If you're reading this, then you are most likely looking for low calorie alcoholic drinks so that you can have a good time while also maintaining your figure.

A lot of fitness influencers preach about how we have to stop drinking alcohol to reach our fitness goals. & while that may have some truth to it, it doesn’t mean we have to cut it out of our lives completely. Moderation, ladies. & of course, low calorie. 

What is the lowest calorie alcohol?

To begin with, let’s go through the calorie intake of different types of alcohol. Vodka is the lowest at 100 calories per shot. Then comes whiskey, gin, and tequila at 110 calories per shot. Moving towards wine calories, it depends on the kind. In general, an 8 oz cup of wine is about 200 calories. When it comes to beer, light is the way to go if you're trying to cut the calories. The lowest light beers can be between 90-120 calories, depending on the type. Hard seltzers are usually around 100 calories.

Be aware that you will most likely be consuming at least 100 calories per drink for any alcoholic beverage. 

How many alcoholic drinks a week is OK?

Women should have no more than 7 drinks a week or 1 a day. Men should have no more than 14 drinks a week or 2-4 a day. 

If you are trying to lose weight, it is recommended to cut that amount in half per week. 

On a personal note, I try to consume no more than 4 drinks a week and I have recently decided to only drink on the weekends. 

What alcohol has no sugar or carbs?

The pure form of alcohol has no sugar or carbs. These would be whiskey, rum, gin, tequila, and vodka. If you drink them straight (good luck) you will not be consuming any sugar or carbs. 

Wine and beer have carbs, but are relatively low at around 6 grams per serving. 

Vodka, club, & lime

With vodka only having 100 calories per shot, club soda being 0 calories, and the lime slice being 20 calories or less, this is probably the lowest calorie mixed drink you can get. 

I was skeptical about this drink because it didn’t seem like it would mask the vodka taste, however I was pleasantly surprised that you really only taste the lime. The club soda does wonders for diluting the vodka, thank goodness. 

If you are not a fan of lime, add a few drops of cranberry juice instead. It will still stay low in calories. 

I am a huge fan of club soda now. With it being 0 calories and a good diluter, you can’t beat it. For example, if you get a cranberry and vodka, the calories quickly add up. However, you’ll cut the calories in half if you simply add the club soda to it. 

To make:

• Fill a cup with ice
• Pour a shot of vodka
• Squeeze the lime juice into the vodka
• Fill the rest of the glass with club soda
• Stir and enjoy!

Hard Seltzers

You can’t go wrong with a hard seltzer, and the best part is that most of them are around a hundred calories, give or take. Hard seltzers have alcohol made from fermented cane sugar and is mixed with seltzer water. 

The best part is that they come in a million different fruity flavors so there is a lot to choose from. White Claws are hard seltzers that only have 100 calories in every 12 oz can. They recently came out with White Claw vodka sodas, so the alcohol that is in them is vodka. They still only have 100 calories and are made with sparkling water. 

Other popular hard seltzer brands:

• High Noon Hard Seltzer (100 calories)
• Truly Hard Seltzer (100 calories)
• Bud Light Seltzer (100 calories)
• Corona Hard Seltzer (90 calories)
• Vizzy Hard Seltzer (100 calories)

Light Beer

Beer gets a bad rap on being high in sugar and giving people beer bellies. Which is totally not wrong, but that’s why they make light beer. The only difference in beer and light beer is that light beer is lower in calories. 

If you are a beer drinker and you are trying to lose weight, try drinking light beer. It can range between 90 and 110 calories. Not too bad as long as you aren’t having too many of them.

Some light beer options:

• Miller Lite (96 calories)
• Bud Light (110 calories)
• Heineken Light (90 calories)
• Busch Light (95 calories)
• Corona Light (99 calories)
• Coors Light (102 calories)
• Michelob Ultra (95 calories)
• Natural Light (95 calories)

Dry Red Wine

This is a preferred taste, but if you happen to like it, a 5 ounce glass is around 122 calories. Not too shabby if you ask me. It also has some health benefits, whereas other beverages are basically empty calories. 

Dry red wine benefits:

• Loaded with antioxidants (goodbye free radicals)
• Lowers bad cholesterol
• Reduces the risk of cancer
• Positively impacts the digestive system
• Can keep the heart healthy
• Keeps the memory sharp (which I’m sure is true when your drunk off it 😉)

Unfortunately, if you are a sweet wine kind of gal, you won’t be getting the same benefits and will most likely be consuming more calories. Maybe we can learn to like it?

Skinny Margarita

All my skinny margarita ladies please stand up!✋

Margaritas can quickly add up in calories. That’s why the skinny margarita was invented. This is one of the low calorie alcoholic drinks that we can enjoy without guilt. Usually margaritas can be anywhere from 200-300 calories, most likely due to the added sugar in artificial syrups.

The recipe I am about to share with you is around 150 calories which is much better. This skinny margarita recipe uses silver tequila, lime juice, orange juice, club soda, and stevia.

To make:

• In a shaker, combine 2 ounces of tequila, an ounce of lime juice, an ounce of orange juice, one teaspoon of stevia. Shake well.
• Pour over ice.
• Top with club soda.
• Garnish with a lime or orange slice.

If possible, use freshly squeezed lime juice and orange juice to make it more healthy and less calories. 

Captain Morgan and Ginger Ale

If you're a fan of rum, then this drink is for you. It’s exactly as it sounds, made with Captain Morgan and ginger ale. This drink is about 140 calories and is a simple drink to make.

To make:

• Fill a glass with ice.
• Pour a shot of Captain Morgan and top it off with ginger ale.
• Stir and enjoy.

Keep in mind that ginger ale is a type of soda and can have high fructose corn syrup, other artificial sweeteners, and even chemicals unknown to us. 

You can always try adding our handy club soda as a filler so that you are able to use less ginger ale. Although this post is about low calories, it’s also important to think about the quality of our mixers. 

Whiskey Sour

If you’re a whiskey girl, this is a low calorie drink you can enjoy. Most whiskey cocktails include high calorie, high sugar sodas that leave you feeling icky after. This recipe only has three ingredients, whiskey, sour mix and club soda. 

To make:

• Fill a glass with ice.
• Pour 2 ounces of whiskey of choice and 2 ounces of sour mix of choice into the glass.
• Top off with club soda.
• Stir and enjoy. 

When it comes to sour mixes, you have to watch because they can be filled with unnecessary ingredients. If you're ambitious, you can make your own mix from scratch. However, that can be very time consuming. So, here are some decent sour mixes that you can add to your whiskey:

• Royal Rose Organic Real Sour Mix Cocktail Mixer
• Agalima Organic Authentic Sweet and Sour Drink Mix

Keep in mind that there are pros and cons to these recommendations. 

Can I lose weight and still drink alcohol?

You absolutely can lose weight and still drink alcohol. However, if you are trying to lose weight and still want to drink alcohol, you need to be aware of how many calories your drinks have. To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit, meaning you burn more calories than you consume. That being said, you need to make smart decisions when it comes to what you're drinking and how much you're drinking. Moderation is key here, ladies. 

Conclusion

You don’t have to cut alcohol out of your life to achieve your fitness goals. That’s why I shared these low calorie alcoholic drinks that we can enjoy while still keeping our calorie count low. 

The best part about cutting back on alcohol intake is that when you do drink, you get a nice buzz off the first drink. & then you don’t have to have too many more. 

Remember, if you are out drinking, make sure you have a designated driver or someone to pick you up and drive you home. Stay safe. 

Email [email protected] and let us know how these low calorie alcoholic drinks taste!