Netflix and Spill - How Much Alcohol Do Our Favourite Netflix Series F

Let’s face it; we’ve all spent a lot more time watching Netflix recently. Is there any better way to ignore the world outside than a day-long binge of your favourite shows accompanied by a few beers, a glass of wine or even a cheeky gin?

However, have you ever wondered who from your favourite Netflix original would be down to join you? We’ve watched the first season of ten fan-favourite Netflix Original TV shows to figure out which feature the most alcohol, which character drinks the most, and what their favourite tipple is. Is your favourite on the list?

Bridgerton

Bridgerton took the top spot in the study as the booziest Netflix series, indulging in 307,910ml of alcohol. Whilst we made sure to count non-alcoholic drinks, the extravagant party scenes and the Bridgerton siblings’ wild escapades meant that 96% of the drinks featured in the show were alcoholic.

Bridgerton also consumed the most units out of the TV shows we looked at, with a whopping 3909.3 units drunk. That is over 400% more than the second-highest show on our list - The Witcher.

It also comes as no surprise that the show's biggest heartthrob, the Duke of Hastings himself - Simon Basset, is also the biggest drinker in this series.

The Witcher

One of Netflix’s biggest book-to-TV adaptations, The Witcher, became a favourite after it premiered in December 2019. The first season saw an estimated total of 311 drinks downed and a combined 24 minutes of drinking across the series - with none other than Geralt of Rivia found as the biggest drinker.

You

You became a Netflix phenomenon, with most of us eagerly awaiting season 3 (due some time this year!). Our data showed that Beck drank the most enjoying mostly wine, but a few cocktails too. With its dark twists and turns, this series is not for the faint hearted.

Whilst wine was the most popular drink in the series, the show’s characters also loved a cocktail - with the Old Fashioned and a Pornstar Martini both making an appearance.

Ozark

Ozark is a captivating crime drama based in the U.S, and after bingeing the first season, we’re not surprised some of these characters enjoy a stiff drink. Financial advisor turned money-launder Marty Bryde drank the most in season one and was partial to either a beer or a strong whiskey.

Our data also shows that Ozark had the most branded alcohol placement. Over 20% of drinks featured being identified as a specific brand, the most popular being Budweiser.

Sex Education

Netflix’s hilarious yet poignant coming-of-age series Sex Education saw 40 million viewers in the month following the premiere of its first season.

Whilst we expected the shows biggest drinker to be the likes of bad girl Maeve Wiley, or head boy Jackson Marchetti, it was our favourite sex therapist Dr Jean Milburn. It turns out Jean loves a glass of wine, and who can blame her?

Never Have I Ever

This teen drama based in Boston premiered in April last year and has since been praised for being a pivotal moment for South Asian representation within Hollywood and breaking stereotypes - reaching 40 million households within its first month.

Even though only 40% of the episodes in Never Have I Ever’s first season contained booze and only 15 minutes of drinking overall, it still managed to rack up an estimated 128 drinks - the most popular drink being beer - with its social drinking and party scenes.

Money Heist

Money Heist is a Spanish crime drama that made waves when it first appeared on the streaming platform. Over 80% of the episodes in the first season feature some kind of alcohol, with 56 minutes of drinking total - the most popular drink was whiskey, but wine, spirits and even home brewed beer also made appearances. What better way to celebrate one of the greatest heists in history!

The Queen’s Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit became another Netflix lockdown favourite last year, following the story of Beth Harmon - a brilliant yet troubled Chess prodigy.

Since a central theme within the show is Beth’s struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, it's no surprise that she was the show’s biggest drinker. However, despite the onscreen struggles of not one but two central characters, this show came relatively low in our ranking for overall drinks in a series.

The ‘Gibson Cocktail’, a martini-style drink where the traditional olive is switched for a pickled-onion, featured in episode 3 saw a 333% rise in search terms during mid-October following the show’s premiere - showing just how popular it was.

Ratched

A prequel to the renowned 70’s thriller ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest’ - Ratched had 48 million people tuning in during its first month and featured 106 units of alcohol across the first season.

We’re not sure if we’d even be able to stomach a glass of water after watching this but the show’s Dr Richard Hanover didn’t shy away from a whiskey and took top spot as Ratched’s most featured drinker.

The Umbrella Academy

Based on the comic of the same name, this quirky and dark superhero drama reached 45 million households in its first month on Netflix. Fan favourite Klaus, also known as ‘Number Four’ in the show, was the series biggest drinker.

Sources

Netflix
Beveraging.net (Timberdoodle Recipe)
The Spruce Eats (Alcohol content equation)
In The Spirit (Cocktail measurements)
NHS (Alcohol units guidelines)

Methodology

We watched the first season of the top 10 Netflix Original TV shows, based on viewership. We counted and identified each drink featured in each episode, collecting data on the type and size of the drink, how many units, who was drinking it and any additional interesting information.

Our ranking is based on the number of alcoholic drinks featured in the first series of each show.