least fattening alcohol???

gin has fewer calories than vodka, however they both have about 100 cals a shot, red wine has a few more calories… all around 100 cals…

80-proof vodka (40% alcohol; the most common type) has 64 calories per 1oz 86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 oz 90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 oz 100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 oz When it comes to portion size, the average serving size of wine and alcoholic beverages is probably smaller than you think. Beer, on the other hand, is more standardized in bottles and beer glasses, except if you are in a European beer garden.

Most glasses of wine contain 125-150 calories, but that can double depending on the size of the glass size and how full it is. At cocktail or dinner parties, glasses are often refilled before empty, making it especially hard for dieters to track their alcohol and calorie consumption.

Beer can range from 64-198 calories per 12 ounces. Light beers are a better choice because “they contain the same amount of alcohol as regular beers but fewer carbohydrates,” says Gerbstadt. And, she adds, “low-carb beer is just another term for light beer.”

Another diet destroyer is the rising popularity of super-caloric cocktails.

Some are desserts in disguise, from chocolate martinis to hot buttered rum. Creative cocktails are all the rage, and bartenders are tempting patrons with mega-calorie cocktails like the Key lime pie martini. It’s creamy, delicious – and loaded with calories, from the cream to the graham-cracker crust rim.

“The trend in cocktails is to sugar the rim, add chocolate syrup or any number of creative sweet touches that boost calories, and turn the cocktail into a dessert,” says O’Neil.

If you must have one of these, she advises, trim your dinner calories and enjoy your cocktail afterward as a dessert. Better yet, order a small after-dinner liqueur, like Amaretto, over ice and sip it slowly.

And then there are the super-sized drinks. Some chain restaurants serve jumbo drinks, like margaritas with double shots and extra mixers, that could add up to 1,000 calories or more in one mug, Gerbstadt says. A single giant glass of TGI Friday’s frozen mudslide, for example, contains 1,100 calories.

5 Tips to Curb Alcohol Calories So how do you keep those calories in alcoholic drinks from adding up so quickly? Here are five tips from the experts.

1. Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to save calories. The savvy dieter finishes one cocktail, glass of wine or beer, then has a “mocktail” – a nonalcoholic, preferably zero-calorie beverage (like sparkling water with a lime) that looks like the real thing. This strategy not only reduces the risk of over-consuming calories and alcohol, but it also helps you stay hydrated so your head will thank you in the morning!

“It is a good idea to start the evening with a tall glass of water or sparkling water to satisfy your thirst so you won’t use the alcoholic beverage to do it for you,” adds Gerbstadt.

2. Choose wine, light beer, or simple cocktails made with low-calorie mixers. Just as you might order your salad with dressing on the side, don’t be shy about asking for your cocktail your way.

“You can save 100 calories if you have a diet soda as your mixer,” says American Dietetic Association spokesperson Dawn Blatner-Jackson, MS, RD.

Mix cocktails with water, club soda, low calorie juices, artificial sweeteners or sugar-free syrups for easy calorie savings. Fruit and vegetable juices can be good choices because they are lower in calories than some other mixers and also contain disease-preventing antioxidants. Still, “be careful of fruit juices because even though they are more nutritious, the calories can add up quickly,” says Blatner-Jackson.

Some mixers that won’t pack on the pounds include:

Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories Orange juice (6 oz): 84 calories Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz): 136 calories Light orange juice (8 oz): 50 calories Light cranberry juice (8 oz): 40 calories Light lemonade (8 oz): 5 calories Coffee, tea: 0 calories Baja Bob’s sugar-free margarita or sweet ‘n’ sour mix: 0 calories Lemon or lime juice (1/2 oz): 10 calories DaVinci or Torani’s sugar-free syrups: 0

3. Skip the mixer altogether. Try ordering your favorite spirit or one of the new flavored liquors on the rocks. “Infused vodkas are very popular because they are not sweetened but infused with flavors, from jalapeno to peach, without adding any extra calories,” says O’Neil.

4. Dilute your drink. Another option is diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water. Wine spritzers are a low-calorie standby. And if you usually drink vodka and cranberry, for example, try it with club soda, just a splash of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a wedge of citrus or pineapple to add flavor and few calories.

5. Have a game plan. Before heading out to the cocktail party or happy hour, make sure you have a game plan. Decide in advance the number of cocktails you are going to drink and cut back on calories during the day in anticipation. But eat a light snack before you go so you won’t get tipsy with the first drink and it will be less tempted to dive into the food. Always be aware of your own personal limits. Don’t drink too much, and, of course, don’t drink and drive.

How Many Calories in Popular Cocktails? So just how many calories are in your favorite cocktail? These calorie counts for popular alcoholic drinks are approximate, based on popular recipes, but may vary depending on ingredients and portions.

Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438 Margarita (8 oz): 280 Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148 Martini (2.5 oz): 160 Port wine (3 oz):128 Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118 Red wine (5 oz):120 White wine (5 oz): 120 Alcohol-free wine (5 oz): 20-30 Beer (12 oz): 150-198 Light beer (12 oz): 95-136 Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95 Champagne (5oz): 106-120 Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348 Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310 Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100 Eggnog with rum (8 ounces): 370 Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (8 oz): 380 Hot buttered rum (8 oz): 292 Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150 Mulled wine (5 oz): 200 Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200 Screwdriver (8 oz): 190 Mimosa (4 oz): 75 Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200 Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780 White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425 Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350 Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185 Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100 Mike’s Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/low-calorie-cocktails