So many of us toast to the holidays with drink in hand – alcoholic or not. Be smart about the booze, the mixers, eggnog, and cider and aim to keep your calories and your buzz under control.
A standard drink is 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer. Think about that when someone pours with a heavy hand. Odds are that five ounces of wine is far less than most of us would pour into our glass.
Calories And Grams Of Alcohol
Alcohol has 7 calories per gram but doesn’t fill you up the way food does, so you can drink a lot and not feel stuffed.
Alcohol also lowers your inhibitions and your resolve not to eat everything at the buffet table often flies right out the window.
- 12 ounces of beer has 153 calories and 13.9 grams of alcohol
- 12 ounces of lite beer has 103 calories and 11 grams of alcohol
- 5 ounces red wine has 125 calories and 15.6 grams of alcohol
- 5 ounces of white wine has 121 calories and 15.1 grams of alcohol
- 1 1/2 ounces (a jigger) of 80 proof (40% alcohol) liquor has 97 calories and 14 grams of alcohol
- Drinking light beer rather than regular saves about 50 calories a bottle
- A frozen margarita has about 45 calories an ounce
- A plain martini, no olives or lemon twist, has about 61 calories an ounce
- An 8 oz white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories
- An 8 oz cup of eggnog has about 343 calories and 19 grams of fat thanks to alcohol, heavy cream, eggs, and sugar
- Mulled wine, a combination of red wine, sugar/honey, spices, orange and lemon peel, has about 210 to 300 calories per 5 ounces, depending on how much sweetener is added
- One cup (8 oz) of apple cider – without any additives – has 115 calories
- A mixed drink runs about 250 calories. Watch your mixers — per ounce club soda has no calories, tonic has10, classic coke has 12, Canada Dry ginger ale has 11, orange juice has 15, and cranberry juice has 16
- One hot buttered rum has 218 calories
- One Irish coffee has 218 calories
- One cup of coffee with cream and sugar runs at least 50 calories (more if it’s sweet and light)
- 1 glass cider or sparkling grape juice has 120 calories
- Champagne is a comparative caloric bargain at about 19 calories an ounce