Vodka has a reputation for being the drink with no character. The rules say something more careful: it is a spirit that has been distilled until most of the flavour of what it was made from is gone, then watered down to a set strength. That strength, the "40%" on the label, is the one number worth understanding, because it tells you how much alcohol is in every pour.
Almost anything that has sugar, or starch that can be turned into sugar, can become vodka. Grain is the most common base: wheat, rye or barley. Potatoes are the classic choice in Poland and parts of northern Europe. Corn, sugar beet, grapes and even milk sugar are used too. Yeast ferments the base into a weak, cloudy "wash", a bit like a rough beer, and the still takes it from there.
In the European Union, vodka is defined as ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin. If it comes only from cereals or potatoes, the label can just say "vodka". If it comes from anything else, the label has to say what it was produced from, for example "vodka produced from grapes". That rule is why you sometimes see the raw material printed under the name.
The law asks for the flavour of the raw material to be reduced on purpose. Producers do that in three ways:
That does not make every vodka identical. Different bases and different stills leave small differences in weight on the tongue, a hint of sweetness or a faint peppery edge. They are subtle, and they show up most when the vodka is served cold and neat, and least in a long drink.
| Region | Minimum strength | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | 37.5% abv | Flavour of raw materials selectively reduced; non-cereal, non-potato bases named on the label. |
| United States | 40% abv (30% for flavoured) | The old "no distinctive character, aroma, taste or colour" wording was removed in 2020; vodka can't be sold as aged. |
Abv means alcohol by volume: the share of the liquid that is pure ethanol. Many bottles sit at exactly 40%, and a few go higher, to 43%, 45% or 50%. The gap between 37.5% and 50% is bigger than it looks.
This calculator turns the strength on the bottle into the amount of pure alcohol in the glass. Move the strength, pick a pour size, and add a mixer to see how strong the finished drink is.
Pour size matters as much as the label. Bar measures vary: 25 ml and 35 ml are common single measures in the UK and Ireland, while 40 ml and 50 ml are normal elsewhere in Europe, and a home pour is often bigger than any of them. A "double" is simply twice the alcohol, however much tonic goes on top.
The units also differ by country. The UK unit is 10 ml of pure alcohol, about 8 g. Many countries use a standard drink of around 10 g, and some use 12 g. When you read advice about "drinks per week", check which definition it uses. The calculator shows both the UK unit and a 10 g drink so you can match whichever one you were given.
A mixer makes the drink weaker to taste. It does not make it contain less alcohol.
Because vodka is neutral by design, it takes on whatever it is mixed with. That is why it is the base of the Moscow Mule, the Bloody Mary and the Cosmopolitan: the other ingredients carry the flavour and the vodka supplies strength and a clean finish. Serving it very cold thickens the texture slightly and softens the alcohol burn, which is one reason a bottle kept in the freezer feels smoother than the same bottle at room temperature.
If you like the shape of a vodka drink but want less alcohol, the same recipe works with a smaller pour and more mixer, or with an alcohol-free spirit in its place. A vodka tonic made with 25 ml and a full glass of tonic is a long, light drink. A 50 ml pour in a small glass is not.
Please drink responsibly, never drive after drinking, and remember that alcohol is for adults only. If you are counting units for health reasons, follow the guidance from your own country's health service, since the limits and the definitions differ.