Cocktail Dilution & Final ABV Calculator
Build a cocktail from ingredients, choose your dilution method, and get the final alcohol percentage, proof, total volume after dilution, and calorie estimate. Nothing uploaded.
Results
Learn more: Cocktail dilution and ABV calculation
Why pre-dilution ABV differs from what you drink
A Manhattan with 60ml of 45% rye and 30ml of 16% vermouth has a pre-dilution ABV of 35.3%. After stirring with ice, about 15% water is added, bringing final ABV to around 30% and volume to 103ml. For spirit-forward drinks this meaningful difference affects flavor balance and perceived strength.
How dilution changes with preparation method
Stirring adds approximately 15% water to the drink volume. Shaking (which creates more ice contact) adds about 25%. Built/rocks pours add minimal dilution (5%), while neat pours have none. The calculator lets you choose your method and adjust the percentage for custom recipes.
Batch scaling for events
For bartenders pre-batching cocktails, knowing the pre-diluted volume needed is essential since ice won't be added per serving. Use the batch multiplier to scale ingredients, then add dilution water manually based on the calculator's recommendation.
Standard drinks and responsible serving
One US standard drink contains 14g of pure alcohol. A stirred Manhattan is typically 1.5-1.8 standard drinks. The calculator shows this automatically so you can make responsible serving decisions relative to health guidelines.
Frequently asked questions
Ice melts during the chilling process, adding water to the drink. Stirring adds approximately 15% of the drink's volume as water. Shaking adds approximately 25%. This dilution lowers the final ABV and affects both taste and perceived strength.
For batch preparation (pre-batching for events), scale the recipe by the desired number of servings using the batch multiplier, then add the dilution water manually (since the cocktail won't be shaken or stirred per serving). The calculator handles both individual and batch sizing.
One US standard drink contains 14g of pure alcohol. A Manhattan (2oz rye 45%, 1oz vermouth 16%) after stirring dilution is approximately 1.5-1.8 standard drinks. The calculator shows this automatically so you can make responsible serving decisions.