A 750 ml bottle holds 17 shots at a standard 1.5 oz pour, or 12 cocktails. Get the math for every bottle size plus a formula for stocking a party.
A standard 750 ml bottle of tequila holds 25.4 fluid ounces, which comes out to 17 shots at the standard 1.5-ounce pour. Plan on 16 in practice, though, since some of it always misses the glass.
That covers the question if that’s all you came for. The trickier part starts when you’re standing in the liquor aisle trying to figure out how many bottles you need, because cocktails burn through tequila faster than shots do and your guest count won’t tell you how fast people are drinking.
This guide runs the numbers for every bottle size, shows you how many drinks you’ll get depending on what you’re mixing, and gives you a formula for stocking a party without overbuying or running dry.
A 750 ml bottle of tequila contains about 17 shots at the standard 1.5-ounce pour. That’s the number bartenders plan around, so it’s the one to use when you’re stocking up for a group. Here’s the simple formula for calculating the number of shots in any bottle:
To apply that to a standard 750 ml bottle of alcohol, you’ll first have to convert the millilitres into ounces, which is 25.36 ounces for a standard bottle. The standard shot size is 1.5 ounces. That makes our formula:
Round up and you get 17. You’ll notice that some sources say 16 instead of 17. Both numbers are right depending on what you’re measuring. Seventeen is what the bottle holds on paper, but sixteen is likely closer to what you’ll actually pour once you account for the splash that misses the glass, the heavy hand on a couple of pours, and the few drops that cling to the neck when you set the bottle down. That’s why it’s generally better to plan for 16 shots per bottle so you don’t come up short.
Pour sizes change everything, though, so here’s how a single 750ml bottle breaks down:
A standard shot in the US is 1.5 ounces, or about 44 millilitres. That’s what most bars pour and what nearly every recipe assumes when it calls for a shot of tequila.
The surprising part is that no federal law says it has to be. Utah is the only state that sets a legal pour, and it landed on 1.5 ounces. Everywhere else, the number is convention more so than regulation. Plenty of bars pour two ounces, some pour a hair under 1.5 to stretch inventory, and a few high-volume places use whatever their jigger has to be.
But there’s a reason why the standard pour is 1.5 ounces. A standard drink contains 14 grams of pure alcohol, which works out to exactly 1.5 ounces of 80-proof tequila. Beer and wine servings are sized to match that same number, which is how you compare a shot to a pint without doing chemistry.
Tequila comes in six common bottle sizes, and the 750 ml gets called a fifth because it used to be a fifth of a gallon before the industry went metric in the 1970s. Here’s what each size of tequila bottle holds:
Cocktails use more tequila than shots do, so the bottle count drops as soon as you start mixing. Most recipes call for two ounces, which takes a 750ml bottle from 17 servings down to 12. That’s the number to plan around for a cocktail party. If you’re making margaritas for eight people and you’ll each have two, then you’ll need a second bottle ready to go before anyone walks through the door.
Here’s how many cocktails one 750ml bottle of tequila gets you:
Start with total drinks rather than bottles. Two drinks per guest in the first hour, then one per hour after that gets you a number close enough to shop from.
For 20 guests over four hours, that’s 40 drinks in the first hour plus 60 drinks for the remaining three, so 100 drinks total. Then, cut that number by the people who’ll be drinking tequila. Unless you’re specifically throwing a tequila party, you’ll have to estimate what you think your guests will be drinking. If half the room is in on tequila, then you should plan for 50 drinks instead of the full 100.
Now you need to convert drinks into bottles, which depends entirely on what you’re serving. Fifty margaritas at two ounces each means five 750ml bottles, since each one only yields 12 cocktails. Fifty shots at 1.5 ounces each means three bottles, because you’re getting 17 out of each. Same guest count, same evening, two very different trips to the store.
This is the formula to know how much tequila to buy for a party:
Keep in mind that a few things could change that number:
If you’re unsure how all of this will shake out, buy more tequila than you think you need. Unopened tequila doesn’t expire when you store it correctly, so any leftovers can help fuel the next party or future pre-dinner drinks.
Your bottle count can come up short if you’re free-pouring every drink. Most people overpour by a quarter to a half ounce without noticing, which turns 17 shots into 13 by the end of the night. These four things can help you fix it:
A 750 ml bottle gives you 17 shots or 12 cocktails, and realistically about 16 pours once some of it misses the glass. These three numbers cover almost every question you’ll have, since everything else is multiplication from there.
Buy one bottle more than the math calls for and you’ll never run out mid-party. What’s left over keeps indefinitely, which is the argument for spending a little more on what goes in the cart. León Y Sol comes in at 750 ml for both the blanoc and the reposado, and the bottle lasts longer when people are tasting it instead of shooting it.
A standard 750 ml bottle holds 17 shots at the standard 1.5-ounce pour. Plan on 16 for a party, since spillage and heavy pours cost you about one shot per bottle over the course of the night.
A shot is 1.5 ounces in the US, which is what bars pour and what recipes assume. You’ll get a one-ounce pour at distillery tastings, and some cocktail recipes call for that smaller measure too.
A 375 ml bottle holds 12.7 fluid ounces, which equals about 8 shots at the standard 1.5 ounce per pour.
