Long and balanced
One part whisky to three parts ginger ale
Chivas publishes 50ml plus 150ml. Johnnie Walker also publishes a long ginger serve close to this structure. It is the easiest first ratio when the mixer is dry and cold.
Free highball calculator
Whisky and ginger ale ratio calculator
Pick a source-checked starting serve, enter the number of glasses and use your real shelf prices. Get the exact whisky, ginger ale, bottles, cost and UK units without guessing from a jug.
Four measured presetsCustom pricesNo sign-up
Build the serve
Add your current shelf prices
Your measured plan
1 : 3
whisky to ginger ale
50ml + 150ml
- Whisky required
- 200ml
- Ginger ale required
- 600ml
- Ingredient cost
- £2.52
- Alcohol units
- 2
Buy 1 × 700ml bottle
Buy 1 × 1000ml pack
£10.07 used in this batch
8 UK units across the batch
Selected bottle
Chivas Regal 12
Checkout estimate with the entered pack prices: £32.50
Cost per serve uses the fraction of each pack actually poured; checkout cost is the whole packs needed. Left after this batch: about 500ml whisky and 400ml mixer. Retail links may earn us a commission without changing your price.
Shorter and stronger
One part whisky to two parts ginger ale
Dewar’s publishes 2oz whisky with 4oz ginger ale. Keep the ratio but halve both quantities if you want a smaller drink with the same balance.
Make it repeatable
Measure before you adjust
Use the same glass, fresh ice and chilled mixer for each test. Change the mixer by 10–15ml next time instead of free-pouring extra whisky into the finished drink.
The arithmetic
How the calculator works
Every output follows from the measures, pack sizes and prices you enter. We do not scrape or invent a live bottle price.
- 1. Quantity: each per-serve measure is multiplied by the number of servings, then divided by the relevant pack size and rounded up for the shopping quantity.
- 2. Ingredient cost: the price per millilitre is multiplied by the amount actually poured. Checkout cost counts the complete packs you need to buy.
- 3. Alcohol units: whisky millilitres × labelled ABV ÷ 1,000. The result assumes the ginger ale is alcohol-free.
Sources and limits
Published recipes, transparent estimates
The presets reproduce producer-published ingredient quantities; they are not blind-tasting scores. Cost results depend entirely on your entries. Source and formula check: 19 September 2026.
- Chivas Regal — Ginger Highball: 50ml Chivas 12 and 150ml ginger ale.
- Dewar’s — Whisky and Ginger Ale: 2oz whisky and 4oz ginger ale.
- NHS — Alcohol units: ABV × volume in ml ÷ 1,000.
- GOV.UK — low-risk drinking guidelines.
Whisky and ginger ale questions
What is the best ratio of whisky to ginger ale?
One part whisky to three parts ginger ale is a practical long-drink starting point. Chivas publishes 50ml to 150ml, while Dewar’s publishes a stronger one-to-two serve. The calculator lets you scale either measured approach.
How much whisky and ginger ale do I need for ten people?
At 50ml whisky and 150ml ginger ale each, ten serves require 500ml whisky and 1.5 litres of ginger ale. Enter the number of serves and your actual measures to account for a different ratio.
How many UK units are in a whisky and ginger ale?
A 50ml pour of 40% ABV whisky contains 2 UK units. A 25ml pour at 40% contains 1 unit. Alcohol-free ginger ale does not add units, but always check the label of the mixer you use.
Does adding ginger ale reduce the alcohol units?
No. An alcohol-free mixer lowers the concentration of the finished drink but does not remove the alcohol already poured. Units are determined by the whisky volume and its labelled ABV.
Why is checkout cost higher than batch ingredient cost?
Ingredient cost counts only the fraction of each bottle or pack poured. Checkout cost counts the complete bottles and mixer packs you need to buy, including what remains afterwards.