How many units in a shot of vodka

It’s a myth that drinks featuring clear spirits are low in calories. You might be surprised to hear that one vodka and coke made with a 25ml measure of 40% ABV vodka contains:

110

calories in a vodka and coke

Just like in other alcoholic drinks, these are ‘empty calories’ with no nutritional value, so don’t benefit your body in any way. Most alcoholic drinks contain traces of vitamins and minerals, but not usually in amounts that make any significant contribution to our diet, so it’s never a good idea to substitute alcohol for food.

See how excessive drinking can lead to weight gain

How many units are in vodka?

The UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) low risk drinking guidelines recommend that both men and women are safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week. If you do choose to drink this amount it’s best to spread your units over the week.  

If you wish to cut down the amount you drink, a good way to help achieve this is to have several drink-free days a week. 

A vodka and cola made with a single 25ml measure of 40% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) vodka contains one unit. So drinking 15 vodka and cokes with this same amount of alcohol means you will exceed the guidelines; if you’re drinking doubles eight in a week would put you over the low risk guidelines.

Regularly drinking above the guidelines could increase your chances of developing a number of long-term health conditions including cancer, liver disease, and lead to alcohol dependence and have implications for your mental health.

Tips to reduce your drinking

Check the strength of vodka

Checking a vodka’s ABV will tell you how strong it is. Look out for the ABV on the label, which shows what percentage of the drink is alcohol, or ask at the bar.

A vodka and coke made with 40% ABV vodka contains 40% pure alcohol. The higher the percentage, the more alcohol is in the drink.

How to reduce the amount of vodka you’re drinking

Drinking vodka shots, or vodka jellies, can mean you consume more alcohol more quickly than you’d like. Sipping a long soft drink, like a cola with ice, can help you slow the pace.

Stick to singles and if you’re ordering a cocktail check how many measures of alcohol it’s made with. Mixers can mask the taste of vodka, so you might not realise how strong a drink is just by tasting it. Consider buying a unit measure cup to use at home so you can be sure exactly how much alcohol you are pouring.

Mixing energy drinks and vodka means taking on caffeine as well as alcohol. The caffeine makes the brain feel more alert, and keeps you awake for longer, meaning you may drink more alcohol than you’d like. Find out more about the risks of mixing alcohol and energy drinks.

Alternating alcoholic drinks with soft choices can help slow the absorption of alcohol into your blood-stream, so you can better pace your evening. Try switching vodka and tonics for high-end tonic water, lemon, and plenty of ice for a simple-to-make ‘mocktail’.

If you want to cut back the amount of vodka you are drinking and drink with the low risk drinking guidelines, a good way is to try several alcohol-free days each week.

Further advice and information

Arming yourself with strategies and tips can help you or a loved one take small steps towards big results.

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One unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol. Because alcoholic drinks come in different strengths and sizes, units are a way to tell how strong your drink is.

It takes an average adult around an hour to process one unit of alcohol so that there's none left in their bloodstream, although this varies from person to person.

Alcohol by volume

Alcohol content is also expressed as a percentage of the whole drink. Look on a bottle of wine or a can of lager and you'll see either a percentage, followed by the abbreviation ‘ABV’ (alcohol by volume), or sometimes just the word ‘vol’. Wine that says ‘13 ABV’ on its label contains 13% pure alcohol.

One pint of strong lager or a large glass of wine can contain more than three units of alcohol.

The alcoholic content in similar types of drinks varies a lot. Some ales are 3.5%. But stronger continental lagers can be 5% or even 6% ABV. Same goes for wine where the ABV of stronger 'new world' wines from South America, South Africa and Australia can exceed 14% ABV, compared to the 13% ABV average of European wines.

Spirit measures and wine glass sizes

Spirits used to be commonly served in 25ml measures, which are one unit of alcohol, many pubs and bars now serve 35ml or 50ml measures.

Large wine glasses hold 250ml, which is one third of a bottle. It means there can be nearly three units or more in just one glass. So if you have just two or three drinks, you could easily consume a whole bottle of wine – and almost three times the UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines – without even realising. Smaller glasses are usually 175ml and some pubs serve 125ml. One great way to reduce your drinking is by cutting down at home, check out our top tips to do this.

Alcohol unit guidance

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Further advice and information

Arming yourself with strategies and tips can help you or a loved one take small steps towards big results.

Was this information helpful?

Last Reviewed: 23rd April 2020

Next Review due: 23rd April 2023

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