How Much Alcohol Is in a Typical Serving of Spirits?

A standard 30ml bar measure of a 40% ABV spirit contains roughly 12ml of pure alcohol — a little over one New Zealand standard drink.

A typical bar "nip" or pour of spirits in New Zealand is 30ml. At the common bottling strength of 40% ABV, that pour contains:

30ml × 40% = 12ml of pure alcohol

Using the standard-drink formula from our companion article ("What is a standard drink in New Zealand?"), that works out to roughly 1.2 standard drinks per 30ml pour at 40% ABV.

How this changes with strength

The stronger the spirit, the more alcohol is packed into the same pour size:

• 37.5% ABV, 30ml → ≈1.1 standard drinks
• 40% ABV, 30ml → ≈1.2 standard drinks
• 46% ABV, 30ml → ≈1.4 standard drinks
• 58% ABV cask strength, 30ml → ≈1.7 standard drinks

Why this matters when tasting flights or cocktails

A full-strength cocktail often contains 45–60ml of spirit once you add multiple ingredients, which can easily add up to two or more standard drinks in a single glass — even though it "feels" like one drink because it's mixed. Being aware of pour size and ABV together (rather than either alone) gives a much more accurate picture of how much alcohol you're actually consuming.