Objective: To assess alcoholic beverage intake among Australian adults and its contribution to dietary energy intake. Design: Secondary analysis of a national dietary survey using 24 h dietary recall. Setting: Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) conducted from May 2011 to June 2012. Subjects: Adults (n 9341) aged 19 years and over. Results: On the day preceding the survey, 32·8 % of Australian adults consumed one or more alcoholic drinks. The median contribution to total energy intake for consumers did not differ significantly between males and females (13·7 % and 12·9 %, respectively; P = 0·10). The prevalence of consumption of alcoholic drinks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday was 38·8 (95 % CI 37·1, 40·5) %, higher than the other days (28·6 (95 % CI 27·5, 29·8) %). Consumers had a median daily intake of 4·0 standard drinks on the weekend compared with 3·0 standard drinks during the week (P < 0·001). Beer was the most commonly consumed alcoholic beverage for men and white wine for women. The highest prevalence of alcoholic beverage intake occurred in the highest quintile of adjusted household income (42·7 (95 % CI 40·4, 45·0) %) and the 'overweight' BMI category (40·3 (95 % CI 38·5, 42·0) %). Alcoholic beverage intake among consumers was significantly different by household income quintile (median 3·84 (highest) v. 3·05 standard drinks (lowest); P < 0·05) and by waist circumference category (median 4·09 standard drinks (highest)). Conclusions: Alcoholic drinks contribute substantially to the dietary energy intake of Australian adults. The type and pattern of consumption of alcoholic beverage intake should be considered in the development of strategies to improve dietary intake.