Alcohol Dilution Calculator

How to dilute alcohol to a target ABV

Diluting alcohol is one calculation: the total amount of pure alcohol never changes, only the volume it is spread across. Since ABV is alcohol divided by total volume, cutting the strength by half means doubling the volume. The formula — final volume = current volume × (current ABV ÷ target ABV) — encodes exactly that. Water to add is just the final volume minus what you started with.

The classic example is Everclear at 190 proof (95% ABV). Bring one liter down to 60% ABV and the final volume is 1000 × (95 ÷ 60) = 1583ml, so you add 583ml of water. Push it all the way to 40% and you are looking at 2375ml — 1375ml of water. That is why "proofing down" high-proof grain alcohol always surprises people: a bottle of Everclear becomes more than two bottles of 80-proof spirit.

The same math applies to vodka, whiskey, rum, and homemade liqueurs. Water quality matters — use distilled water for neutral dilution so you do not add mineral flavors — but you can also dilute with syrup, tea, or juice when building a liqueur. Whatever liquid you use, the ABV arithmetic is identical. And if you are tracking what a habit costs in dollars, the cost calculator applies the same "small number × repeated use" logic to daily purchases.

Common dilution examples