Gin Nutrition: Calories, Carbs and the Tonic Problem

By the DrinkLeader team · Published 2026-10-13 · Data updated 2026-10-12 · 8 min read

Gin has effectively no carbs: the catalog average is 0.01g per 1.5 oz pour across 60 gins, with about 108 calories. Those calories are from alcohol. Gin sits at the zero-carb end of the shelf with vodka, and what changes the total for a drink is the tonic, juice or syrup poured with it.

Why gin is so low in carbs

Gin starts with a neutral base spirit that is then flavored with botanicals, most famously juniper. Both the base distillation and the redistillation or infusion with botanicals leave nearly all sugar behind, so a dry gin lists approximately nothing on carbs. The catalog's highest gin entry is 0.4g, which in practice rounds to zero.

Calories come from alcohol. The NIAAA standard drink for distilled spirits is 1.5 fl oz at about 40% ABV, which contains 14 grams of pure alcohol. At about 7 calories per gram of alcohol, that is close to 100 calories. Gin in the catalog averages 43.9% ABV, a little above 40%, and that is why it averages about 12 calories more than vodka, whose average ABV is 37.8%.

Gin and its neighbors

Gin has the lowest average carb figure of any spirit in the table, but the margin over vodka or tequila is under a gram. For nutrition purposes you can treat the clear spirits as one group, which the spirits comparison discusses in more detail.

Standard-strength gins

The standard bottle is 40% ABV. These are the lowest-calorie gins in the catalog:

Every row here lists 0g of carbs. The calorie figure is the same for the same ABV, and the brand is not a factor.

Higher-proof and navy strength gin

Some gins are bottled well above 40%. Navy strength, historically 57% ABV, holds around 40% more alcohol per pour than a standard bottle. These are the strongest in the catalog:

In these rows both calories and the alcohol content climb together, while the carbs stay at zero. A 1.5 oz pour of the strongest gin counts as more than one NIAAA standard drink, so measure accordingly.

The tonic is what adds carbs

A gin and tonic is the classic gin drink, and the one most affected by the mixer. Regular tonic water is sweetened, while diet or "light" tonic is not. The catalog has bar-style gin and tonics and canned versions, which show the effect:

The range between the lowest and highest cans shows that the same name can mean very different amounts of sugar. Compare this with the average canned cocktail in the catalog, which has 13.4g of carbs per serving. A gin and tonic made with plain gin and diet tonic is closer to the gin figure; one made with regular tonic or a sweetened mix is not. The low-sugar mixers guide covers how to build lighter mixed drinks.

Classic bar cocktails built on gin show the same pattern:

Choosing gin when you count calories or carbs

• Any dry or London dry gin at 40% lists zero carbs and about 98 calories per 1.5 oz.
• Pay attention to ABV, not the brand name. Higher proof means more calories per pour.
• Mix with soda water, or with a diet tonic, to keep the drink near zero sugar.
• Be careful with sweetened, liqueur-style or sloe gins, which can behave more like a liqueur than a spirit. Check the label.
• Use the zero-carb list to see how gin sits next to other drinks that list 0g.

How to read the numbers

Distilled spirits in the US do not have to carry a full nutrition panel, so catalog numbers for gin combine producer statements with the standard alcohol-to-calorie relationship, and the figures are rescaled to a standard pour. A 1.5 oz pour is the unit used in every table on this page unless a row says otherwise. For canned drinks the serving is the can. The methodology page has the details.

This page is information, not medical advice. The CDC defines moderate drinking as up to two drinks a day for men and one for women when adults choose to drink, and says that drinking less is better for health than drinking more.