Tequila vs Mezcal: Calories, Carbs and ABV Compared

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

Tequila and mezcal are nutritionally almost identical: a 1.5 oz pour of either has roughly 100 calories and essentially no carbs. In the DrinkLeader catalog, tequila averages 97 calories and 0.0g of carbs, while mezcal averages 107 calories and 0.0g. What moves the number is how strong the bottle is and what you mix it with.

What separates tequila from mezcal

Both are agave spirits from Mexico, and each is governed by its own standard. Per the text of the tequila norm (NOM-006) as published on Tequila.net, tequila may use only the blue Weber agave, and the category called "100% agave" requires that fermentation sugars come only from that plant. Ordinary tequila, often called mixto, must draw at least 51% of its sugars from blue agave, so up to 49% can come from other sugars. The same text sets an ABV range of 35% to 55%.

Mezcal falls under NOM-070. According to Mezcalistas, the norm also sets an ABV range of 35% to 55%, requires labels to state the agave types distilled, and recognizes ancestral, artisanal and standard production categories. Unlike tequila, mezcal can be made from many agave species. Those are production and regulatory differences. None of them is a nutrition label.

How the catalog compares them

The table averages every alcoholic tequila and mezcal in our database per listed serving, alongside three other spirits for context. Spirits are listed per 1.5 oz pour, which matches how the NIAAA frames a standard drink of distilled spirits at 40% ABV.

Tequila's average ABV (39.8%) is a little lower than mezcal's (43.8%), and that gap is the reason mezcal averages slightly more calories. Whiskey, at 43.4% average ABV, sits at 108 calories, and vodka at 37.8% ABV sits at 95. The pattern is the same everywhere in the spirits shelf: more alcohol, more calories.

Strength is the swing factor

Mezcal is more likely than tequila to be bottled above 40%, since many producers sell at higher proof. Because alcohol supplies the calories, a stronger pour has more of them. Here are the strongest mezcals in the catalog, followed by the strongest tequilas.

Compare the calories column with the ABV column and the link is visible. If you are counting, the NIAAA definition of a standard drink, about 14 grams of pure alcohol, is a useful yardstick: a 1.5 oz pour at 40% is one standard drink, and a higher-proof pour of the same volume is a little more than one.

Where carbs enter: flavored bottles and mixes

Plain, unflavored tequila and mezcal average 0.0g and 0.0g of carbs. The highest tequila row in our catalog lists 0.0g, and the highest mezcal row 0.0g. The tequila outlier is not a typical bottle; look at what the carbs belong to:

These are flavored or liqueur-style products that carry the tequila brand, not the plain spirit. If a bottle is labeled coconut, citrus liqueur or "orange," read it as a sweetened product. It is the added sugar, not the agave, that accounts for the carbs.

The bigger source of carbs is the glass. A margarita is tequila plus lime juice, an orange liqueur and often sugar or a mix. Ready-to-drink margaritas show how widely that can vary:

Our low-calorie cocktail guide covers how to order a lighter margarita-style drink at a bar.

Common questions

Do blanco, reposado and añejo differ?

Those words describe time in wood. In the catalog the unflavored bottles of each style cluster at the same few calories for a given ABV, so compare ABV first. Look at the tables above: the plain tequilas listed share a calorie figure when they share a proof.

What about rims and garnishes?

A rim or garnish is not part of the spirit and is not in the catalog numbers. As always with spirits, the thing to watch is what is added: syrups, juice and sweetened mixes carry the carbs.

How should I compare them to other spirits?

Per pour, tequila and mezcal sit in the same band as rum (101 calories average), vodka and whiskey. The spirits comparison goes through the five categories side by side.

How to pick between them

• Choose on flavor. If smoke appeals, mezcal; if you want a cleaner agave profile, tequila. The nutrition will be close either way.
• Check ABV on the label. A higher ABV means more calories per pour.
• Steer clear of bottles labeled flavored, coconut or liqueur if you are watching carbs.
• Pair with soda water and fresh lime, rather than a sweet mix.
• Count by standard drinks, not by glasses: see our standard drink guide.

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 notes that drinking less is better for health than drinking more.