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How Many Ounces Are In A Shot?

Best Coffee Recipes · September 27, 2022 · Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever ordered a drink at a bar, you’ve probably wondered how many ounces are in a shot. The quick answer is 1.5 ounces and there’s a reason for it, and that reason has everything to do with history and tradition.

How Many Ounces Are In A Shot
Coffee liqueur, shot glasses with homemade Baileys, roasted coffee beans and chocolate

The Origins of the Shot Glass

The shot glass as we know it today originated in the 18th century. At that time, it was common for bartenders to free-pour drinks for their customers. However, this led to a lot of inconsistency between drinks, with some being stronger than others.

In order to solve this problem, bartenders started measuring out their drinks using shot glasses. This ensured that each drink contained the same amount of alcohol, making for a more consistent experience for customers.

Why 1.5 Ounces?

Nowadays, 1.5 ounces is the standard size for a shot glass, but this wasn’t always the case. In fact, the original shot glasses held only 1 ounce of liquid. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the size of the shot glass was increased to 1.5 ounces.

The reason for this change was twofold: first, by increasing the size of the shot glass, bartenders were able to pour drinks more quickly; and second, by serving drinks in slightly larger glasses, bars were able to increase their profits by selling more alcohol without raising prices.

So now that you know how many ounces are in a shot of alcohol, what about espresso?

After all, we are a coffee blog.

Ounces In A Shot of Espresso

A shot of espresso generally contains between 1-2 fluid ounces.

This means that there are around 4 servings per 8 fluid ounce cup. A single shot of espresso has approximately 64 mg of caffeine while an 8 fluid ounce cup has around 500 mg of caffeine.

How Many Ounces In Starbucks Espresso Shot?

A lot of people love Starbucks coffee. The popular coffee chain has a wide variety of drinks to choose from, and they’re all pretty delicious. One of the most popular drinks on the Starbucks menu is espresso. But just how much espresso is in a Starbucks shot?

Let’s find out.

At Starbucks, you can order a Doppio size espresso shot that contains 1.5 ounces of espresso. A solo shot added to any Starbucks drink is 0.75 ounces. Summary

So there you have it—the next time you’re out at a bar and ordering a shot, you can impress your friends by telling them the history behind the glass!

Cheers to your next shot!

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Last Modified September 27, 2022 Filed Under: Blog Shorts

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