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Alcohol: units, calories and clearance
Turn any drink into grams of pure ethanol, UK units, US standard drinks and Estonian/Finnish units, see where its calories come from, and read an estimate of how long the alcohol takes to clear — with the model's assumptions written out.
Never use this page to decide whether to drive. Clearance is an estimate from a simplified model and varies with your liver, your genetics, your medicines, food, sleep and illness — real elimination rates differ between people by a factor of two, and the model does not know which end you are at. The only safe level of alcohol for driving is none, and a legal limit is not a safety threshold. If you have been drinking, do not drive.
Work out any drink
Drink calculator
JavaScript is off. Every drink on this page has its own server-computed page with the same figures — pick one from the list below.
Every drink, computed on the server
| Drink | Serving | Strength | Ethanol (g) | UK units | EE/FI units | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lager or pilsner beer | 500 ml | 4.5% (4.0-5.5%) | 17.8 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 196 |
| Strong beer, IPA or stout | 330 ml | 7.5% (6.0-9.5%) | 19.5 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 141 |
| Cider | 500 ml | 4.7% (3.5-7.0%) | 18.5 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 248 |
| White wine | 150 ml | 12.0% (10.5-14.0%) | 14.2 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 115 |
| Red wine | 150 ml | 13.0% (12.0-15.0%) | 15.4 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 123 |
| Sparkling wine and champagne | 125 ml | 12.0% (11.0-13.0%) | 11.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 96 |
| Dessert and fortified wine | 75 ml | 17.0% (15.0-22.0%) | 10.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 112 |
| Vodka shot | 40 ml | 40.0% (37.5-50.0%) | 12.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 88 |
| Whisky | 40 ml | 40.0% (40.0-60.0%) | 12.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 89 |
| Gin and tonic | 190 ml | 40 ml at 37.5% | 11.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 136 |
| Long drink (lonkero) | 330 ml | 5.5% (4.5-7.5%) | 14.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 100 |
| Mojito | 220 ml | 50 ml at 40.0% | 15.8 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 157 |
| Cream and coffee liqueur | 50 ml | 20.0% (15.0-30.0%) | 7.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 149 |
| Sake | 180 ml | 15.0% (13.0-17.0%) | 21.3 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 185 |
| Kali / kvass (non-alcoholic) | 330 ml | 0.4% (0.0-0.5%) | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 114 |
| Alcohol-free beer | 330 ml | 0.3% (0.0-0.5%) | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 112 |
Source: USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy (public domain) — carbohydrate values · checked 2026-09-02
How the grams are worked out
ethanol (g) = volume (ml) × ABV% ÷ 100 × 0.789
UK unit = 10 ml pure ethanol ≈ 8 g
US standard drink= 14 g
EE / FI unit = 12 g
kcal = ethanol g × 7 + carbohydrate g × 40.789 is the density of ethanol in grams per millilitre at 20 °C, and 7 kcal per gram is the standard Atwater factor for alcohol. Both the volume and the ABV are printed on the container by law, so for a single drink this is not an estimate at all — it is multiplication. Everything uncertain on this page is downstream of it.
The three unit definitions are the reason this site works in grams. A 175 ml glass of 13% wine is 2.4 UK units, 1.3 US standard drinks and 1.5 Estonian or Finnish units. Those are three different numbers for one identical glass, and comparing a guideline written in one system against a drink counted in another is how people end up wrong by fifty per cent without making an arithmetic mistake.
The Widmark equation, and what it does not know
Every clearance figure on this site comes from the Widmark equation, published in the 1930s and still the basis of most forensic and public-information estimates:
BAC (‰, g/L) = A ÷ (r × m) − β × t
A = grams of pure ethanol
m = body mass in kg
r = distribution factor: about 0.68 (men), 0.55 (women)
β = elimination rate, about 0.15 ‰ per hour
t = hours since drinkingThe distribution factor exists because ethanol dissolves in body water, not in fat. A body with a higher proportion of water spreads the same dose through a larger volume and reaches a lower concentration, which is most of the reason the male and female factors differ — it is body composition, not sex as such.
Now the assumptions, in full, because a number without them is worse than no number:
- Absorption is instant. The model puts the whole dose in the bloodstream at once. Real absorption takes 30 to 90 minutes and depends on food, carbonation and how fast you drank.
- Elimination is linear and identical for everyone. It is neither. Published rates range from roughly 0.10 to 0.20 ‰ an hour between individuals, and heavy regular drinkers clear faster than occasional ones.
- The distribution factor is a population average. Body composition moves it, and two people of the same weight and sex can differ meaningfully.
- It knows nothing about you. Not your liver, your medicines, your illness, your sleep, your age, or whether you ate.
- It models one dose. Drinking across an evening is a series of overlapping doses, and the real curve stays high far longer than a single-dose model suggests.
Put together, that is why the output on this page is described as an estimate every single time it appears, and why it must never be used as a driving decision.
Source: Widmark equation — the standard forensic and public-information model for blood alcohol estimation · checked 2026-09-02
Never use this page to decide whether to drive. Clearance is an estimate from a simplified model and varies with your liver, your genetics, your medicines, food, sleep and illness — real elimination rates differ between people by a factor of two, and the model does not know which end you are at. The only safe level of alcohol for driving is none, and a legal limit is not a safety threshold. If you have been drinking, do not drive.
Weekly totals
National low-risk drinking guidelines are not the same figure in different countries, they are written in different unit sizes, and several have been revised downward in recent years. The one people quote most often is the UK Chief Medical Officers' guideline of 14 units a week for both men and women, which is 112 g of ethanol. The table below simply converts weekly ethanol totals into drinks, so you can apply whichever guideline actually applies where you live.
| Drink | 70 g/week | 100 g/week | 112 g/week | 140 g/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lager or pilsner beer (500 ml) | 3.9 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 7.9 |
| Strong beer, IPA or stout (330 ml) | 3.6 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 7.2 |
| Cider (500 ml) | 3.8 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 7.6 |
| White wine (150 ml) | 4.9 | 7.0 | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Red wine (150 ml) | 4.5 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 9.1 |
| Sparkling wine and champagne (125 ml) | 5.9 | 8.4 | 9.5 | 11.8 |
| Dessert and fortified wine (75 ml) | 7.0 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 13.9 |
| Vodka shot (40 ml) | 5.5 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 11.1 |
| Whisky (40 ml) | 5.5 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 11.1 |
| Gin and tonic (190 ml) | 5.9 | 8.4 | 9.5 | 11.8 |
| Long drink (lonkero) (330 ml) | 4.9 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 9.8 |
| Mojito (220 ml) | 4.4 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 8.9 |
| Cream and coffee liqueur (50 ml) | 8.9 | 12.7 | 14.2 | 17.7 |
| Sake (180 ml) | 3.3 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 6.6 |
| Kali / kvass (non-alcoholic) (330 ml) | 67.2 | 96.0 | 107.5 | 134.4 |
Source: UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines (14 units a week) — cited as the named example; check the guideline in your own country · checked 2026-09-02
One page per drink
Beer and cider
Lager or pilsner beer
The default half-litre. Low strength, large volume — the volume is what does the work.
Strong beer, IPA or stout
Craft strength changes the arithmetic completely: a small glass with a large number in it.
Cider
Beer-like strength with far more residual sugar — the one drink where the sugar column is not a rounding error.
Wine
White wine
The measure that varies most between a restaurant, a bar and a kitchen.
Red wine
Slightly stronger than white on average, and carrying more health folklore than any other drink here.
Sparkling wine and champagne
Smaller glass, same strength as still wine, and a faster start because of the bubbles.
Dessert and fortified wine
Small measures for a reason: high strength and high sugar at the same time.
Sake
Stronger than wine, served in measures that range from a thimble to a tumbler.
Spirits
Vodka shot
The cleanest arithmetic on the site: no sugar, no mixer, all ethanol.
Whisky
Bottled strength runs from 40% to cask strength above 60%, and the pour is rarely measured at home.
Mixed drinks
Gin and tonic
A measured spirit plus a sugared mixer — the one drink where the mixer is worth counting separately.
Long drink (lonkero)
The Finnish pre-mixed can: beer-strength alcohol in a soft-drink format.
Mojito
Rum, lime, sugar and soda — a cocktail where the added sugar is deliberate, not residual.
Cream and coffee liqueur
The highest sugar content of anything on this page, in the smallest glass.
Low and no alcohol
Kali / kvass (non-alcoholic)
The Estonian and Baltic bread drink: fermented, sweet, and at or below the non-alcoholic threshold.
Alcohol-free beer
Below the 0.5% labelling threshold, with roughly a third of the calories of the beer it imitates.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams of alcohol is one drink?
It depends whose definition you use. A UK unit is 10 ml of pure ethanol, about 8 g. A US standard drink is 14 g. Estonia and Finland work in a 12 g unit. The same glass of wine is one and a bit of one and less than one of another — which is exactly why this site works in grams first.
How many calories are in alcohol?
Ethanol carries about 7 kcal per gram, between carbohydrate at 4 and fat at 9. Anything else in the glass — residual sugar in cider, added sugar in a cocktail, tonic in a gin and tonic — is on top of that at 4 kcal per gram.
How long does alcohol take to leave my system?
The estimate on this page uses the Widmark equation with a mid-range elimination rate. It is an estimate. Individual elimination rates vary roughly twofold, the model ignores absorption time, and it cannot see your medicines or your liver. Do not use it to decide whether to drive.
Does eating first stop me getting drunk?
No. Food slows gastric emptying, which lowers and delays the peak. It does not change how much ethanol you drank or how long your body needs to clear it.
Is there a safe amount to drink?
National low-risk guidelines differ, use different unit sizes and have been revised downward in several countries. This page does the arithmetic and points you at the guideline where you live; it does not tell you what to do.
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See a week of drinks next to a week of everything else
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