How Large is Your Cocktail?

So you only had “two glasses of wine” or “one martini”. Do you have any idea as to the size of your drink … or the calories for that matter?  A glass of wine can have as few as 80 calories or as many as 200.  And how about a martini for 600 calories? The calories from alcohol can add up quickly and can be the reason as to why you are not shedding those pounds. Read on to learn more… 

Jumbo drink sighting
I was recently reminded that all drinks are not created equal. Last week, I visited my local man-bar Smith and Wollenskys and couldn’t help but be amazed by the size of the cocktails.  My glass of wine was jumbo!  I estimated it to contain about 8 ounces. And the friendly bartender (see pic on left) told me I was correct.  My friend Debbie ordered a Manhattan (bourbon and vermouth … definitely a “big girl drink”) Believe it or not, this drink also contained 8 ounces.

Now compare these jumbo drinks to another local Irish bar on 2nd avenue. This city man (pic on the right) was observed drinking a glass of wine from what appeared to be a miniature glass. At the most, this glass contained 4 ounces. This is closer to what a serving of wine should be!

The caloric damage …
– Wine contains about 25 calories per ounce. There is not a huge difference in the calories between red and white wine, however sweet wine does contain slightly more calories. So my 8 oz glass of white wine contained 200 calories. ** Will need to cycle 20 minutes to burn that off.  I actually rode for 4 hours today (240 minutes)  – so no problem there.

– Hard liquor such as bourbon and vodka contain about 70 calories per ounce.
…. So Debby’s jumbo Manhattan (8 oz) contained 560 calories. Yikes!   **Get ready to jog for 68 minutes to burn that off.
… And Paula’s vodka with a splash of soda contained at least 4 ounces of vodka for a total of 320 calories. **Get ready to walk for 90 minutes to burn that off.

What is a serving of alcohol?
12 ounces of a beer or wine cooler
8-ounces of malt liquor
5 ounces of table wine
1.5 ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits such as gin, vodka, whiskey, etc.

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Moderate drinking means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks for men. Generally, anything more than moderate drinking can be harmful to your health. And some people, or people in certain situations, shouldn’t drink at all. If you have questions or concerns, talk with your doctor or healthcare provider.


So the bottom line is that all drinks are not created equal!  As you can see, many drinks contain more that one serving.