The Best Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks

If you’re looking to cut down your calorie intake, drinking less alcohol is one of the best places to start. But while there are plenty of tasty zero-calorie drinks without alcohol to try, we know that sometimes, it’s nice to enjoy the odd tipple. 

In this guide, we’ve put together a list of the best low calorie alcoholic drinks, from delicious cocktail recipes you can make at home to simple drinks you can order at a bar. 

What is the lowest calorie alcoholic drink?

Single measures of sugar free spirits tend to be the lowest in calories, with 25ml of 40% alcohol vodka and gin containing around 55 calories, 50% alcohol tequila containing 48 calories, and 40% rum and whiskey coming in at around 55.5. However, these spirits are only low in calories when they’re served straight, so they’ll need to be served with low calorie mixers such as sparkling water to be kept low. 

Which alcoholic drinks are high in calories?

According to drinkaware, a large glass of wine equates to the calorific content of an ice cream sundae, whilst a pint of lager contains roughly the same amount of calories as a pizza slice. This is because the two drinks are particularly high in sugar. Sugary cocktails are therefore also high in calories, such as Long Island Ice Teas and Margaritas - showing that mixers have a lot to answer for too! 

What is the best low calorie mixer?

The best low calorie mixers tend to be sparkling water and soda water, as these are sugar free and sweetener free. For a bit of flavour, you can choose zero calorie flavoured water, or you can garnish with fruit. 

If you do prefer to mix your spirits with a soft drink, try to opt for sugar free versions, as these are likely to be lower in calories. It’s also best to avoid juice in alcohol too, as it can contain lots of free sugars that aren’t good when consumed in large quantities. 

The Lowest Calorie Alcoholic Drinks

Vodka and fruit sparkling water - Vodka is not only one of the lowest calorie alcoholic drinks, it’s also one of the most versatile, making it easy to pair with a zero calorie mixer. For the ultimate refreshing tipple, splash a little vodka into some zesty DASH water, like lime sparkling water. 

Prosecco - A standard, 125ml glass of prosecco contains around 1.5g of sugar and 80 calories, making it another addition to our low calorie drinks list. However, servings of prosecco are fairly small and the calories can soon rack up. 

Raspberry mojito - With 55.5 calories in the average shot of 25ml 40% rum, drop the calories even further by leaving out the sugar syrup. This raspberry mojito recipe just uses rum, raspberry sparkling water and fresh mint for a mouth watering, low calorie cocktail. 

Wine spritzer - While wine can be pretty high in calories by itself, at around 159 calories for a medium glass, you can lessen this by mixing it with sparkling water or soda water to create a spritzer. It’s best to avoid lemonade as this can be high in sugar or sweetener, but you can opt for a lemon flavoured water instead. 

Light Paloma Cocktail - Palomas are a classic cocktail for a reason. Light and refreshing, they’re a great option for summer sipping. For an even lighter take on this well-known cocktail, mix 25 ml of tequila with orange zest, DASH orange sparkling water, ice and an orange garnish. You’ve got a refreshing drink with less calories and less sugar, too!

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to try something a little different, you can make a delicious peach rosé by mixing rosé wine with peach sparkling water

Gin and soda water - Gin is also one of the lowest calorie alcoholic drinks with roughly 110 calories per double shot. Instead of ordering a gin and tonic at the bar, opt for soda water instead - soda is calorie free, whereas tonic water comes to about 50 calories. You can then spruce up by adding a garnish like lemon, lime or mint.