Cocktail Dilution Calculator

Work out cocktail dilution instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Cocktail Dilution Calculator

Pure alcohol is spirit volume times its ABV; the finished strength is that alcohol divided by the total liquid including mixer and the water that melts off the ice. Ignoring meltwater overstates a stirred drink's strength by a fifth or more, which is exactly the dilution bartenders are aiming for.

Formulas

Finished strength

final ABV % = spirit ml x spirit ABV / (spirit + mixer + meltwater) x 100

UK units

units = pure alcohol ml x 0.789 g/ml / 8 g per unit

Worked example

With the default values below, Cocktail Dilution Calculator returns Strength in the glass of 11.71%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Spirit volumeminimum 1 ml: 60 ml
Spirit strengthaccepts 1–96 %: 40 %
Mixer and other liquidminimum 0 ml: 120 ml
Meltwater from iceminimum 0 ml: 25 ml

Results

Strength in the glass: 11.71%
Total drink volume: 205 ml
Pure alcohol in the drink: 24.00 ml
UK alcohol units: 2.37

Step by step

1Values used
2Finished strength
3UK units
4Strength in the glass= 11.71
5Total drink volume= 205 ml
6Pure alcohol in the drink= 24.00 ml
7UK alcohol units= 2.37

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Cocktail Dilution figure worked out?

final ABV % = spirit ml x spirit ABV / (spirit + mixer + meltwater) x 100. Pure alcohol is spirit volume times its ABV; the finished strength is that alcohol divided by the total liquid including mixer and the water that melts off the ice.

Why does this matter?

Ignoring meltwater overstates a stirred drink's strength by a fifth or more, which is exactly the dilution bartenders are aiming for.

What do I need to enter?

Enter spirit volume, spirit strength, mixer and other liquid, meltwater from ice. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.