If you're watching your weight -- and you drink alcohol -- it's a good idea to become familiar with the calorie content of alcoholic beverages. Hard alcohol can add calories to your diet if you're not mindful of your consumption.
Alcohol Servings
According to the USDA, whiskey, gin, rum and vodka all have the same number of calories per serving. A serving is considered 1.5 oz. of the alcohol.
Calories and Alcohol Proof
Although these hard liquors all have the same number of calories, the difference comes in when talking about proof levels in an alcoholic beverage. The proof is the percentage of alcohol in the drink. The higher the proof, the more alcohol and calories contained in that 1.5 oz. For example, a serving of vodka that is 80 proof is 97 calories, while the same amount of vodka that is 90 proof has 110 calories, according to the USDA.
Take the Other Ingredients Into Account
When choosing an alcoholic drink, remember to count the calories in the rest of the drink as well. Gin on ice will have less total calories than vodka with 4 oz. of cranberry juice, for instance. If both alcoholic beverages are 80 proof, the gin on ice would contain 97 calories, while the vodka and cranberry juice would have about 169.
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