Different alcoholic beverages have different concentrations of alcohol. When making or ordering a drink, the amount varies depending on the drink.
For every type of drink, there is a standard amount that is served. This standard is defined on the basis that, irrespective of the drink that has been ordered and the container, the amount of alcohol has to be constant. Here, in India, a standard drink constitutes to 10ml of alcohol in the beverage.
Understanding the ABV (alcohol-by-volume) percentage of each drink, the quantity of a standard drink for different alcoholic beverages can be defined as:
Regular beer
ABV = 4.9% | Standard amount = 285ml
Wine
ABV = 13% | Standard amount = 100ml
Liquor
ABV = 40% | Standard amount = 30ml
An alcohol unit is also defined as 10ml of absolute alcohol which again is equivalent to a standard serving of alcoholic beverage in India.
These alcohol units are used to define the appropriate drinking limits for men and women. For men, it is advised to not have more than 3-4 units regularly. For women, it is not more than 2-3 units regularly. One can quickly calculate the units of alcohol they’re consuming. Simply multiply the strength of the beverage in ABV with the amount that has been served and divide it by 1000.
If you are concerned about your or your loved ones drinking, please use our Drinking Unit Calculator to find out the amount of alcohol consumtion.