What you need to know about spirits

All spirits – including vodka, gin, rum, whisky and brandy – are strong alcoholic drinks. They typically range in strength but the average ABV (alcohol by volume) is around 40%.¹ Some spirits can be much higher so always check the label.

The health risks from drinking alcohol are related to how much you drink and your drinking behaviour, rather than the type of drink. However, as spirits are stronger than other types of alcoholic drinks, there are some things to bear in mind to keep your drinking low risk. Read on to find out more.

Never buy ‘fake’ spirits. Illegally produced and counterfeit spirits can contain dangerous types of alcohol and chemicals used in products such as nail polish remover and antifreeze – causing a risk of nausea, blindness and even death.² 

Understanding units and the UK low risk drinking guidelines

Alcohol units are a way to understand how much alcohol is in a particular drink, and to compare between drinks of different strengths and sizes. 

One unit of alcohol is 10ml of pure alcohol.³ Because spirits are strong, which means the drink contains much more concentrated alcohol, you will find one unit in a single measure of typical (40% ABV) spirits – that’s 25ml of liquid.

The risk of developing a range of health problems increases the more you drink on a regular basis.⁴ But, if you choose to drink, the health risks from alcohol are the same whether you drink spirits, beer, wine, or any other alcoholic drink.

To keep your risk low, the UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines advise that it’s safest to drink no more than 14 units a week (for both men and women), spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days and no bingeing.⁵

Spirits and drinking speed

Spirits are sometimes called ’shorts’. In a bar or pub they’re served in ‘single’ measures of 25ml or 35ml, or ‘double’ measures of 50ml.

Spirits can also be sold as ‘shots’ which can be a single spirit, or two or more mixed together. Although spirits are often sipped or drunk slowly as part of larger drinks with mixers, shots are designed to be drunk in one go and they hit the bloodstream very fast if consumed on an empty stomach.⁶

Drinking a lot of alcohol, quickly can be dangerous. Our bodies can typically only process about one unit of alcohol an hour, and less for many people.⁷ If you drink several shots in a short space of time, the large concentration of alcohol in your blood can stop the body from working properly – putting you at risk of acute alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal.⁸

Although many people use mixers with spirits and drink them slowly, spirits can sometimes be consumed quickly which may mean you’ll drink more than you want, faster than you’d like. This can make you more vulnerable – as you’re more likely to have an accident or injure yourself after drinking heavily.^9,10,11

Mind your measures

Unless you’re careful how you pour them, drinks made at home can contain more alcohol than the measures served in a pub or bar which can make it hard to track how much alcohol you’re drinking overall.

Using an alcohol unit measuring cup can provide a more accurate pour than just measuring “by eye”.

Soft drinks used as mixers can mask the taste of alcohol too – making it harder to work out how strong a drink really is. 

Cocktails can sometimes contain a lot of alcohol as well. For instance, even when accurately measured, a Negroni can include three shots of three different alcoholic drinks – one spirit and two liqueurs (types of flavoured spirits which usually range from 15-30% ABV). That could equal two units of alcohol in just 75ml of liquid – the same as a pint of regular strength (4% ABV) beer.¹²

Want to know what's in your drinks? Use our Unit and Calorie Calculator to work out the number of alcohol units and calories you consume.