A typical 6 oz. glass of wine or 12 oz. beer has as many calories as a can of Coke (140). Some beers have twice that much.

But you’d never know the calories in alcoholic drinks from 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.)

Alcohol is responsible for 88,000 deaths each year in this country, mostly from car crashes, suicides, violence, falls, and liver disease. But booze can also leave its mark on your midsection.

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 start at around 60 calories in 12 oz. Most lights (4% alcohol) have about 100 calories.
• Regular. An average 5% alcohol brew like Budweiser hovers around 150 calories.
• IPAs. Heavy hitters (6% to 9% alcohol) like IPAs, double IPAs, and Belgian-style Trippels pack 200 to 300 calories. Gulp! A lower-alcohol “session” IPA cuts that to 140 or so.
• Draft pours. Do the math. Even an average beer hits 200 or 250 calories when you’re served a 16 or 20 oz. glass.

Wine

Red or white, expect roughly 150 calories for 6 ounces, the amount in a restaurant pour. A 9 oz. glass reaches 220 calories. Even many higher-sugar whites (like Moscato or Riesling) are in the same ballpark. Our chart below shows how wines from some big brands vary.

A glass of sangria typically has 200 to 300 calories, thanks to fruit, juice, sugar, etc.

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 liquor’s calories come from its alcohol (40% to 50%).

Exceptions: “Cask strength” or “barrel proof” liquor can reach 150-or-so calories. Liqueurs (like Baileys or Cointreau) vary, depending on their alcohol, sugar, or other extras.

Seltzer, cider, etc.

 

Most hard seltzersmatch the calories of a light beer (100-ish). And sugar ranges from zero (Bon & Viv, Henry’s, Smirnoff) to half a teaspoon (Nauti, Truly, White Claw) in 12 oz. Sure beats other sweet sips:

• Hard cider. Expect up to 200 calories and 3 to 5 teaspoons of sugar—some from juice—in 12 oz. Dry ciders are lower (150 calories).
• Ritas. This brand of canned sparkling margaritas—made with high fructose corn syrup and, in some flavors, food dyes and sucralose—crams 190 to 220 calories into just 8 oz. How many of the 21 to 29 grams of carbs are added sugar? The company won’t say.

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 added sugar (Manhattan) or no added sugar (martini) typically fall in the 150-to-200-calorie range.
• Moscow mule or mojito. Expect about 200 to 300 calories.
• Margarita. A classic margarita—tequila, lime, triple sec—in a small glass limits the calories to 200. But sugary (often frozen) margs jump to 350…and oversized ones reach 500.
• Blended frozen drinks. Large frozen mudslides or other boozy ice cream shakes hit 500 to 800-plus calories. That’s like slurping up a (540-calorie) Big Mac…or more. May-day!

Calories, carbs, and sugar in alcoholic drinks

Within each category of the charts below, alcoholic drinks are ranked from least to most calories, then (if shown) grams of sugar, and then grams of carbs. The % column lists percent alcohol by volume(ABV), when available. "NA" means that a number isn't available.

Click below to jump to a section of the chart:

• Beer (12 oz.)
• Wine (6 oz.)
• Liquor (1.5 oz.)
• Liqueur (1.5 oz.)
• Hard Cider (12 oz.)
• Hard Seltzer (12 oz.)
• Flavored Malt Beverages (12 oz., unless noted)

Beer (12 oz.)

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Wine (6 oz.)

*Barefoot and Carlo Rossi wines may vary by roughly 10 calories per serving. Calories listed reflect the low end of the range.

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Liquor (1.5 oz.)

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Liqueur (1.5 oz.)

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Hard Cider (12 oz.)

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Hard Seltzer, all flavors (12 oz.)

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Flavored Malt Beverages (12 oz., unless noted)

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Notes: NA means that the number is not available. Most calories have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percent alcohol by volume may vary slightly from year to year for some wines and other drinks. Sugar is grams of total sugar. Many beers do not disclose sugar content.

Sources: company information and USDA.

Photos (top to bottom): Love the wind/stock.adobe.com, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., New Africa/stock.adobe.com, monticellllo/stock.adobe.com, White Claw Seltzer Works, wollertz/stock.adobe.com.