What's a standard drink

A standard drink is any drink containing 10 grams of alcohol (or 12.5ml pure alcohol). One standard drink always contains the same amount of alcohol regardless of the size of the glass or the type of alcohol (beer, wine or spirit). A standard drink means:

• 100ml small glass of wine (12% alcohol)
• 100ml glass of champagne (12% alcohol)
• 150ml glass of light wine (8% alcohol)
• 285ml bottle of alcopop (Breezer, Cruiser) (5% alcohol)
• 375ml can of mid-strength (3.5%) beer
• 425ml glass (schooner) of light beer (2.7%)
• 275ml glass (middy) of full-strength regular (5%) beer
• 60ml sherry, port or fortified wine (20% alcohol)
• 30ml shot/nip of spirits (vodka, rum, tequila) (40% alcohol).

If you drink a small glass of port which has a high 20% alcohol, you consume the same amount of alcohol as a glass of beer (at a lower 5% alcohol) or as a shot of vodka (40% alcohol).

Similarly, a mixer drink of rum and Coke would give you the same alcohol as drinking a small 100ml glass of wine. Cocktails often contain two, three or even five standard drinks.

Drink sizes can vary

It's important to reaslise that a standard drink and a standard size glass are NOT the same thing. For example, it's fashionable to serve red wine in a large 200ml balloon glass. This quantity of wine contains 20 grams of alcohol (i.e. 2 standard drinks).

Labelling

In Australia, all bottles, cans and casks of liquor must state the number of standard drinks they contain and the percentage of alcohol by volume in the total container.

You'll usually spot a number on a logo that identifies the number of standard drinks contained in the bottle or can - this will vary depending on the size of the container and the type of alcohol. For instance, a 750ml bottle of red wine with 13.5% alcohol contains 8 standard drinks (see example at right).

 

Drinks: a picture says a thousand words ...

Download a great poster showing over 20 different drinks and how many standard drinks each contains (reproduced from the NH&MRC report Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol 2009).

Check out whether red wine is the answer to the French Paradox - the observation that the French have one of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world despite eating a rich diet high in saturated fat.

Weigh up the differences between low-carb and low-alcohol beer.  Which one is the best choice when you're watching your weight?

 

Read a summary of the NH&MRC report.