Calories in alcohol: beer, wine and spirits by the glass

A 12 fl oz (355 ml) can of regular 5 % beer has about 155 calories, a 5 fl oz (148 ml) glass of red wine about 125, and a 1.5 fl oz shot of 40 % vodka, whiskey or rakija about 100. In UK sizes, the NHS puts a pint of 5 % beer at up to 222 kcal and a 175 ml glass of 12 % wine at up to 158. Three cans of beer in an evening are about 460 kcal, as much as a decent lunch.

This post isn't an invitation to drink or a plan for "saving room" for alcohol. If you don't drink, there's no reason to start. But if you count calories and don't log drinks, your numbers won't add up.

Where do the calories in alcohol come from?

The calories in alcohol come mostly from the alcohol itself: according to the NIDDK, part of the US National Institutes of Health, alcohol has 7 calories per gram, carbohydrate and protein 4, and fat 9. By calories, alcohol is much closer to fat than to sugar.

A US standard drink, per the NIAAA, holds 14 g of pure alcohol: 12 fl oz of 5 % beer, 5 fl oz of 12 % wine or 1.5 fl oz of 40 % spirits. At 7 kcal per gram, that is about 100 kcal from the alcohol alone, before any sugar or carbs.

In spirits, almost all the calories come from the alcohol, so strength decides: vodka, gin, whiskey, rum and Balkan fruit brandy at 40 % land in the same place. In beer, part of the calories come from carbs, about 18 g in half a litre. Dry red wine has few carbs, about 4 g a glass; the rest is alcohol.

How many calories are in beer, wine and spirits?

Per 100 ml, a 5 % lager has about 43 kcal, red wine about 85 and 40 % rakija about 221; per usual drink:

Drink	Amount	kcal
Beer, lager 5 %	12 fl oz can (355 ml)	155
Beer, lager 5 %	0.5 l	215
Beer, 5 % (NHS)	UK pint (568 ml)	up to 222
Red wine, 12–13 %	5 fl oz glass (148 ml)	125
White wine	5 fl oz glass (148 ml)	120
Wine, 12 % (NHS)	175 ml glass	up to 158
Red wine	750 ml bottle	640
Spirits, 40 %	1.5 fl oz shot (44 ml)	100
Spirits, 40 % (NHS)	UK double (50 ml)	100
Rakija, 40 %	30 ml	65

Source: my food tables (beer 43, red wine 85, white wine 82 from USDA 174837, rakija 221 kcal per 100 ml), the NHS rows as published, and the shot as 14 g of alcohol × 7 kcal. Rounded.

Stronger beer and sweet wines have more; a 4 % beer has a bit less. If the label gives energy per 100 ml, it beats any table.

Which alcohol has the fewest calories?

Per glass, a 1.5 oz shot of spirits (about 100 kcal) has the fewest calories, ahead of a 5 oz glass of wine (about 125) and a pint of beer (over 200). Per 100 ml it's the other way round: rakija about 221, wine about 85, beer about 43.

In practice the kind of drink matters less than how much of it. Two 1.5 oz shots at a family celebration are about 195 kcal. Three cans of beer during a game are about 460. A bottle of wine shared by two is about 320 each. When I count, I look at the whole evening, not one glass.

A spritzer, half white wine and half soda water, is the easiest way to make a wine evening lighter: a 200 ml glass is about 80 kcal, because the soda has none. I don't have reliable numbers for light beer or cocktails in my table, so I won't make them up. For cocktails, log the alcohol and the mixer separately, or take a higher estimate.

Why don't calories from drinks feel like food?

Calories from drinks don't feel like food because drinks don't fill you up. You feel a 460-calorie lunch; you don't feel three beers, so dinner stays the same size and the drinks come on top.

Then there are the snacks. A 30 g handful of peanuts is about 175 kcal, and three cans of beer with two handfuls come to about 810 kcal; nobody calls that a meal. Drinks are also the easiest thing to forget to log, so when I'm "in a deficit but not losing weight", they're the first thing I check.

How does alcohol fit into a calorie deficit?

Alcohol can fit into a calorie deficit only if you count it. My own rules:

• I don't skip dinner to "save" calories for drinks. On an empty stomach I drink more and snack more.
• I pick the smaller size: a 330 ml bottle instead of half a litre is about 75 kcal less.
• I have a glass of water with every drink.
• Snacks go in a bowl, not straight from the bag.

If you don't know your deficit yet, start with my post on the calorie deficit. Two half-litres of beer are about 430 kcal, close to a whole 500-calorie deficit for that day.

Are calories the biggest problem with alcohol?

Calories are not the biggest problem with alcohol; they're the least important thing about it, and I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say so.

The WHO's European office says there is no safe amount of alcohol that doesn't affect health, and that the risk starts with the first drop. Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same group as tobacco and asbestos, and it causes at least seven types of cancer.

So a "lighter" drink with fewer calories isn't a healthier drink. If you're pregnant, take medication or have questions about how much you drink, talk to your doctor. This post isn't medical advice.

How do I log drinks?

Log drinks by what you actually drank, not what you planned. A glass isn't a measure, and pours by eye vary a lot. If you don't know, take the larger value.

In Calorko, the Android app I'm building, you can type drinks in plain words, like "two beers and a shot", or add them to a meal you photographed. They go into the same daily total as food.

In short

• 12 oz beer about 155 kcal, 5 oz glass of wine about 125, 1.5 oz shot about 100.
• Alcohol has 7 kcal per gram; spirits get their calories almost only from alcohol, beer also from carbs.
• Drink calories don't fill you up and are easy to forget, and snacks double them.
• Calories aren't alcohol's main problem: the WHO says no level is safe.