What this calculator does
ABV, alcohol by volume, is the standard measure of how much of a drink's volume is pure alcohol. A single spirit, beer or wine has its ABV printed on the label, but a mixed drink blended from several ingredients, each with its own ABV (including non-alcoholic mixers at 0%), needs working out.
This ABV calculator takes a list of component volumes and their individual ABV percentages and works out the blended ABV of the finished drink, along with the total volume and the amount of pure alcohol it contains.
The formula
The blended ABV is the volume-weighted average of the component ABVs: each component's volume is multiplied by its ABV to get the pure alcohol it contributes, those amounts are added up, and the total is divided by the total volume of all components combined.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ABV | Alcohol by volume, the percentage of a drink's total volume that is pure alcohol (ethanol). |
| Component | One ingredient in the mixed drink, each with its own volume and ABV; a non-alcoholic mixer is entered with an ABV of 0. |
| Standard drink | A reference unit of pure alcohol, defined in Australia as 10 g, used to compare drinks of different size and strength on a common scale. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Volumes (comma separated, same units) | The volume of each component, in any consistent unit (such as mL), separated by commas. |
| ABV % of each (comma separated, same order) | The ABV percentage of each component, in the same order as the volumes above. Use 0 for a non-alcoholic mixer. |
When to use it
Working out the ABV of a cocktail or mixed drink
A spirit mixed with a non-alcoholic mixer, such as 30 mL of a 40% spirit topped up with 90 mL of soda water, blends down to a lower overall ABV than the spirit alone.
Checking the strength of a punch or batch cocktail made from several drinks
A punch combining a spirit, a liqueur and a mixer, each at a different ABV and volume, has a blended ABV that is not simply the average of the individual percentages, since it needs weighting by volume.
Comparing a mixed drink against a standard beer or wine
Working out a mixed drink's blended ABV allows a fair comparison against the familiar ABV of a beer (typically around 4-5%) or wine (typically around 12-14%).
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
Blended ABV for a simple spirit-and-mixer drink
A fixed 30 mL of a 40% spirit, mixed with a growing volume of a non-alcoholic mixer.
| Spirit, mixer (mL) | Blended ABV | Total volume |
|---|---|---|
| 30, 30 | 20.00% | 60.00 |
| 30, 60 | 13.33% | 90.00 |
| 30, 90 | 10.00% | 120.00 |
| 30, 120 | 8.00% | 150.00 |
| 30, 150 | 6.67% | 180.00 |
| 30, 200 | 5.22% | 230.00 |
Questions
What is ABV?
Alcohol by volume, the percentage of a drink's total volume that is pure alcohol. A beer at 5% ABV is 5% pure alcohol by volume, with the rest water, flavourings and other ingredients.
How do I calculate the ABV of a mixed drink?
Multiply each component's volume by its ABV to get the alcohol it contributes, add those amounts together, then divide by the total volume of all components. This calculator does that automatically for any number of components entered.
Does adding a non-alcoholic mixer lower the ABV of the whole drink?
Yes. A non-alcoholic mixer has an ABV of 0%, so it adds volume without adding alcohol, which lowers the blended ABV of the finished drink even though the spirit itself is unchanged.
Is this the same as the ABV calculator based on gravity readings?
No. That calculator works out ABV for a home-brewed beer or wine from original and final hydrometer gravity readings, a fermentation measurement. This calculator works out the blended ABV of a finished drink mixed from components of known ABV and volume, a different calculation for a different situation.
For ABV from original and final hydrometer gravity readings during home brewing, see the ABV from gravity readings calculator. To work out water needed to dilute a spirit to a target ABV, see the alcohol dilution calculator.