Cocktail Dilution & Chill Calculator
See how stirring or shaking dilutes and chills a cocktail — the water added, the final volume, and the ABV your drink actually pours at.
How it works
Water added = volume × dilution% · Final volume = volume + water · Final ABV = starting ABV ÷ (1 + dilution%)
A cocktail is not just its recipe — the ice does real work. As it melts it both chills the drink and dilutes it, and a well-made stirred cocktail gains roughly 20–25% of its volume in water while a shaken one gains a little more because the agitation melts ice faster. The alcohol itself is unchanged, so the ABV drops purely because the total liquid grew. That dilution is a feature, not a flaw: it opens up aromatics and softens the burn, which is why a Martini stirred to about 25% dilution tastes balanced rather than harsh.
Worked example
You stir 90 ml of ingredients at 30% ABV. Stirring adds about 25% water: 90 × 0.25 = 22.5 ml. Final volume = 112.5 ml, and final ABV = 30 ÷ 1.25 = 24%. The 27 ml of pure alcohol (90 × 0.30) never changes — that is about 1.5 standard drinks.
Frequently asked questions
Why does shaking dilute more than stirring?
Shaking tumbles the ice violently against the liquid, shearing off more surface and melting it faster in the same 10–15 seconds, so a shaken drink typically ends up around 28% dilution versus about 25% for stirring. Shaking is used for cocktails with citrus or egg that need aeration; stirring keeps spirit-forward drinks clear and silky.
What counts as a standard drink here?
This uses the US standard drink of 0.6 fl oz (17.7 ml) of pure ethanol. Because dilution only adds water, the standard-drink count is fixed by the alcohol you poured, not by how much the ice melted — a bigger, wetter drink at lower ABV still contains the same amount of alcohol.
How much dilution should I aim for?
Spirit-forward stirred drinks are usually best around 20–25% added water; shaken sours land well near 25–30% because the extra water balances the citrus and sugar. Chilling without dilution (a pre-batched drink kept in the freezer) tastes tight and hot, which is why bartenders add a splash of water to bottled cocktails.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.