the same spirit.

Bartenders and home mixologists use this math to keep cocktails balanced and predictable, and it also feeds into the concept of a standard drink (commonly defined as 14 grams / about 17.7 mL of pure alcohol in the US), which is how many standard drinks a given cocktail counts as for tracking consumption. List the spirit and mixer volumes with their strengths and it gives the mixed drink's final ABV and how many standard drinks the glass holds.

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  • Editorial team

    The percentage is the strength before dilution, but melting ice lowers the served strength. To estimate that, add the water you expect to the mixer volume at 0 percent: 2 oz of 40 percent spirit with 4 oz of mixer gives 13.3 percent, and adding 0.5 oz of water to make the mixer 4.5 oz gives 12.3. The standard drink here is the US definition, 0.6 oz of pure alcohol. How much dilution do you assume for a shaken drink?

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