What's the alcohol weight in a typical liquor measure?

How much alcohol (in weight) is in a typical liquor measure?

A “typical liquor measure” usually means a standard shot size used in bars and recipes—most commonly 1.5 fluid ounces (44 mL) in the US.

To convert that to “alcohol weight,” you need the drink’s alcohol by volume (ABV). Alcohol weight is found by:
- volume of ethanol in the drink = (shot size) × (ABV)
- weight of ethanol = volume of ethanol × density of ethanol (about 0.789 g/mL)

For a 1.5 oz (44 mL) shot:

- If it’s 40% ABV (typical for many spirits):
Ethanol volume = 44 mL × 0.40 = 17.6 mL
Ethanol weight = 17.6 mL × 0.789 g/mL ≈ 13.9 g of pure alcohol.

So, a typical 1.5 oz shot of 40% liquor contains about 14 grams of alcohol by weight.

What if your “measure” is 1 oz or 2 oz instead?

Using the same 40% ABV assumption:

- 1.0 oz (29.6 mL): ethanol weight ≈ 29.6 × 0.40 × 0.789 ≈ 9.3 g
- 2.0 oz (59.1 mL): ethanol weight ≈ 59.1 × 0.40 × 0.789 ≈ 18.7 g

What if the liquor is stronger or weaker than 40%?

Because weight scales with ABV, the same 1.5 oz (44 mL) shot would be:

- 35% ABV: 44 × 0.35 × 0.789 ≈ 12.1 g
- 50% ABV: 44 × 0.50 × 0.789 ≈ 17.3 g

Quick rule of thumb

For a US 1.5 oz shot, pure alcohol weight is roughly 9 grams per ounce at 40% ABV:
- about 14 g for a 1.5 oz shot at 40% ABV.

If you tell me the exact shot size (1 oz, 1.5 oz, 2 oz, etc.) and the ABV or proof on the bottle, I can compute the specific alcohol weight.