Calories in Alcohol: Beer, Wine, Whiskey, Rum and More

By the DrinkLeader team · Published 2026-09-26 · Data updated 2026-09-26 · 7 min read

Most 40% ABV spirits, including whiskey and dark rum, contain about 100 calories in a 1.5 oz shot, with close to zero carbs. The calories come almost entirely from the alcohol. Beer, wine and cocktails combine alcohol with carbohydrate, so their calories depend on both ABV and how sweet or how large the serving is. The tables below use live catalog data.

Where the calories in alcohol come from

There are two sources. The first is ethanol. A widely cited figure is that a gram of alcohol provides about 7 kcal (some references say 7.1), which is well above the roughly 4 kcal per gram provided by carbohydrate or protein. The second is carbohydrate: sugars left from fermentation, added sweeteners, juice, or malt.

The arithmetic is simple. A US standard drink contains about 14 g of pure alcohol, and 14 g times 7 kcal is about 98 kcal. That is why an unflavored 1.5 oz shot of 40% spirit, with no carbohydrate, sits at about 100 calories. Anything above that number in a serving generally comes from carbohydrate, from more alcohol, or from a bigger pour.

Calories by drink type in the catalog

The table shows averages across every alcoholic drink of each type in the DrinkLeader catalog. Serving sizes differ by type: spirits are listed as 1.5 oz shots and beer, cider and seltzer as cans or bottles, so read the averages as typical listed servings rather than equal volumes.

Beer averages 166 calories and 13.1 g of carbs per listed serving, while hard seltzer averages 105 calories and 2.3 g. Vodka averages 95 calories and 0.6 g of carbs per shot.

Whiskey nutrition facts

Whiskey is distilled, so it has almost no carbohydrate, protein or fat. Across 186 whiskeys in the catalog the average is 109 calories per listed serving, with carbs averaging 0.6 g and an average ABV of 43.4%. The spread in calories tracks ABV: barrel-proof whiskeys with a higher percentage carry more alcohol per shot and so more calories.

Flavored whiskeys (honey, apple, cinnamon) are a different case, because they can add sugar. Check the drink page for that specific bottle. See the full whiskey list for every entry.

Dark rum calories

Straight dark rum at 40% ABV follows the same math as whiskey: about 98 kcal in a 1.5 oz shot from the alcohol, and no carbohydrate unless sugar is added afterward. Rum as a category averages 101 calories and 0.6 g carbs across 114 rums in the catalog.

Overproof rums (higher ABV) contain more alcohol per shot and therefore more calories, while spiced and flavored rums can differ from plain dark rum. The rum page lists them all.

Beer, wine and mixed drinks

These drinks have less alcohol per ounce but come in larger servings, and they add carbohydrate. Regular beer at 5% ABV in a 12 oz serving holds about one standard drink, about 98 kcal from alcohol, plus carbohydrate from malt, which is where the rest of the calories come from. Cider and canned cocktails often add sugar. Lower-carb options exist in every category:

Cocktails and mixers

Mixed drinks combine spirit calories with whatever goes in the glass. Cocktails in the catalog average 151 calories and 9.8 g of carbs, and canned cocktails average 189 calories and 13.7 g. Those are noticeably higher carbs than a plain shot, because juice, syrup, soda and liqueur bring sugar. The practical takeaway is that a spirit with a zero-calorie mixer such as soda water stays close to the shot's calories, while a sweetened mixer adds its own carbohydrate calories on top.

Sizes matter here too. Some cocktails are served as two or three ounces of spirit plus mixer, so the alcohol portion can be more than one standard drink even before you count the sugar. Our standard drink guide shows how to convert any serving into standard drinks.

Common questions about alcohol calories

People often ask whether the body treats alcohol calories differently from food calories. The nutrition labeling convention is to count alcohol at about 7 kcal per gram, and the review cited below notes that alcohol energy is generally additive to the energy from food. This page does not go further than that; it only reports what is in each drink. Another common question is whether "light" drinks are meaningfully lower: often the difference comes from less alcohol, fewer carbs, or both, so compare ABV and carbs rather than the word light on the label.

How to use these numbers

• Compare per serving, and check the serving size. A tall can and a 1.5 oz shot are different amounts.
• Use ABV to estimate the alcohol portion: more ABV in the same volume means more calories.
• Mixers matter. A shot of whiskey plus a sugary mixer adds the mixer's carbohydrate on top.
• Labels are the final word. Manufacturers can change recipes, and DrinkLeader re-verifies products over time; see our methodology.

This page is information about what is in drinks, not medical advice. Alcohol is not a health food, and none of this suggests drinking is beneficial.