Updated April 2026.
A 1.5-ounce shot of 40% ABV tequila is one US standard drink — 14 grams, or 0.6 fluid ounces, of ethanol (NIAAA, December 2025). How many of those shots it takes to feel drunk is not a number. Weight, food, time, and proof change blood alcohol. Competitors that print “drunk at 2–4 shots” are writing a challenge. This page is math.
Four shots in about two hours already matches NIAAA’s binge-drinking pattern for women; five matches the male pattern. That is a public-health warning, not a target and not a dare. Eight / ten drinks is high-intensity drinking. Do not use this page to drink to a count.
Tequila shot conversions
Standard drinks = (fl oz × ABV) ÷ 0.6. US shot = 1.5 fl oz ≈ 44 mL. Most US bottles are 40%. The US agave-spirits class is bottled at or above 40% (27 CFR 5.148) — that is not 27 CFR 5.143, which is whiskey. Mexico’s CRT / NOM-006-SCFI-2012 band is 35% to 55% ABV. High-proof bottles are a different table. Blanco, reposado, and añejo at the same ABV are the same ethanol. The barrel did not water it down.
| Tequila | ABV | mL / 1.5 oz | Std drinks / 1.5 oz | Volume shots in 750 mL | Std drinks in that fifth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical US blanco / reposado / añejo (5.148 floor) | 40% | 44 mL | 1.00 | ~16.9 | ~16.9 |
| CRT / NOM-006 minimum | 35% | 44 mL | 0.88 | ~16.9 | ~14.8 |
| 90-proof class | 45% | 44 mL | 1.13 | ~16.9 | ~19.0 |
| 100-proof class example | 50% | 44 mL | 1.25 | ~16.9 | ~21.1 |
| CRT ceiling example | 55% | 44 mL | 1.38 | ~16.9 | ~23.2 |
| 50 mL mini, 40% | 40% | 50 mL | ~1.13 | — | — |
| 3 oz double, 40% | 40% | 89 mL | 2.00 | — | — |
| IBA Margarita (40% tequila + 40% Cointreau) | — | — | ~1.6 / cocktail | — | See margarita alcohol |
A handle (1.75 L) of 40% tequila is about 39.5 volume shots and about 39.5 standard drinks. That is inventory. See shots in 750 mL and vodka (same 40% math). Mixto versus 100% agave is a mash-bill and labeling fight, not an ABV fight. Both are usually 40% in the US.
Why “five shots of tequila” is not an answer
Ethanol is ethanol. Tequila is not chemically “faster” than vodka at the same ABV. What is fast is drinking neat spirits without beer’s volume, often on an empty stomach, often with salt-and-lime theater that hides the count. Legal driving is 0.08% BAC in most states (0.05% in Utah). Commercial drivers sit under 0.04%. Impairment starts before you feel drunk. Feeling fine is not a roadside test. Competitors that print weight-to-shot tables are writing a challenge.
A worm is a mezcal marketing leftover, not a tequila NOM requirement and not extra ethanol. Flavored “tequila” liqueurs and RTD cans are other ABVs — read those labels. Jello shots are a different dilution problem: jello-shot math.
Shots vs cocktails, same ethanol
Three IBA margaritas at ~1.6 drinks each are about 4.8 standard drinks — already in binge territory for many adults — without a single “shot” being ordered. A paloma with 2 ounces of 40% tequila is 1.33 drinks plus soda. Ranch Water is usually tequila and soda water: count the tequila. If the bottle is 50% ABV, every 1.5-ounce shot is 1.25 drinks. Measure once. For the cocktail version of these ounces, see how many margaritas.
Chasing with beer adds beer drinks. See beers vs a shot. Do not drive. Call a ride. This is conversion, not a contest.
If you are going to drink tequila anyway
- Measure the pour. A home “shot” that is actually 2 ounces is 1.33 drinks at 40%.
- Eat. Water. Time.
- Read the neck. CRT allows 35–55%; the US class floor is 40%.
- Medications plus alcohol is a clinician question.
- Stop well before a binge-drinking count if the goal is not to be sick.
CRT’s English “Our Tequila” page this fetch mis-states reposado aging as one year. Standard NOM reposado is two months. Age is flavor. Proof is the label. See how many mL is a shot.
Sources
- NIAAA, “What Is a Standard Drink?” (December 2025): 1.5 oz of 40% spirits = 14 g / 0.6 fl oz. Binge 4/5 in about two hours; high-intensity 8/10.
- CDC standard-drink sizes (December 12, 2024): 1.5 oz of 80-proof spirits.
- 27 CFR 5.148 (agave spirits bottled ≥40% ABV). CRT / NOM-006-SCFI-2012: 35–55% Alc. Vol.
- US 0.08% illegal-per-se BAC; Utah 0.05%; FMCSA 49 CFR 382.201 0.04% CMV.