Low-Carbohydrate Alcoholic Beverages
Carb Counts for Wine, Beer, Spirits, and Liqueurs

From Laura Dolson

Most of us imbibe an alcoholic beverage from time and time - and recent research is showing that unless we have a tendency towards abuse, a little (1 drink or less per day for women; 2 drinks or less for men) could be a good thing (note: more than this is associated with certain cancers and other health problems). What's the best way to handle alcohol when eating low carb?

Alcohol vs Carbs
Although alcohol is sometimes lumped in with carbohydrates, our bodies treat alcohol and carbohydrate differently. From a pure calorie standpoint, a gram of alcohol provides the body with 7 calories per gram, whereas carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram. Moreover, the body uses the calories from alcohol first for energy, before carbohydrate or fat.

Some of the popular low carb diets recommend not drinking alcoholic beverages, at least for the first phase of the diet. This is probably because alcohol can cause blood sugar to be erratic, depending upon the type, amount, and whether we have food in our stomachs. (Tip: don't drink on an empty stomach.)

Where Do the Carbs Come From?
Fermented beverages, by definition, start out as a high-carb plant - usually grapes or a grain. During the fermentation process, the yeasts eat up the carbohydrates, producing alcohol. Whatever sugars are left contributes to the carbohydrate in the beverage. This will vary a lot from one beverage to another. A dry wine has very little residual sugar, whereas a sweet wine can have quite a bit. Liqueurs have sugar added, often quite a lot.

Distilled spirits (vodka, rum, whiskey, etc.) have nothing left but the alcohol, so they contain zero carbs. However, mixers are often sugary, so be careful. Just two ounces (1/4 cup) of "sweet and sour mix", often used for whiskey sours, daiquiris and margaritas, has 17 grams of carbohydrate.

As an alternative, if you're home make your own margarita or sweet and sour mixer. When you're out, you can ask for lemon or lime juice, and add your own sweetener.

Liqueurs (Amaretto, Creme de Menthe, etc.) almost always have sugar added, and usually a lot. Check the list below before drinking a liqueur.

Note: There is a great deal of variability with beers and wines, as many factors will contribute to the carbohydrate of the final product. The following are averages only.

Carb Counts - Beer - Per 12 Ounce Serving

• Regular Beer: average is about 12 grams carb
  
• Light Beer: check the label - most are between 3 and 7 grams
  
• Ale: most are in the range of 5 - 9 grams
  
• Stout: variable - about 20 grams

More About Beer on a Low Carb Diet
Calorie Table for Beer

Carb Counts - Wine - per 5 Ounce Serving

• Dry Champagne: ~2.5 - 4.5 grams
  
• Dry White (e.g. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay): ~3 grams
  
• "Off Dry" (e.g. Reisling, Chenin Blanc): ~5 - 6 grams
  
• Muscat: ~8 grams
  
• Dry Red (e.g. Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sav.): ~3.5 - 4 grams
  
• Zinfindel: 4.2 grams
  
• Dessert Wines: 12 - 14 grams
  
• Sweet Late Harvest Wine: 20 grams

Calorie Content of Wines

Carb Counts - Liqueurs - per jigger = 1.5 fl oz

• Amaretto: 25 grams
  
• Bailey's Irish Cream: 11 grams
  
• B & B Benedictine: 8 grams
  
• Campari: 12 grams
  
• Coffee Liqueur (e.g. Kahlua): 24 grams
  
• Cointreau: 15 grams
  
• Creme de Cacao: 22 grams
  
• Creme de Cassis: 17 grams
  
• Creme de Menthe: 21 grams
  
• Grand Marnier: 10 grams
  
• Kirsch: 9 grams
  
• Ouzo: 16 grams
  
• Sambuca: 17 grams
  
• Triple Sec: 16 grams

Calorie Content of Spirits and Liqueurs

Updated: February 15, 2007

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