When you're drinking, choosing low-calorie options can make a significant difference. With the wide variety of available alcoholic beverages -- ranging from wine to beer to liquor -- you can always find an option that still provides plenty of flavor and fun, but doesn't load you up with a large number of calories.
Types
One bottle of regular beer contains approximately 150 calories, according to College Drinking: Changing the Culture, although the exact number varies depending on the brand. One glass of wine holds about 100 to 140 calories, depending on the type; dry wines have fewer calories than sweet wines, and white wine tends to have fewer calories than red. Vodka and whiskey each have about 100 calories per shot.
Serving Sizes
Don't focus only on what you drink; also pay attention to how much you drink. Technically, beer contains the fewest calories per ounce -- just 12.5 -- but you'll seldom drink just an ounce or two of beer; the average bottle contains 12 oz. An oz. of whiskey holds 65 calories, but you can easily sip just one shot or jigger, which holds 1.5 oz. One serving of wine equals 5 oz. -- which means you shouldn't fill the glass up all the way, or even half the way.
Lowest-Calorie Choices
To keep your drink around 100 calories, choose one bottle of light beer, one 5 oz. serving of dry white wine or one shot of vodka or whiskey. If you choose whiskey, it's best to drink it neat; if you want a drink that's easier to sip, then mix it with club soda, advises the McKinley Health Center; it contains 0 calories. If you drink vodka, mix it with diet tonic water, which also has 0 calories.
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