Understanding what is in your drink will help you make more responsible choices.
When you learn or ask questions about how your beverage was crafted, you may find out that the alcohol beverage in your hand is equivalent to more than one standard drink. Remember this the next time you sip a cocktail, order a glass of wine, or select a beer as your drink of choice.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, one standard drink or “drink equivalent” contains 0.6 ounces of ethanol (the pure alcohol that is in ALL beverage alcohol). A beverage that you drink might have more than one standard drink of alcohol in it. Whether it is in distilled spirits, wine, or beer, the effects of ethanol on the body are the same.
Each of these standard drink examples contains the same amount of alcohol:
12 oz. beer at
10% ABV
5 oz. wine at
12% ABV
1.5 oz. distilled spirits
(80 proof) at
40% ABV
12 oz. ready-to-drink beverages at
5% ABV
Follow these tips for understanding what is in your drink and how much alcohol you are consuming. Remember to make arrangements to get home safely, and be sure others in your party do the same.
Ask questions
about your beverage and its ingredients.
Watch the mixologist
craft your cocktail.
Do not “top off” a glass.
Look at the posted ABV
of your distilled spirit, wine, beer, or ready-to-drink beverage. If you’re drinking a canned or bottled beverage, also look at the serving size and the number of servings in that specific container.