If you are planning on making cocktails at home or mixing drinks, it is important to get your measurements right.
It is all too common for homemade cocktails and drinks to be made with much larger servings of alcohol than a standard pour from a bar.
This can lead to you and your guests becoming ill, not to mention serving up drinks that just don’t taste very nice because they are too strong.
It is also important to know how much is in a shot if you are heading out for the night so that you can be in control of how much alcohol and calories you are consuming.
Standard size for a single shot
In the US, there is no standard size for a single shot (except Utah where it is 1.5 fl oz).
In general, in the US a shot is usually considered to be 1.25-1.5 fl oz (30 to 44 ml); however, for most of the US 1.5 fl oz (44 ml) is considered standard.
Shot sizes vary from country to country. In the United Kingdom, for example, a single shot is 25 or 35 ml.
Shots and the standard drink
In the United States, the standard drink contains 0.6 fl oz (18 ml) of alcohol. This is approximately the amount of alcohol in a 12 fl oz (350 ml) glass of beer, a 5 fl oz (150 ml) glass of wine, or a 1.5 fl oz (44 ml) glass of a 40% ABV (80 US proof) spirit.
In other words, if your bar serves 1.5 fl oz shots, it is a ‘standard drink’.
How many ml in a shot glass?
In general, in the US a shot is usually considered to be 1.25-1.5 fl oz (30 to 44 ml), with 1.5 fl oz (44 ml) being the most standard. In the United Kingdom, a single shot is 25 or 35 ml.
How many ounces are in a double shot?
In the US, there is no standard double shot, but it is usually between 2 to 3 fl oz.
How many tablespoons are in a shot?
1.5 fl oz (a typical single shot in the US) is 2.95 tablespoons.
Is a shot a unit of alcohol in the UK?
Generally speaking, spirits sold in the UK have 40% ABV or slightly less.
In England, a single pub measure (25 ml) of a spirit, like vodka, contains one unit.
However, a larger 35-ml measure, which is increasingly popular, contains 1.4 units of alcohol at 40% ABV.
