How much alcohol is in a “shot” by typical volume?
A “shot” usually means about 1.5 fluid ounces (44 mL) of liquor. The actual amount of alcohol depends on the liquor’s proof (alcohol percentage).
In the US, proof is roughly double the alcohol by volume (ABV):
- 80 proof = about 40% ABV
- 100 proof = about 50% ABV
How many “standard drinks” is a shot?
A standard drink in the US contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol. Using that:
If the shot is 1.5 fl oz (44 mL) at 40% ABV (80 proof):
- Pure alcohol volume = 44 mL × 0.40 = 17.6 mL
- Pure alcohol mass (density of ethanol ≈ 0.789 g/mL) = 17.6 × 0.789 ≈ 13.9 g
So, a typical 1.5 oz shot of 80-proof liquor is about 14 grams of alcohol, or roughly 1 US standard drink.
What changes if the shot is a different size or proof?
General rule: grams of alcohol scale with both the shot volume and the ABV.
For a 1.5 oz shot:
- 80 proof (40% ABV): ~14 g (about 1 standard drink)
- 100 proof (50% ABV): ~17.4 g (about 1.25 standard drinks)
- 60 proof (30% ABV): ~10.5 g (about 0.75 standard drinks)
Quick reference: what do people mean by “a shot”?
If you mean 1 shot as:
- 1.0 fl oz (30 mL) instead of 1.5 fl oz: the grams drop by about one-third.
- 1.5 fl oz (44 mL) is the most common “shot” size used for alcohol labeling and standard-drink estimates.
If you tell me the liquor and proof, I can calculate it
If you share the shot size (1.0 oz vs 1.5 oz, etc.) and the proof (like 80 proof, 90 proof, 100 proof), I’ll give you the approximate grams of alcohol for that exact shot.