Even when you don't add calories to an alcoholic beverage with mixers, the alcohol packs calories. The higher a beverage's alcohol content the higher the calorie count. These are empty calories with no nutritional benefits.
Significance
A 5-ounce glass of red wine contains about 120 calories, "Good Housekeeping" magazine reports on its website. The same amount of white wine has about 4 calories less. A 1.5-oz. shot of vodka, rum or whiskey contains about 100 calories.
Low-Calorie Options
A wine spritzer, made with wine, seltzer or club soda and a twist of lime, has fewer calories than a glass of wine, about 100 for 5 ounces, "Good Housekeeping" calculates. Sangria with fresh fruit and ice is a healthier, lower-calorie wine drink, at about 100 calories per serving, "Fitness" magazine reports. Light beer has 40 calories less per bottle than dark beer, which typically packs around 140 per 12 oz.. Liquors mixed with water, club soda or diet soda rather than sweetened mixers or sodas have fewer calories. A 4-ounce mimosa has 80 calories; a 4-ounce glass of champagne has 88 calories, "Good Housekeeping" adds.
Warning
It's not just the calories in alcoholic beverages that can cause weight gain; it's the effect of alcohol. "Alcohol can lower your inhibitions," nutrition and health expert Joy Bauer warns on her website, "which means you may find yourself eating or drinking more than you wanted to."
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