The calories contained in alcoholic beverages mainly come from ethanol (alcohol). There are 7 calories in 1g of ethanol.
Here is an indication of how many calories there are in the main drinks (for details about all the spirits categories, click here):
Calories for drinks containing about 10g of ethanol
However, alcohol beverages are served and sold across Europe in measures frequently other than 10g of ethanol in a drink. In addition, some spirits drinks (such as liqueurs) have by definition a certain quantity of sugar (4 calories in 1g of sugar). Similarly, the soft drinks and ingredients you choose to add will impact the total calorie intake.
Calories (Kcal) in a random selection of commonly served drinks
A glass of spirits drink is never consumed by 100ml! This would exceed the low-risk drinking guidelines and therefore 100ml cannot be considered as a unit of reference to inform consumers on calories for spirits.
Calories contained in alcoholic beverages mainly come from ethanol and there are 7 calories in 1g of ethanol. Therefore, the next question is:
How to calculate the number of grams of ethanol in a drink?
In addition, you have to consider that some drinks contain more calories than others, for example liqueurs and cream liqueurs (4 calories in 1g of sugar). According to a study conducted by a cocktail bar the calories in mixed drinks like cocktails can vary greatly depending on the ingredients included. Establishments providing professional mixology can help to ensure calorie assumptions are met and high quality ingredients are used.
Examples of calorie intake depending on the serving size, strength of drinks and ingredients
