Since this is probably the most difficult aspect of dieting for most of us, today, I wanted to focus on the carbohydrate counts in alcohol (I have also added the calories, since we will be transitioning into the calorie system later on.) Although I do not drink frequently myself, I recognize the research that one or two drinks a day can be quite healthy for your system. Research shows that moderate drinking can reduce your risk of heart attacks and your risk of developing heart disease, while excessive drinking can increase your risk of pancreatic, mouth and liver cancer and is the cause of almost 100,000 deaths per year. So, lets stick with moderation!
What we consume as alcoholic beverages are at once created from carbohydrates and are the antithesis of them. Alcoholic drinks are essentially fermented beverages - all fermented beverages start out with a plant that is high in carbohydrates, frequently a grape, grain or starch. Alcohol is produced during the process of fermentation - carbohydrates are consumed by yeasts. Carbohydrates not consumed by yeasts remain as residual sugars in the beverage, thus, the more carbohydrates the less alcohol content, and the more alcohol content, the less carbohydrates. Keep that in mind.
Beers can have up to 20 grams of carbohydrates per a 12 ounce serving, whereas distilled spirits like whiskey, rum, and vodka have only trace amounts of residual sugars. Be aware though, that the add-ins for mixed drinks are the source of the bulk of carbohydrates in alcoholic drinks and liqueurs frequently have added sugar for flavor.
About.com made a lovely list of carbohydrate counts for popular drinks, to that I add calorie counts and below, a list of calorie and carb information for the most popular mixed drinks.
Hope this helps and happy drinking! You know, not too much though... think of the calories!
Beer per 12 Ounce Serving
Regular Beer
12 grams
carb 149 calories
Light Beer
3 to 7 grams 110 calories
Wine per 5 Ounce Serving
Dry Champagne
2.5 to 4.5
grams 112
calories
Dry White
3 grams
94 calories
Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay
”Off Dry”
5 to 6 grams 120 calories
Reisling, Chenin Blanc
Muscat
8 grams 124
calories
Dry Red
3.5 to 4 grams
122 calories
Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sav
Zinfindel
4.2 grams
131
calories
Dessert Wines
12 to 14
grams 233
calories
Sweet Late Harvest Wine 20 grams 174 calories
Liqueurs per 1.5 fl oz
Amaretto
25 grams
159
calories
Bailey’s Irish Cream
11 grams 156
calories
B & B Benedictine
8 grams 135 calories
Campari
12 grams
107
calories
Coffee Liqueur
24 grams 155
calories
Cointreau
15 grams
119
calories
Creme de Cacao
22 grams 147
calories
Creme de Cassis
17 grams
126
calories
Creme de Menthe
21 grams
143 calories
Grand Marnier
10 grams
99 calories
Kirsch
9 grams
95 calories
Ouzo
16 grams
123 calories
Sambuca
17 grams
126 calories
Triple Sec
16 grams
123 calories
Distilled Spirits per 1 fl oz
Gin, Rum, Vodka
0 grams
65 calories
Whiskey, Tequila
0 grams
65 calories
Brandy, Cognac
0
grams
65 calories
Mixed Drinks and Cocktails per 1 drink
Bourbon and Soda 0 grams 106 calories
Gin and Tonic
16 grams
171 calories
Rum and Cola
15
grams 154 calories
Scotch and Soda
0
grams 105 calories
Bacardi
6 grams
117 calories
Black Russian
16
grams
244 calories
Bloody Mary
5 grams
123 calories
Cape Cod
13 grams
148 calories
Fuzzy Navel
38 grams 253 calories
Golden Cadillac
27
grams 361 calories
Grasshopper
15 grams 164 calories
High Ball
0 grams
104 calories
Kamikaze
15 grams
178 calories
Long Island Iced tea 10 grams 138 calories
Mai Tai
30 grams
309 calories
Mahnattan
2 grams
129 calories
Margarita
11 grams 168 calories
Martini
.5 grams
160 calories
Mimosa
15 grams
144 calories
Mojito
30 grams
217 calories
Pina Colada
30 grams 230 calories
Salty Dog
14 grams
157 calories
Screwdriver
19 grams 181 calories
Sex on the Beach
30 grams 322 calories
Tequila Sunrise
15 grams 189 calories
White Russian
17
grams
257 calories
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