Calories in Beer, Wine and Cocktails: Full Table and What Alcohol Does to a Diet
Quick answer: Alcohol has 7 kcal per gram — nearly as dense as fat, with none of the fullness. A 330 ml bottle of 5% beer is 140–150 kcal; a 500 ml glass 210–230; a 150 ml glass of wine 120–125; a 40 ml shot of spirits 95–100; a gin and tonic 150–180; a mojito 200–240; a piña colada 400–500. Alcoholic drinks carry no nutrition label in most countries, so they are the largest unlabelled calorie source most people consume. Three drinks on a Friday and three on a Saturday is 800–1,200 kcal a weekend — enough to cancel a week's deficit — and people consistently leave them out of the log.
Where the calories come from
Every alcoholic drink has two calorie sources: the alcohol itself (7 kcal/g) and the sugar or carbohydrate left in the drink (4 kcal/g) — residual sugar in wine and cider, malt sugars in beer, syrups and juices in cocktails, mixers in long drinks.
A useful shortcut for pure alcohol: calories from alcohol ≈ ml of drink × ABV% × 0.056. A 500 ml beer at 5% → 500 × 5 × 0.056 = 140 kcal from alcohol alone, plus 60–90 from carbohydrate.
Beer and cider
| Drink | Size | ABV | Calories | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lager, standard | 330 ml | 5% | 140–150 kcal | 10–12 g |
| Lager, standard | 500 ml | 5% | 210–230 kcal | 15–18 g |
| Lager, "light" | 330 ml | 4% | 95–110 kcal | 5–7 g |
| Pilsner | 500 ml | 4.8% | 200–215 kcal | 15 g |
| Wheat beer | 500 ml | 5.2% | 220–240 kcal | 18 g |
| IPA | 500 ml | 6.5% | 280–320 kcal | 20 g |
| Stout | 500 ml | 4.2% | 190–210 kcal | 16 g |
| Non-alcoholic beer (0.0–0.5%) | 330 ml | 0–0.5% | 60–90 kcal | 12–18 g |
| Radler / shandy | 500 ml | 2.5% | 190–230 kcal | 30 g |
| Cider, dry | 500 ml | 5% | 200–230 kcal | 10–15 g |
| Cider, sweet | 500 ml | 4.5% | 250–300 kcal | 30–40 g |
Stronger beers cost more per glass, not just per unit of alcohol; an IPA session is 50% more calories than a lager session of the same number of drinks. Non-alcoholic beer is not calorie-free — the sugar that would have fermented is still in it.
Wine and sparkling
| Drink | Size | ABV | Calories | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry white | 150 ml | 12% | 115–120 kcal | 1 g |
| Dry red | 150 ml | 13% | 120–125 kcal | 1 g |
| Full-bodied red | 150 ml | 14.5% | 135–140 kcal | 1 g |
| Rosé, dry | 150 ml | 12% | 115 kcal | 2 g |
| Off-dry / medium white | 150 ml | 11% | 125–135 kcal | 6–10 g |
| Sweet / dessert wine | 100 ml | 15% | 160–190 kcal | 15–20 g |
| Champagne / Cava / Prosecco, brut | 125 ml | 12% | 85–95 kcal | 1–2 g |
| Port | 75 ml | 20% | 120–130 kcal | 8 g |
| Bottle of wine | 750 ml | 13% | 600–650 kcal | 5 g |
Sweetness matters more than colour. Red and dry white are near-identical; a sweet wine or a large-pour full-bodied red is 30–50% more. A "glass" in a restaurant is often 175–250 ml, not 150 — a bottle shared over dinner is 300+ kcal each.
Spirits and long drinks
| Drink | Size | Calories | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodka, gin, rum, whisky, tequila (40%) | 40 ml | 90–100 kcal | Near-identical across spirits |
| Same, 25 ml single measure | 25 ml | 55–60 kcal | UK standard |
| Same, 50 ml | 50 ml | 110–120 kcal | RU / large pour |
| Liqueur (Baileys, Kahlúa, Amaretto) | 50 ml | 150–180 kcal | Sugar and cream |
| Gin and tonic | 40 ml + 150 ml tonic | 150–180 kcal | Tonic is 60–70 kcal |
| Gin and slimline tonic | 40 ml + 150 ml | 95–100 kcal | Mixer is ~0 |
| Vodka soda | 40 ml + soda | 95–100 kcal | Cheapest long drink |
| Vodka and cola | 40 ml + 150 ml cola | 160–170 kcal | Cola is 65 kcal |
| Rum and coke | 40 ml + 150 ml cola | 160–170 kcal | |
| Whisky highball | 40 ml + soda | 95–100 kcal | |
| Sake | 180 ml (一合) | 190–200 kcal | 15% ABV |
| Soju | 360 ml bottle | 380–420 kcal | 16–17% ABV; the whole bottle |
| Baijiu | 50 ml | 140–160 kcal | 50%+ ABV |
The mixer decides the drink. Tonic, cola, lemonade and juice add 60–90 kcal per 150 ml; soda water, diet mixers and slimline tonic add none.
Cocktails
| Cocktail | Typical calories | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vodka soda with lime | 95–100 kcal | Spirit only |
| Dry martini | 130–150 kcal | Mostly spirit |
| Negroni | 190–210 kcal | Three spirits, vermouth sugar |
| Aperol spritz | 120–160 kcal | Prosecco, Aperol sugar |
| Old fashioned | 150–180 kcal | Spirit plus sugar |
| Margarita (classic) | 200–250 kcal | Triple sec and lime |
| Margarita (bar mix, large) | 350–500 kcal | Sugar syrup, size |
| Mojito | 200–240 kcal | Sugar and soda |
| Cosmopolitan | 200–220 kcal | Cranberry, triple sec |
| Espresso martini | 230–280 kcal | Coffee liqueur, syrup |
| Whisky sour | 200–230 kcal | Sugar syrup, egg white |
| Caipirinha | 250–300 kcal | Cachaça and sugar |
| Long Island iced tea | 300–400 kcal | Four spirits plus cola |
| Piña colada | 400–500 kcal | Coconut cream and juice |
| Frozen daiquiri / strawberry margarita | 350–450 kcal | Syrup, fruit, size |
| White Russian | 300–350 kcal | Cream and liqueur |
Rule of thumb: clear and sour is 100–200; sweet or creamy is 300–500; frozen is 400+.
What alcohol does to a diet beyond the calories
It pauses fat burning. The body cannot store alcohol, so it prioritises metabolising it — and while it does, fat oxidation drops sharply. The calories you ate with the drinks are more likely to be stored. This is why "drinking calories" hit harder than the same number from food.
It increases appetite and lowers judgement. Two drinks reliably produce the late-night food that would not have happened otherwise, and the next-day breakfast is bigger and worse. The alcohol is often the smaller half of a night's excess.
It disrupts sleep. Even moderate drinking reduces deep sleep and REM; the next day brings higher hunger hormones and carb cravings. The weekend's calories often extend into Monday.
It has zero nutrition. No protein, no fiber, no micronutrients. 300 kcal of wine displaces 300 kcal of food that would have had all three.
It dehydrates, which reads as fatigue and hunger the next day. How much water per day →
Lower-calorie choices, honestly
If you drink, the levers in order of size:
- Fewer drinks. Everything else is secondary.
- Dry over sweet. Dry wine, brut sparkling, dry cider, classic sours over creamy or frozen cocktails.
- Zero-calorie mixers. Soda water, diet tonic or cola, fresh lime.
- Standard pours. A 150 ml glass, not a 250 ml one; a single, not a double.
- Lower ABV. Session lagers, spritzes and radlers cost less per glass than IPAs and full-bodied reds.
- Water between drinks. Halves the count and the next day.
How to log a night out
Alcohol is the category people skip most, partly because there is nothing to scan and no plate to photograph. Two habits fix it:
- Log each drink when it arrives, by voice: "large glass of red", "pint of lager", "gin and tonic". It takes three seconds and it is the only moment you will remember accurately.
- Log the food that came with it — the crisps, the late kebab — the same way. That is usually the other half.
CalMePlease logs drinks from a voice note and shows sugar next to calories, which is where the difference between a vodka soda and a mojito actually lives. The next morning's AI Score will reflect it — not as a judgement, but so the weekend pattern is visible when you look at the week.
FAQ
How many calories are in a beer? About 140–150 kcal for a 330 ml bottle of 5% lager; 210–230 kcal for 500 ml. Light beer is 95–110; strong IPAs 280–320 per 500 ml.
How many calories are in a glass of wine? About 120–125 kcal for a 150 ml glass of dry red or white. A large 250 ml restaurant pour is 200+. A full bottle is 600–650.
How many calories are in a shot of vodka? About 95–100 kcal for 40 ml of 40% vodka; 55–60 for a 25 ml single; 110–120 for 50 ml. Gin, rum, whisky and tequila are essentially the same.
What is the lowest-calorie alcoholic drink? A spirit with a zero-calorie mixer — vodka soda or gin and slimline tonic — at 95–100 kcal, or a brut sparkling wine at 85–95 kcal per glass.
Does alcohol turn into fat? Not directly — the body burns alcohol first. But while it does, it stops burning fat, so the food eaten alongside is more likely to be stored. Net effect: yes, alcohol makes fat gain easier.
Does non-alcoholic beer have calories? Yes — 60–90 kcal per 330 ml, from unfermented sugar. Less than regular beer, not zero.
How do I count calories in alcohol without labels? Use the formula ml × ABV% × 0.056 for the alcohol, then add the mixer or sugar. Or say the drink to a tracking app; standard drinks are well covered in databases.
Related: Hidden sugar: where it comes from · How to calculate your calorie deficit · How much salt per day
CalMePlease logs a drink from a three-second voice note, with sugar next to calories. Free on the App Store.
