Alcohol standard drink — New Mexico Permit Test

Alcohol standard drink on the New Mexico permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

One drink is 1 1/2 ounces of 80-proof liquor, one shot glass, straight or with a mixer.

Knowing what one drink is helps you see that a strong mixed drink can count as several.

An alcohol drink is 1 1/2 oz. of 80-proof liquor (one shot glass) straight or with a mixer,

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.29

One drink is 12 ounces of beer, a regular size can, bottle or glass.

A can of beer has about as much alcohol as a shot of liquor, so beer is not the safe choice.

12 oz. of beer (a regular size can, bottle, or glass) or a 5 oz. glass of wine.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.29

One drink is a 5 ounce glass of wine.

A small glass of wine holds as much alcohol as a can of beer.

or a 5 oz. glass of wine.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.29

Specialty drinks can have more alcohol in them and can equal several normal drinks.

A big fancy drink can hold the alcohol of three or four regular ones, so it adds up fast.

Specialty drinks can have more alcohol in them and are the same as having several normal drinks.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.29

On the test

How much 80-proof liquor counts as one drink?

1 1/2 oz. Knowing what one drink is helps you see that a strong mixed drink can count as several. New Mexico Driver Manual, p.29: “An alcohol drink is 1 1/2 oz. of 80-proof liquor (one shot glass) straight or with a mixer,”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against New Mexico Driver Manual, published by the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.