Alcohol basics

# Calories in Alcohol: Beer, Wine, Spirits and Cocktails

Calories in alcohol by serving: beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. Compare pours, estimate your weekly total, and see what cutting back can change.

By the Pour Decision team · Updated November 9, 2026 · 7 min read

> **Quick answer:** alcohol supplies about 7 calories per gram. A regular small beer has around 150 calories, a 150 ml glass of wine around 120–125, and a small serving of plain spirits around 100 before the mixer. The size of the pour and the recipe can change that picture quickly.

You remember the takeaway on Friday. It is easier to forget the drinks around it: a beer while getting ready, wine with dinner and a cocktail afterwards. If you want to quit or cut back, calories are one more way to see what changes. They are useful information, not a reason to skip dinner so you can drink.

## Calories in common alcoholic drinks

These are example **total drink calories** from [MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000886.htm), checked in November 2026. They include the drink's ingredients, not just the alcohol. Metric serving sizes are rounded as in the source. Use the label or recipe for the drink in front of you.

| Drink | Serving | Calories (kcal) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Light beer | 360 ml / 12 US fl oz | 103 |
| Regular beer | 360 ml / 12 US fl oz | 153 |
| Higher-alcohol craft beer | 360 ml / 12 US fl oz | 170–350 |
| White table wine | 150 ml / 5 US fl oz | 121 |
| Red table wine | 150 ml / 5 US fl oz | 125 |
| Gin, rum, vodka or whiskey (40% ABV) | 45 ml / 1.5 US fl oz, without mixer | 97 |
| Coffee liqueur | 45 ml / 1.5 US fl oz | 160 |
| Margarita | 120 ml / 4 US fl oz | 168 |
| Mojito | 180 ml / 6 US fl oz | 143 |
| Piña colada | 210 ml / 7 US fl oz | 380 |

A UK pint is 568 ml, so it is a different serving from the small beer above. A large 250 ml wine is different from a 150 ml glass too. Compare like with like before deciding that one type of drink is “lighter”.

Cocktails are especially variable. A margarita made with a different measure of tequila, liqueur or syrup will not match a generic table. NIAAA's [cocktail calculator](https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/mixed-drink-and-cocktail-content-calculator) also shows why one cocktail can contain more than one standard drink.

## Where the calories come from

The alcohol itself carries energy even when the label says zero sugar. Then there are the other ingredients: carbohydrates in beer, residual sugar in wine, and juice, syrup or cream in mixed drinks. That is why removing the sugar does not remove all the calories.

The NHS puts alcohol at about 7 kcal per gram. For comparison, carbohydrate provides about 4 kcal per gram. A plain spirit can have little sugar and still supply roughly 100 calories in a small serving. Adding a mixer changes the total again.

## How to estimate your own drink

To estimate calories from the _alcohol alone_, use the volume and ABV on the label:

> Alcohol calories ≈ volume in ml × (ABV ÷ 100) × 0.789 × 7

For example, 150 ml of 12% wine contains about 14.2 g of alcohol, which contributes about 99 kcal. The wine's total can be higher because that calculation leaves out its other ingredients. Our guide to [standard drinks and units](https://pourdecision.app/blog/what-is-a-standard-drink) explains the volume-to-grams calculation.

For a packaged drink, use its stated calories per serving or per 100 ml to estimate the full total. For a mixed drink, add the measured ingredients. If a label says 40 kcal per 100 ml, a 500 ml can is 200 kcal, not 40. Keep “per serving” and “per container” separate.

## What a week of drinks adds up to

Take the regular beer in the table: 153 kcal per small serving. Two on Friday and two on Saturday come to 612 kcal. Having one instead of two on each night removes about 306 kcal from that week. That is arithmetic, not a prediction of weight loss.

The same approach works if your goal is zero: count the servings you no longer drink, then account for what replaces them. NIAAA's [alcohol calorie calculator](https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/alcohol-calorie-calculator) can help estimate a weekly total. The pattern over a normal week is more useful than finding the lowest-calorie option on a single night.

## Will quitting or cutting back help you lose weight?

It can help. Removing drinks reduces the energy coming from them, and drinking can influence what you eat afterwards. But the scale reflects more than alcohol: replacement snacks, other drinks, activity and your health all affect the result.

There is no honest timetable that says everyone loses a set amount after a week or a month. If you stop drinking and reach for more sweets, it does not mean you have failed. Our guide to [sugar cravings after quitting alcohol](https://pourdecision.app/blog/sugar-cravings-after-quitting-alcohol) covers that common change and ways to handle it.

Avoid trading meals for drinks. A lower calorie total is not the only measure of a healthier week, and a low-calorie drink can still contain a lot of alcohol. For the separate question of health risk, read [how much alcohol is too much](https://pourdecision.app/blog/how-much-alcohol-is-too-much).

## Changes that reduce both alcohol and calories

- **Measure the usual pour once.** Start with the drink you actually have, including top-ups and mixers.
- **Choose a smaller serving.** The same wine in a smaller measure reduces both alcohol and its calories.
- **Check lower-strength options.** Compare the label as well as the ABV; less alcohol does not always mean fewer total calories if the recipe has more sugar.
- **Replace a drink rather than adding one.** Water or a drink you enjoy without alcohol can take the place of the next round. Check labels if calories are part of your goal.
- **Make the weekly goal concrete.** Fewer drinking occasions or fewer servings can be easier to follow than a promise to “be good”. Our [cut-back guide](https://pourdecision.app/blog/how-to-cut-back-on-drinking) helps turn that into a plan.

If you drink heavily every day or get shaky, sweaty or sick without alcohol, get medical advice before cutting back sharply or stopping. Calorie goals are not a reason to risk [alcohol withdrawal](https://pourdecision.app/blog/alcohol-withdrawal-timeline).

## How Pour Decision helps

[Pour Decision](https://pourdecision.app/) tracks calories alongside alcohol units, money and moods. Its drink library lets you log what you had, and weekly charts help you see the pattern rather than remember it from a blurry Saturday morning. Treat calorie counts as estimates that depend on the drink and portion you log.

See drink calories alongside your weekly alcohol total.

Set your own daily and weekly limits if you want to drink less, or use a personal quit plan with weekly goals stepping down to zero. Both routes let you see what changes over time. Your logs stay on your phone, with no account to create.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many calories are in alcohol per gram?

Pure alcohol supplies about 7 kcal per gram. That is before any carbohydrate, sugar, cream or mixer in the finished drink. ABV and serving size let you estimate the alcohol component, but not the whole drink.

### How many calories are in a bottle of wine?

Five 150 ml servings of the table wines listed here work out at about 605–625 kcal for a 750 ml bottle. That is an estimate based on those example wines, not a value for every bottle. Stronger or sweeter wines can contain more.

### Does vodka have fewer calories than whiskey?

Plain vodka and whiskey at the same strength and serving size have similar calories. MedlinePlus lists both at 97 kcal for a 1.5 US fl oz serving of 80-proof spirits. The pour size, ABV and mixer usually matter more than which plain spirit you choose.

### Will I lose weight if I stop drinking?

Removing drink calories can help, but it does not guarantee weight loss. Your overall food intake, replacement drinks, activity and health also matter. Track the change over time rather than converting a calorie saving into a promised number of kilos.

### Is sugar-free alcohol calorie-free?

No. Alcohol itself contains calories even when a drink contains no sugar. A sugar-free mixer can reduce the mixer calories, but it does not remove calories or health risks from the spirit.

## Sources

- [MedlinePlus: Calorie count — alcoholic beverages](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000886.htm)
- [NHS: Calories in alcohol](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/calories-in-alcohol/)
- [NIAAA: Alcohol calorie calculator](https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/alcohol-calorie-calculator)
- [NIAAA: Mixed drink and cocktail content calculator](https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/mixed-drink-and-cocktail-content-calculator)
- [MedlinePlus: Weight loss and alcohol](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000889.htm)

This article is for general information only and isn't medical advice. If you're worried about your drinking, or you drink heavily every day, talk to a doctor before you cut back or stop: stopping suddenly can be dangerous.

Source: https://pourdecision.app/blog/calories-in-alcohol