ALCOHOL

Units of alcohol

Units of alcohol are a measure of the volume of pure alcohol in an alcoholic beverage. They are used in
some countries as a guideline for alcohol consumption. In some other countries a "standard drink",
different from country to country, is defined for the same purpose.

One unit of alcohol is defined as 10 millilitres (7.9 grams) in the United Kingdom;[1] typical drinks
provide 1–3 units.[2] In Australia "a 'standard drink' is the amount of a beverage that contains ten grams of
alcohol at 20 degrees Celsius (12.7 ml)".[3] In the US a "standard" drink is one that contains about 0.6 US
fluid ounces[4] or 14 grams of alcohol, about 77% more than a UK unit.[5]

Labelling is usually required to give an indication of alcoholic content of a serving. In the United
Kingdom the number of units in a typical serving is printed; Australia requires that "the label on a
package of an alcoholic beverage must include a statement of the number of standard drinks in the
package".[3]

A typical healthy adult can metabolise about one unit[clarification needed] per hour, depending on many factors.

Formula

The number of UK units of alcohol in a drink can be determined by multiplying the volume of the drink
(in millilitres) by its percentage ABV, and dividing by 1000.
For example, one imperial pint (568 ml) of beer at 4% ABV contains:

The formula uses ml ÷ 1000. This results in exactly one unit per percentage point per litre, of any
alcoholic beverage.
Since 4% can be expressed as .04, .04 × 568 ml gives the amount of alcohol in terms of ml—which, when
divided by 10, shows the number of units.
When the volume of an alcoholic drink is shown in centilitres, determining the number of units in a drink
is as simple as volume × percentage (converted into a fraction of 1).
Thus, 750 millilitres of wine (the contents of a standard wine bottle) at 12% ABV contain:

Quantities

It is often stated that a unit of alcohol is supplied by a small glass of wine, half a pint of beer, or a single
measure of spirits.[6] Such statements may be misleading because they do not reflect differences in
strength of the various kinds of wines, beers, and spirits.

Chart showing alcohol unit count for drink size and ABV
The advent of smartphones led to the creation of apps which inform consumers of the number of units
contained in an alcoholic drink.[7]

Beers

Half an imperial pint (284 ml) of beer with 3.5% ABV contains almost exactly one unit; however, most
beers are stronger. In pubs in the United Kingdom, beers generally range from 3.5%–5.5% ABV, and
continental lagers start at around 5% ABV. An imperial pint of such lager (e.g., 568 ml at 5.2%) contains
almost 3 units of alcohol[8] rather than the oft-quoted 2 units.
Stronger beer (6%–12%) may contain 2 units or more per half pint (imperial).
A half litre (500 ml) of standard lager or ale (5%) contains 2.5 units.
One litre (1000 ml) of typical Oktoberfest beer (5.5%–6%) contains 5.5–6 units of alcohol.

Wines

A medium glass (175 ml) of 12% ABV wine contains around two units of alcohol. However, British pubs
and restaurants often supply larger quantities (large glass ≈ 250 ml), which contain 3 units. Red wines
often have a higher alcohol content (on average 12.5%, sometimes up to 16%).
Wine sold by the glass is often served in nearly full glasses. Wine served at home, or when bought by the
bottle in, say, a restaurant, is usually served in glasses less than half filled; the capacity of a wine glass is
not the only criterion for judging quantity.
A 750 ml bottle of 12% ABV wine contains 9 units; 16% ABV wine contains 12 units; a fortified wine
such as port at 20% ABV contains 15 units.

Fortified wines

A small glass (50 ml) of sherry, fortified wine, or cream liqueur (≈20% ABV) contains about one unit.

Spirits

Most spirits sold in the United Kingdom have 40% ABV or slightly less. In England a single pub measure
(25 ml) of a spirit contains one unit. However, a larger 35ml measure is increasingly used (and in
particular is standard in Northern Ireland[citation needed]), which contains 1.4 units of alcohol at 40% ABV.
Sellers of spirits by the glass must state the capacity of their standard measure in ml.

Alcopops

Most alcopops contain 1.1–1.5 units per bottle. For example, a normal 275ml bottle of WKD contains 1.1
units,[9] whereas Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice both contain 1.5 units of alcohol.[citation needed]

Time to metabolise

On average, it takes about one hour for the body to metabolise (break down) one unit of alcohol.
However, this can vary with body weight, sex, age, personal metabolic rate, recent food intake, the type
and strength of the alcohol, and medications taken. Alcohol may be metabolised more slowly if liver
function is impaired.[2]

Recommended maximum
Main article: Recommended maximum intake of alcoholic beverages

From 1992 to 1995 the UK government advised that men should drink no more than 21 units per week,
and women no more than 14.[10] (The difference between the sexes was due to the typically lower weight
and water-to-body-mass ratio of women[citation needed].) The Times reported in October 2007 that these limits
had been "plucked out of the air" and had no scientific basis.[11][12]

This was changed after a government study showed that many people were in effect "saving up" their
units and using them at the end of the week, a phenomenon referred to as binge drinking.[citation needed] Since
1995 the advice was that regular consumption of 3–4 units a day for men, or 2–3 units a day for women,
would not pose significant health risks, but that consistently drinking four or more units a day (men), or
three or more units a day (women), is not advisable.[13]

An international study[14] of about 6,000 men and 11,000 women for a total of 75,000 person-years found
that people who reported that they drank more than a threshold value of 2 units of alcohol a day had a
higher risk of fractures than non-drinkers. For example, those who drank over 3 units a day had nearly
twice the risk of a hip fracture.

ABV (Alcohol by volume)

Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol
(ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent).[1][2][3] It
is defined as the number of millilitres of pure ethanol present in 100 millilitres of solution at 20 °C.[4] The
number of millilitres of pure ethanol is the mass of the ethanol divided by its density at 20 °C, which is
0.78924 g/ml. The ABV standard is used worldwide.

In some countries, alcohol by volume is referred to as degrees Gay-Lussac (after the French chemist
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac),[5] although there is a slight difference since Gay-Lussac used 15 °C.
Mixing two solutions of alcohol of different strengths usually causes a change in volume. Mixing pure
water with a solution less than 24% by mass causes a slight increase in total volume, whereas the mixing
of two solutions above 24% causes a decrease in volume.[6] More information on the phenomenon of
volume changes due to mixing dissimilar solutions is discussed in the article on partial molar volume.

Typical Level

Details about typical amounts of alcohol contained in various beverages can be found in the articles about
them.
Drink Typical ABV
Fruit juice (naturally occurring) less than 0.1%
Low-alcohol beer 0.05%–1.2%
Kvass 0.05%–1.5%
Kombucha 0.5%–1.5%
Kefir 0.5%–2.0%
Boza 1%
Chicha 1%–11% (usually 1%–6%)
Cider 2%–8.5%
Beer 2%–12% (usually 4%–6%)
Alcopops 4%–17.5%
Malt liquor 5%+
Makgeolli 6.5%–7%
Barley wine (strong ale) 8%–15%
Mead 8%–16%
Wine 9%–16% (most often 12.5%–14.5%)[7]
Kilju 15%–17%
Dessert wine 14%–25%
Sake (rice wine) 15% (or 18%–20% if not diluted prior to bottling)
Liqueurs 15%–55%
Fortified wine 15.5%–20%[8] (in the European Union, 18%–22%)
Soju 17%–45% (usually 19%)
Shochu 25%–45% (usually 25%)
Ruou (Vietnamese liquor) 27%-38%
Bitters 28%–45%
Mezcal, Tequila 32%–60% (usually 40%)
Vodka 35%–50% (usually 40%, minimum of 37.5% in the European Union)
Brandy 35%–60% (usually 40%)
Rum 37.5%–80%
Ouzo 37.5%+
Cachaça 38%–54%
Sotol 38%–60%
Stroh 38%–80%
Nalewka 40%–45%
Gin 40%–50%
Whisky 40%–68% (usually 40%, 43% or 46%)
Baijiu 40%–60%
Chacha 40%–70%
Centerbe (herb liqueur) 70%
Pálinka 42%–86% (legally in Hungary 48%–51%)
Rakia 42%–86%
Absinthe 45%–89.9%
Ţuica 45%–60% (usually 52%)
Arak 60%–65%
Poitín 60%–95%
Neutral grain spirit 85%–95%
Cocoroco 93%–96%[citation needed]
Rectified spirit 95%-96%
Alcohol proof
Another way of specifying the amount of alcohol is alcohol proof, which in the United States is twice the
alcohol-by-volume number, while in the United Kingdom it is 1.75 times the number (expressed as a
percentage).[9][10] For example, 40% abv is 80 proof in the US and 70 proof in the UK. However, since
1980, alcoholic proof in the UK has been replaced by abv as a measure of alcohol content.

Alcohol by volume and alcohol by weight

In the United States, a few states regulate and tax alcoholic beverages according to alcohol by weight
(abw), expressed as a percentage of total mass. Some brewers print the abw (rather than the abv) on beer
containers, particularly on low-point versions of popular domestic beer brands.

One can use the following equation to convert between ABV and ABW:

At relatively low abv, the alcohol percentage by weight is about 4/5 of the abv (e.g., 3.2% abw is
equivalent to 4.0% abv).[11] However, because of the miscibility of alcohol and water, the conversion
factor is not constant but rather depends upon the concentration of alcohol. 100% abw, of course, is
equivalent to 100% abv.

Calculation of alcohol content

During the production of wine and beer, yeast is added to a sugary solution. During fermentation, the
yeast organisms consume the sugars and produce alcohol. The density of sugar in water is greater than the
density of alcohol in water. A hydrometer is used to measure the change in specific gravity (SG) of the
solution before and after fermentation. The volume of alcohol in the solution can then be calculated.

Wine
The simplest method for wine has been described by English author C.J.J. Berry:[12]

ISBN 1-85486-139-5

Beer
Main article: Beer_measurement § By_strength
The calculation for beer is:[13]{{}}
1.05 is the number of grams of CO2 produced for every gram of ethanol produced,[dubious – discuss] and .79 is
the density of ethanol,

[14]
[15]
However, many brewers use the following formula: