Hi! I don't drink alcohol very often but when I do, it's usually quite a bit at one time... I avoid it most of the time but what can I say, I'm living in a student residence so sometimes the parties happen...
Anyway whenever I do drink I usually stick to some kind of hard liquor like vodka or rum mixed with some kind of diet drink, just to keep the calories down. I like beer but I usually don't drink it because I know it's pretty high in calories and it adds up pretty quickly. I was just wondering--how many calories does hard liquor have in it anyway? And if I know I'm going to be drinking in the evening, should I lower my food calories a bit throughout the day or keep it around 1300-1500 like usual? Not that I would ever drink on an empty stomach, of course. Any tips are helpful, thanks.

Per 25ml measure:

Gin/Vodka/Rum/Brandy/Whiskey ... 50 cals

So as long as you mix them with 'diet' mixers and watch the size of measure you have, they're quite a good option compared to beer/lager. However, if your measures are anything like mine, be careful!!

And yes, if you know you're going to be drinking in the evening then it's definitely wise to cut down on cals beforehand.

What I do, if I know I am going to be drinking, is eat a good breakfast, small lunch and a big-ish dinner with plenty of veggies. I don't know if it's a problem for you, but for me drinking alcohol equals nuts, chips, etc etc.... so if I have a large dinner that is more unlikely to happen. I stick with gin and diet tonic.

Yes, I count my alcohol calories as well. I too stick with liquor and diet soda, I usually drink Canadian Whiskey. Depending on the brand, type and proof of the liquor, it can be anywhere from 50-80 calories an ounce.

Remember, the PROOF of the liquor affects its calorie level.

Hi there. I also count, I use calorieking.com to figure out the calories in the drinks. It's very useful for pretty much finding the calorie content of anything.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm drinking tonight to celebrate my last exam being over (it went pretty badly, but it's over)! So I will definitely put this info to use

I don't know for sure, but I have always read/heard that a hot of hard alcohol is about 100cals, some are more and some are less, but it is around there. Light beer also has about 100cals for a glass bottle (i'm not sure how many ounces that is).