Cocktail Calories Do Count!

If you’ve made it this far into the semester, you’ve got a lot to celebrate. It’s not only the end of the term, it’s the start of a brand new year. That means you’ll be raising a toast to all that you’ve accomplished and a few more to all that lies ahead. Just remember to count all the cheers that you down, because they do come at a price that may not be worth celebrating.

There is no difference between the calories we get from the foods we must chew before swallowing and those that just bypass the teeth and trickle down the throat as beverages. All calories are created equal when it comes to weight gain --- the more you consume, the more you weigh. This is especially true of alcoholic beverages since wine, beer and spirits don’t have nutrition facts labels to let us know the number of calories we are consuming at the bar.

Unfortunately, it’s enough to turn the typical happy hour into a disaster hour for anyone trying to control her weight --- and who isn’t? For those who really like to party, what you drink can put on as many pounds (or more) than what you eat.

There are three parts to the drinking girl’s dilemma. First, there’s the alcoholic part of intoxicating drinks, or ethanol. There are 7 calories in each gram of pure ethanol, just like there are 4 calories in each gram of protein or carbs and 9 calories in each gram of fat (a topic for another column). Since the average drink has 10 – 15 grams of alcohol in it, that’s 70 – 105 calories right there. Alcohol content varies by the proof for the drink. The higher the proof, the more alcohol it contains and consequently, the more calories.

Calories are also contributed by the other natural ingredients used in making wine, beer and liqueurs. That’s problem number two. The grapes, grains and sugar in these drinks all add calories. Compare the damage for yourself in the chart below.

Alcoholic Drink Standard Serving Calories

Champagne (dry 5 ounces): 85

Dry Wine (5 ounces ): 100

Light beer (12 ounces): 100

Liquor (80 proof 1 ½ ounces*): 100

Liquor (100 proof 1 ½ ounces*): 125

Regular beer (12 ounces): 150

Ale (12 ounces): 175

Wine Cooler (12 ounces ): 200

Cordials (liqueurs 2 ounces): 215

* 1 ½ ounces is one measured shot

And, of course, the final source of calories in alcoholic drinks is supplied by whatever you mix those spirits with, like soda with your rum, OJ in your vodka and cream in your Kahlua. Check out the mixers below to see where your faves fall.

Mixer Standard Serving Calories

Club soda (any amount): 0

Seltzer (any amount): 0

Bloody Mary (mix 4 ounces ): 25

Orange or Grapefruit Juice (4 ounces): 50

Pineapple juice (4 ounces): 70

Cranberry juice (4 ounces): 75

Ginger ale (8 ounces): 80

Tonic (8 ounces): 85

Regular cola (8 ounces): 100

Regular lemon-lime soda (8 ounces): 100

If you end up at a party where they’re whipping up specialty drinks with exotic sounding names and little umbrellas sticking up out of them – beware. These concoctions carry the added threats of being served in a bigger glass than other drinks, they’re made with several different types of alcohol and they taste delicious so go down easy. Take a look at the mathematics of the samples below to see how quickly those numbers add up. 

Mixed Drink Standard Serving Calories

Irish Coffee (4 ounces): 115

Bloody Mary (8 ounces): 185

Sangria (8 ounces): 200

Cosmo (4 ounces): 200

Beachcomber (4 ounces): 230

Tahitian Tea (8 ounces): 240

Martini (4 ounces): 250

Margarita (8 ounces): 450

Mai Tai (8 ounces): 600

So as the official year-end party season gets underway, it may help to have some strategies in mind to keep the cocktail calories under control. Take your pick from this list to avoid a holiday hang-over of both mind and body.

1. Don’t even think about drinking if you’re not 21.

2. Make the first drink non-alcoholic, preferably non-caloric, like seltzer or diet soda.

3. Make every other drink non-alcoholic if it’s going to be a long night, and carbonated to fill you up.

4. Don’t try to keep up with your boyfriend or anyone else bigger than you.

5. Avoid the salty bar snacks, they’re meant to make you drink more.

6. Dance, play pool or shoot darts to sweat off some liquid calories of your own.

7. Ask the bartender to mix your drinks in a bigger glass with extra ice.

8. Run cold water over your wrists in the restroom to help regain your focus.

9. Go outside on occasion to get some fresh air and clearer head.

10. Switch to something hot, like coffee or tea, to slow yourself down before the night is over.

Robyn Flipse, MS, RD

Author, Fighting the Freshman Fifteen

Available at www.FreshmanFifteenBook.com

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