Drink blend strength: practical guide

What to prepare

• Weigh ingredients and record the recipe's original yield.
• Separate percentages by weight from volumes and serving counts.
• Check whether the model concerns ingredient proportions, purchasing costs or nutrition estimates.

Understand the inputs

The calculation method

Alcohol volume = sum(volume × ABV fraction). Blend ABV divides by total volume; ethanol density is approximately 0.789 g/ml.

Worked example

Illustrative inputs and their result.

Example inputs

First drink volume (ml)

100

First drink ABV (%)

40

Second drink volume (ml)

100

Second drink ABV (%)

10

Alcohol-free dilution (ml)

300

Servings

4

Calculated example result

Blended ABVPercent

10%

Serving ML

125 mL

How to interpret the result

Recipe and ingredient estimates do not establish food safety, allergen suitability or laboratory nutrition values. Manufacturer information and appropriate food-handling guidance remain important.

Keep the target yield consistent when comparing recipes or supplier prices. Trial a scaled recipe before relying on it for a large event or production batch.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not assume every ingredient has the same mass per millilitre.
• Changing a recipe's size can affect cooking time and equipment suitability.
• Account for actual purchase units, edible yield and waste where the model allows it.

Assumptions and sources

Assumes additive volumes at similar temperature; contraction and measurement variation are ignored. Alcohol mass is not an assessment of impairment or a safe intake recommendation.

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