You’d never know the calories in alcoholic drinks from looking at many of their labels and non-chain-restaurant menus. (Chain restaurants must disclose calories for drinks on their menus, and some beer brewers and other alcohol companies label calories voluntarily.) These numbers come from company websites and some labels.

A typical 12 oz. beer has as many calories as a can of Coke (140). Some have twice that much. What about wine, liquor, liqueurs, hard seltzer, and cocktails? When it comes to calories and sugar, here's how alcoholic drinks compare. 

And keep in mind that alcohol is responsible for 178,000 deaths each year in the United States, due to car crashes, suicides, homicides, violence, falls, heart disease, breast cancer, liver disease, and more.

This article comes from Nutrition Action. We don't accept any paid advertising or corporate or government donations. Any products we recommend have been vetted by our staff and are not advertisements by the manufacturers. 

How many calories are in beer?

A beer’s calories depend mostly on alcohol and, to a lesser extent, on carbs.

• Light. Very-low-alcohol beers (2% to 3% alcohol) like Miller 64 Extra Light start at around 60 calories in 12 oz. Most light beers (4% alcohol) have about 100 calories. Bud Light Next (80 calories) sheds calories not only by trimming alcohol, but dropping the carbs to zero.
• Regular. An average 5% alcohol brew like Budweiser hovers around 150 calories.
• IPAs. Heavy hitters (7% to 11% alcohol) like regular IPAs, double or imperial IPAs, and Belgian-style Trippels pack 200 to 300 calories. Gulp! The good news: A lower-alcohol “session” or "lo-cal" IPA can cut that in half (100 to 150 calories).
• Draft pours. Do the math. Even an average beer hits 200 or 250 calories when you’re served a 16 or 20 oz. glass.

How many calories are in wine?

Red or white, a standard 5 oz. "serving" of wine is around 120 calories. But expect slightly more (140 calories) for 6 oz., the amount in a common restaurant pour. A 9 oz. pour reaches 220 calories. Even many higher-sugar whites (like Moscato) are in the same ballpark. (Moscato is typically higher in sugar but lower in alcohol than other varietals.)

Lighter wines like Barefoot Bright & Breezy, Cupcake Lighthearted, Yellow Tail Pure Bright, and Francis Coppola Vibrance slash their alcohol (to around 6% to 9%) to cut calories (70 to 90 per 5-oz. glass).

A glass of sangria typically has at least 200 calories, thanks to fruit, juice, sugar, etc.

How many calories are in liquor and liqueur?

Rule of thumb: any gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or whiskey has 100 to 120 calories per 1.5 oz. shot, before you add any mixers. That’s because all of hard liquor’s calories come from its alcohol (40% to 50%). It has no sugar.

Exception: Liqueurs (like Baileys or St-Germain) vary, depending on their alcohol, sugar, or other extras.

How many calories are in hard seltzer, cider, etc.?

 

• Hard seltzers. Most have half a teaspoon of sugar, max, and no more calories than light beer. But high-alcohol hard seltzers (like Truly Unruly or White Claw Surge) can have 50 percent more calories than regular ones.
• Hard cider. Expect up to 200 calories and up to 4 teaspoons of sugar—some from juice—in 12 oz. Dry ciders are lower (up to 150 calories and 2 teaspoons of sugar). The more "dry" (less sweet) the cider, the lower the calories.
• Hard kombucha. Hard kombucha has a health halo, but most have as many calories as beer.
• Canned cocktails. Check the percent alcohol (ABV) of canned cocktails like June Shine, Cutwater, etc. Some cocktails hit double-digit ABVs, pushing the calories per can past 300 to 500. On the low end: Like a vodka soda, a "ranch water" (tequila, seltzer, and lime) is lower in sugar and calories. Cutwater Lime Ranch Water, for example, has 120 calories and half a teaspoon of sugar.

How many calories are in bars' and restaurants' mixed drinks?

Drinks vary from one bartender to another. The usual ranges at chain restaurants that list calories on the menu:

• Martini or Manhattan. Classic cocktails with little or no added sugar (Manhattan, old fashioned, or martini) typically fall in the 150-to-250-calorie range.
• Moscow mule or mojito. Expect around 250 calories.

• Margarita. A classic margarita—tequila, lime, triple sec—in a small glass limits the calories to 200 or so. But sugary, oversized (often frozen) margs jump to 300-plus calories.