Making spirits light

By Valerie Nahmad Photography by Donna Rickles

It's holiday-party season, and the bar is open. While alcoholic beverages don't come with calorie counts, they do come with calories. We consulted the USDA National Nutrient Database, Bartending.com, and registered dietitians Jodie Shield and Christine M. Palumbo to find out exactly how much diet damage party-goers will be doing this season. Some news was good—most drinks are fat-free—and some was bad—nearly all have at least 100 calories. Because cocktail sizes vary and producers aren't required to publish nutritional information, all calorie counts provided are estimates. Take them for what they're worth—New Year's resolutions are right around the corner.

Cocktail contest

2.25oz Cosmopolitan: 126 calories
2.5oz martini: 171 calories
"There are no redeeming qualities in a martini," Palumbo says. "It's basically pure alcohol." Ease your guilt by popping the olive—one pimento-stuffed baby brings in a minimal eight calories and a heart-healthy .75 grams of monounsaturated fat. The Cosmopolitan saves 40 calories and gives you 30 percent of your daily value of vitamin C and a splash of cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Shot showdown

1oz 80-proof gin, vodka or rum: 64 calories
1oz 90-proof gin, vodka or rum: 73 calories
1oz 100-proof gin, vodka or rum: 82 calories
The proof—and the calories—is in the proof: The higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories. A shot of 80-proof gin, vodka, or rum has 64 calories, 90-proof adds nine calories and 100-proof adds an additional 18. Drink up: Beefeater gin is 98-proof, Grey Goose vodka rings in at 80-proof and Bacardi Select rum is 80-proof.

Mixer melee

5oz Red Bull: 66.3 calories
5oz Coke: 63 calories
5oz tonic water: 63 calories
Coke, tonic and Red Bull each add about 60 calories to a drink—switch to diet varieties or club soda and sip calorie-free. For an extra bonus, squeeze the lemon wedge into your glass and guzzle six percent of your daily value of vitamin C.

"You're significantly cutting calories with diet mixers," Palumbo says, noting that diet tonic is an often overlooked option.

Grape debate

5oz white wine: 122 calories
4.5oz champagne: 95 calories
5oz red wine: 125 calories
"The difference between white and red is a wash," Shield says. "White wine has fewer calories, but red tends to have a little bit more of a nutritional benefit." Champagne bubbles to the top with the fewest calories and the smallest standard serving size.

Tropical twist

5oz margarita: 331 calories, 0 grams of fat
5oz piña colada: 245 calories, 2.65 grams of fat
"If you're worried about fat, go with a margarita," Shield says, noting that coconut milk drowns piña coladas with saturated fat. It's not all gloom and doom for colada fans—the pineapple garnish has a mere 25 calories and a whopping 35 percent of your daily value of vitamin C.

Beer battle

12oz Heineken: 150 calories
12oz Guinness: 125 calories
Light in hue does not necessarily mean light on the waistline—as with spirits, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calorie count. Follow your taste buds or switch to light beer. Either way, take heart—all beer is rich in boron, which research suggests may be good for your bones.

Milk mix-up

1 cup eggnog: 343 calories, 19 grams fat
1.5oz Bailey's Irish Cream: 175 calories, 6.4g fat
"You drink two glasses of eggnog and you've had half the saturated fat you're allowed for the day," Palumbo says. A Bailey's on the rocks is a better calorie and fat bet, but eggnog adds six grams of protein and 15 percent of your daily value of calcium.