Calories in Alcohol
Look up the calories in beer, wine and spirits by serving, and see how many come from the alcohol and how many from carbohydrate.
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This free, browser-based tool is an alcohol calories chart that shows how many calories are in common drinks. Type rum, wine or beer into the Filter the chart box to narrow the list. The chart then shows each drink and serving, its strength, total calories, and how many of those calories come from alcohol and from carbohydrate. A second table below the chart gives the calories in one US standard drink of 14 g of alcohol for each kind of drink.
The figures come from a simple method. Alcohol supplies 7 kcal per gram and carbohydrate supplies 4 kcal per gram, with strengths and carbohydrate taken from USDA FoodData Central. Read the numbers as estimates for typical drinks, since brands differ.
How to use the calories in alcohol tool
- Find the Filter the chart box at the top of the tool.
- Type rum, wine or beer into it. The chart narrows to drinks of that kind.
- Read the Drink and serving column to find the size you want, such as a 12 US fl oz regular beer or a 5 US fl oz glass of red wine.
- Check the Strength column for the drink’s alcohol percentage.
- Look at the Calories (kcal) column for the total in that serving.
- Compare the From alcohol and From carbohydrate columns to see where those calories come from.
- Scroll below the chart to the second table. It lists the calories in one US standard drink of 14 g of alcohol for regular beer, light beer, red, white and rosé wine, sweet dessert wine and spirits at 40%.
Each row is one set serving, so check the serving size and strength before comparing two drinks. A larger glass of a weaker drink can hold more calories than a smaller glass of a stronger one. The chart only lists fixed servings, so for a different size or strength, the alcohol calorie calculator on this site works out the number for you.
How many calories are in alcohol per gram?
Alcohol provides 7 kcal per gram, nearly as much as fat at 9 kcal per gram and more than carbohydrate or protein at 4 kcal per gram. The NHS uses the same 7 kcal per gram figure. That makes a drink’s strength the main driver of its calories.
The chart uses one formula: calories = 7 × grams of alcohol + 4 × grams of carbohydrate. A 12 US fl oz regular beer at 5% has about 14 g of alcohol, which gives 98 kcal, and about 12.75 g of carbohydrate, which gives 51 kcal. The total is 149 kcal.
Do rum, vodka, gin and whiskey have the same calories?
Yes, when the strength and serving size match. Vodka, gin, rum, whiskey and tequila at 40% all come out the same, because their calories come from alcohol rather than carbohydrate. Flavoured and sweetened spirits and liqueurs contain more.
| Serving (spirit at 40%) | Calories (kcal) |
|---|---|
| 25 ml single | 55 |
| 35 ml single | 77 |
| 1.5 US fl oz shot | 98 |
| 50 ml double | 110 |
| 750 ml bottle | 1,657 |
How many calories are in a beer?
A 12 US fl oz regular beer at 5% has 149 kcal, with 98 from alcohol and 51 from carbohydrate. A 12 oz light beer at 4% has 101 kcal, and a UK pint at 5% has 239 kcal. Serving size and strength cause most of the gap, since a UK pint holds more liquid than a 12 oz can.
How many calories are in a glass of wine?
A glass of 5 oz of red wine has 124 kcal, white has 121 and rosé has 120. A 750 ml bottle of red has 629 kcal. Serving size changes the total more than the wine type does, as a 175 ml glass of red comes to 147 kcal.
| Wine and serving | Calories (kcal) |
|---|---|
| 5 oz glass of red | 124 |
| 5 US fl oz glass of white | 121 |
| 5 oz glass of rosé | 120 |
| 175 ml glass of red | 147 |
| 750 ml bottle of red | 629 |
Are the calories in cocktails included?
No. Mixers, juice, syrup, cream and ice are not in the chart, so a cocktail holds more calories than the spirit alone. A 98 kcal shot counts only the spirit. Figures are estimates for typical drinks, and brands differ.
How many calories are in a standard drink?
One US standard drink holds about 14 g of alcohol, which is roughly 100 kcal in 1.5 fl oz of spirits, about 150 kcal in 12 fl oz of regular beer and 110 to 120 kcal in 5 fl oz of table wine. Wine and beer add calories from carbohydrate, spirits do not. The table shows each kind.
| Drink | Amount in one standard drink | Calories (kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Regular beer 5% | 355 ml (12 fl oz) | 149 |
| Light beer 4% | 444 ml (15 fl oz) | 126 |
| Red wine 13.3% | 133 ml (4.5 fl oz) | 112 |
| White wine 12.9% | 138 ml (4.7 fl oz) | 112 |
| Rose wine 12% | 148 ml (5 fl oz) | 120 |
| Sweet dessert wine 19% | 93 ml (3.2 fl oz) | 149 |
| Spirits 40% | 44 ml (1.5 fl oz) | 98 |
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Calories = 7 kcal per gram of alcohol + 4 kcal per gram of carbohydrate (Atwater general factors). Strength and carbohydrate per drink come from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy values per 100 g. Mixers, juice, syrup and cream are not included.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a shot of vodka?
A 1.5 US fl oz shot of vodka at 40% has 98 kcal. Gin, rum, whiskey and tequila at the same strength and size give the same figure. Stronger or sweeter spirits will differ.
Why do sweet dessert wines have more calories?
A 3 US fl oz glass of sweet dessert wine has 142 kcal because of its sugar. Sugar is a carbohydrate, which supplies 4 kcal per gram, so it adds to the calories from alcohol. The chart’s From carbohydrate column shows this effect.
What does the From carbohydrate column show?
It shows the calories that come from carbohydrate in each drink, at 4 kcal per gram. A 12 US fl oz regular beer shows 51 kcal from carbohydrate. Distilled spirits show none, because they contain no carbohydrate.
Does the chart include light beer?
Yes. A 12 US fl oz light beer at 4% is listed at 101 kcal. Compared with the 149 kcal regular beer at 5%, the difference comes mainly from the lower strength.
Does the filter search the serving too?
Yes. It matches words in the drink name and the serving, and also common names such as lager, merlot, vodka or port. Type a word and the rows that do not match are hidden.
Why might another site show different calories?
Brands and recipes differ. This chart uses typical values from USDA FoodData Central for each kind of drink, so a particular beer or wine can be higher or lower.
Related tools
- Alcohol calorie calculator: use it when you need calories for a drink size or strength the chart does not list.
- Calories in a glass of wine: use it for a closer look at wine serving sizes.
- Burn off alcohol calories: use it when you want to compare a drink’s calories with physical activity.
- Alcohol cost calculator: use it to work out what your drinks cost.
- Alcohol units chart: use it to see drinks measured in units of alcohol.
- Standard drink calculator: use it to count the standard drinks in a serving.