Sippin' on Gin and ... Diet Tonic, with a Splash of Lime

Summer's here and there's nothing better than lounging by the pool or sitting on the patio enjoying a cold drink. Drinking is also a way to pack on some extra calories to your day without realizing it. I've come across so many different calorie counting sites that say the calorie count for each drink is different, so it's also hard to estimate exactly how much you're consuming when you're wasting away in Margaritaville. Below are the top five drinks that I tend to avoid (although I can't always say no to the margarita) and the five drinks that I like to order. 


WORST (AND MOST DELICIOUS) DRINKS TO ORDER:

1. Long Island Iced Tea - 780 Calories
Serving Size: About 8oz
Ingredients: one part vodka, one part tequila, one part rum, one part gin, one part triple sec, 1 1/2 parts sweet and sour mix, a splash of Coke (The liquor should equal two or three total shots.)


This one was a SHOCK - I had no idea that long islands were this many calories. And this is just for the normal 8oz size, I love the giant long islands at Houlihan's. Wow. 

2. Margarita - 740 Calories
Serving Size: About 8oz
Ingredients: 4 ounces limeade/mix, 4 ounces tequila, 1/3 ounce triple sec

Oh margaritas. I love you, and the chips with salsa, queso, and guacamole that inevitably come along with you. Like I said, I still can't turn down a good margarita, but when I do order one, that's it - just one. If I want another drink I'll get a light beer. Some restaurants have started serving the "Skinny Margaritas" but they might as well be a shot of tequila with some lime juice - bleh.

3. Mai Tai - 350 Calories
Ingredients: 1 ounce light rum, 1/2 ounce dark rum, 1/2 ounce creme de almond, 1/2 ounce triple sec, sweet and sour mix, pineapple juice


I won't order a mai tai unless I'm on vacation, which isn't often, but since they are so delicious I thought I would post this calorie count anyway. I guess it's better than the margarita, but it's still a little bit over the top considering most people can suck these down like fruit punch. 

4. Vodka or Gin Tonic - 200 Calories
Ingredients: 2 ounces gin/vodka, 5 ounces tonic water, one lime wedge


This one was also a bit of a shock - I thought this was a low calorie drink order! It certainly doesn't taste as delicious as the other drinks on this list. Order this one with a diet tonic mixer and you'll bring down the calorie count significantly (see below). NOTE: The same calorie count goes for a rum and coke, whiskey and coke, etc. 

5. Beer - Between 160 to 200 Calories
Serving Size: 12oz


If you're ordering regular (not light) beer, you might as well order a hard liquor drink. You won't drink as much and you won't feel as bloated in the morning. A Sam Adams has 180 calories, Guinness has 176, and Blue Moon has 170 (saaaaaad, I love Blue Moon). 


Honorable Mention:
White Russian - 425 Calories
Strawberry Daquiri - 220 Calories
Pina Colada - 650 Calories

BEST (AND MOST TOLERABLE) DRINKS TO ORDER:

1. Rum and Diet Coke - 65 Calories
Serving Size: 6oz
Ingredients: 1oz rum, 5oz Diet Coke


This one is a good standby, nothing too crazy about it, but it's light and refreshing, and very little chance that the bartender will mess up the order. Same calorie count goes for most liquors and a diet mixer - vodka and Sprite Zero being my other favorite. 

2. Gin/Vodka and Diet Tonic - 110 Calories
Serving Size: 8oz
Ingredients: 1.5oz Gin, 6.5oz Diet Tonic

This one has a bitter taste, but I usually ask for a couple of lime wedges with it. Another thing you can do is order this drink with a splash of cranberry juice. It does up the calories a little, but only a little, and you'll love the taste. Sometimes saying, "I'll have a gin and diet tonic with a splash of cranberry juice and two lime wedges, please," you get a look from the bartender that's like, "This is not Starbucks, you can't order your drink one thousand different ways," but for the most part it's worked out well.

3. Mojito - 160 Calories

Ingredients: 2 to 3 ounces rum, 1 tsp. lime juice, 2 tsp. sugar, fresh mint leaves, club soda

LOVE mojitos, they're so refreshing, but I feel weird ordering it at a bar. If I'm sitting down at a restaurant, this is definitely my drink of choice, but if the bartender is going to have to dig out the muddler and mint leaves from God knows where, I'll pass. 

4. Cosmo - 150 Calories

Ingredients: 1 ounce vodka, 1/2 ounce triple sec, 1/2 ounce lime juice, 1/2 ounce cranberry juice 

[Insert necessary reference to Carrie Bradshaw and the Sex in the City girls.] Ok, now that that's out of the way, this martini is actually not bad. The problem is, they go so fast because they're so small, and you end up ordering way more than you ever thought you would. I prefer having a bigger drink to sip on so I'll order less. 

5. Light Beer - Between 55 and 110 Calories

Serving Size: 12oz

Any light beer is going to put you out ahead of ordering regular beers and most cocktails. The lowest calorie beers are the ones with the calories in their names: Miller Genuine Draft 64, Budweiser Select 55, etc. But counting for taste as well, not just calories, I prefer a Miller Lite at 96 calories, Coors Light at 102 calories, or Bud Light Lime at 110 calories. (Seriously, Bud Light Lime is the perfect summer, sit-by-the-pool drink.)

Honorable Mention:

Whiskey Sour: 125 calories

Mimosa: 140 calories

Bloody Mary: 140 calories


All of these calorie counts were taken from different websites, and I took the average of the information that I found. Some sites, for example, said that margaritas are 300 calories, but the majority sided with the 700+ amounts. (Bummer, I know.)