Standard Drinks
Knowing standard drink measurements helps you track patron consumption accurately. This topic covers standard serving sizes for beer (341 ml), wine (142 ml), and spirits (43 ml), ABV calculations, metabolism rates, and why understanding drink equivalents matters for responsible service.
Study Guide: Standard Drinks
Review these sample questions before starting the practice test.
Q1: How many millilitres is a standard serving of beer (5% ABV) in Canada?
- A. 341 ml (12 oz) ✓
- B. 568 ml
- C. 500 ml
- D. 250 ml
A standard serving of beer in Canada is 341 ml (12 oz) at 5% alcohol by volume. This equals one standard drink.
Q2: How many millilitres is a standard serving of wine (12% ABV)?
- A. 250 ml
- B. 142 ml (5 oz) ✓
- C. 200 ml
- D. 100 ml
A standard serving of wine is 142 ml (5 oz) at 12% alcohol by volume. This is equivalent to one standard drink.
Q3: How many millilitres is a standard serving of spirits (40% ABV)?
- A. 30 ml
- B. 60 ml
- C. 90 ml
- D. 43 ml (1.5 oz) ✓
A standard serving of spirits is 43 ml (1.5 oz) at 40% alcohol by volume. This is equivalent to one standard drink.
Q4: All standard drinks contain approximately the same amount of:
- A. Carbonation
- B. Sugar
- C. Calories
- D. Pure alcohol (about 13.6 grams) ✓
All standard drinks contain approximately 13.6 grams (17.2 ml) of pure alcohol, regardless of the type of beverage. This is the key principle of standard drink measurements.
Q5: How many standard drinks are in a 750 ml bottle of wine (12% ABV)?
- A. About 10
- B. About 7
- C. About 3
- D. About 5 ✓
750 ml divided by 142 ml per standard serving equals approximately 5.3 standard drinks in a typical bottle of wine.
Q6: A "tall" cocktail with two shots of spirits equals how many standard drinks?
- A. Half
- B. One
- C. Three
- D. Two ✓
Each standard shot (43 ml / 1.5 oz) of spirits equals one standard drink. A cocktail with two shots equals two standard drinks.
Q7: Why is it important for servers to understand standard drink sizes?
- A. To impress customers with knowledge
- B. To pour exact amounts for cost control
- C. It is not important for servers
- D. To accurately track how much alcohol a patron has consumed ✓
Understanding standard drink sizes allows servers to track total alcohol consumption and make informed decisions about when to slow or stop service.
Q8: How long does it take the average body to metabolize one standard drink?
- A. 30 minutes
- B. 15 minutes
- C. About 1 hour ✓
- D. 2 hours
The average body metabolizes approximately one standard drink per hour. Nothing can speed this up — not coffee, food, or cold showers.
Ready to practice all 42 questions? Start the interactive quiz below.