About the Alcohol Calorie Calculator
This alcohol calorie calculator estimates how many calories are in your drinks. Enter up to three drinks — beer, light beer, wine, dessert wine, hard cider or spirits — with the serving size, the strength (ABV) printed on the label and how many you had. It totals the calories from the alcohol itself, from the sugars and carbohydrates left in the drink, and from any mixers.
It is handy for calorie counting, for seeing how a weekend of drinks fits into a weight-loss plan, or simply for comparing a pint of beer with a glass of wine. It also reports grams of pure alcohol, US standard drinks and UK units, so you can compare your intake with drinking guidelines.
Alcohol provides about 7 kcal per gram — almost as much as fat — and ethanol weighs about 0.789 g per ml. Carbohydrate values are USDA FoodData Central averages for each drink type (grams per 100 g, treated as per 100 ml — close enough for drinks whose density is near that of water); craft beers, sweet ciders and cocktails can be considerably higher, so use the mixer field or the label for a more exact total.
With the default inputs, the total calories is 508 kcal. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the alcohol calorie calculator
- 1Choose whether you will enter serving sizes in fluid ounces or millilitres.
- 2For each drink, pick the type, enter the serving size and the ABV from the label.
- 3Enter how many of each you had (set unused drinks to 0).
- 4Add calories for any mixers such as cola, tonic or juice.
- 5Read the total calories, standard drinks and UK units.
Formula and method
The volume of pure ethanol in a drink is its serving size multiplied by the alcohol by volume (ABV). Ethanol has a density of about 0.789 g/ml and supplies roughly 7 kcal per gram, which gives the calories from alcohol. Most beers, wines and ciders also contain residual carbohydrate (sugars and starches), counted at 4 kcal per gram using USDA FoodData Central averages (beer 3.55 g, light beer 1.64 g, table wine 2.6 g, sweet dessert wine 13.7 g and hard cider 5.92 g per 100 g, applied per 100 ml); neat spirits contain essentially none. Drinks with a quantity of 0 are left out of the breakdown.
A US standard drink contains 14 g of pure alcohol and a UK unit is 10 ml (8 g). Serving sizes in ounces are converted with 1 US fl oz = 29.57 ml.
- ABV
- Alcohol by volume, as printed on the label (%)
- 0.789
- Density of ethanol in g/ml
- 7
- Approximate kcal per gram of alcohol
Worked examples
Two 12 oz beers, a 5 oz glass of wine and a 1.5 oz shot
A 12 oz (355 ml) beer at 5% contains 14 g of alcohol (98 kcal) plus about 50 kcal of carbs (3.55 g per 100 ml × 3.55 × 4), so roughly 148 kcal. A 5 oz glass of 12% wine is about 113 kcal and a 1.5 oz shot of 40% spirits about 98 kcal. The total is around 508 kcal — exactly 4 US standard drinks (56 g of alcohol).
Three pints (568 ml) of 4.5% lager, metric
A 568 ml pint at 4.5% holds 25.6 ml of ethanol, or 20.2 g — about 141 kcal — plus about 81 kcal of carbohydrate (5.68 × 3.55 g × 4), so each pint is about 222 kcal. Three pints come to roughly 665 kcal and 7.7 UK units (4.5 × 568 ÷ 1,000 = 2.56 units per pint).
Two gin and tonics (1.5 oz gin, regular tonic)
Each 1.5 oz shot of 40% gin has about 14 g of alcohol and 98 kcal. Two come to about 196 kcal, and two servings of regular tonic add roughly 180 kcal, for about 376 kcal in total.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a beer?+
A 12 oz (355 ml) regular beer at about 5% ABV has roughly 150 kcal; light beers are closer to 100 kcal. Stronger craft beers at 7–9% ABV can exceed 250 kcal per 12 oz because both alcohol and residual carbs are higher.
How many calories are in a glass of wine?+
A 5 oz (148 ml) glass of dry wine at 12–13% ABV contains about 115–125 kcal. A large 250 ml pour is roughly double that, and sweet or dessert wines are higher because of their sugar content.
Do spirits have fewer calories than beer?+
Per serving, usually yes: a 1.5 oz shot of 40% spirits has about 97–100 kcal and no carbohydrate. Mixers can change that dramatically — regular cola or juice can add 100–150 kcal per drink.
Why is alcohol so high in calories?+
Pure alcohol provides about 7 kcal per gram, compared with 4 kcal for protein and carbohydrate and 9 for fat. The body also prioritises metabolising alcohol, which can temporarily reduce fat burning.
How many drinks a day do the US Dietary Guidelines allow?+
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 no longer give a numeric limit. They advise consuming less alcohol for better overall health and say some people — including pregnant women and people recovering from alcohol use disorder — should avoid it completely. The earlier 2020–2025 edition said up to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 for women.
What is a standard drink?+
In the US a standard drink contains 14 g of pure alcohol — about 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine or 1.5 oz of 40% spirits. In the UK a unit is 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol.
This tool gives general estimates and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or qualified professional about your health, diet or training.