How Many Calories Are in Gin? We Ranked 16 Gins from Most Calories to Least
One of the most popular and unique distilled spirits you will ever encounter is gin. Compared to beer, calories in gin are significantly fewer. Tonic contains a higher number of calories compared to gin because of its added sugars. If you can’t drink one without the other, you ought to use a slimline tonic. This makes gin and tonic calories fewer compared to most cocktails.
Thanks to a growing interest in low-calorie alternatives, gin is no longer just your grandma’s drink. New weird and wonderful gin experiences have made gin a staple at nearly every bar and restaurant in the world. If gin isn’t your drink of choice, it might be once you see the calories in alcohol beverages that you favor.
Here, we’ve ranked 16 of our favorite gins so you can figure out which ones are the best and worst for your waistline.
What Is Gin Made Of?
Gin is a flavored alcoholic drink consisting of juniper berries, which gives the popular beverage its distinctive aromatic flavor, and other botanical ingredients. These botanicals may include coriander, cardamom, citrus peels, and more. It encompasses a broad range of spirits with different origins, styles, and flavor profiles.
In Europe, gin is recognized as a juniper-dominated beverage with a base alcohol made from grains such as barley, wheat, and rye. The drink must also have at least 37.5% of pure alcohol in its total volume. By definition, it’s technically a juniper-flavored vodka. The botanical ingredients, as well as the way in which distillers combine the flavors with the vodka base, separate high-quality gin from the cheap kind.
Aside from its diverse flavor profile, one good reason why you should drink gin is its low calorie count. Gin and tonic calories might be fewer than in other alcoholic beverages, but they still have little to no nutritional value. As a matter of fact, calories in alcohol have no significant contribution to your diet.
Most Common Types of Gin
Before we delve into the number of calories in gin, let’s look into the most popular styles of gin. This alcoholic beverage has evolved greatly over the years. Due to its diverse range in terms of profile, it’s arguably the most commonly used spirit in cocktails.
Here are some of the most popular gin styles:
London Dry
A common choice in the UK, London Dry is a high-quality alcohol made with natural ingredients. It contains about 0.01g of sugar per liter of alcohol, which means it’s not sweet at all. London Dry is one of the purest forms of gin since it’s distilled with botanicals sans any artificial flavorings. Despite its name, it doesn’t have to be made only in England’s capital. This particular style of gin can be made anywhere around the world. Most of the popular gin brands today fall under this classification—Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, and Beefeater to name a few.
Plymouth Gin
This gin used to have a protected geographical indication. Much like how Champagne must come from a specific region in France, having a geographical indication meant that Plymouth Gin could only be produced in Plymouth, England. However, it lost its protective status when the French brand owner withdrew his support. Compared to London Dry, it has an earthier profile because it’s made with more roots for botanical flavoring. It’s also less dry.
Old Tom Gin
Old Tom Gin is one of the classics, dating as far back as the 18th century. This is what people drank during London’s gin craze. Compared to London Dry, Old Tom is sweeter. Back in the day, people used to add a ton of sugar and honey to mask the poor quality of the gin they used. This was also the original gin they used in a Tom Collins cocktail, which is where it got its name. Old Tom Gin is best paired with soda water because the sugar in tonic water may overpower its sweet style.
New Wave
The new wave of gin features less juniper flavors and more herbs and aromatics such as citrus peels, floral botanicals, and in Hendrick’s case, cucumber. These spirits usually have distinct flavor profiles. Not only that, they are often smooth enough to be consumed neat. Much like craft beer, new wave gin appeals to younger generations who yearn for authenticity and quality.
How Many Calories Are in Gin?
Gin and tonic calories are low compared to other alcoholic beverages. A regular shot of gin has 200 kilocalories. That’s equivalent to two bananas or one small doughnut. Of course, gin and tonic calories are higher because of the added sugars in the tonic. Calories in alcohol such as vodka and whiskey have a similar calorie count. Although it has two times more calories than a glass of wine, gin still has 30% less than Baileys.
We’ve ranked 16 of our favorite gins from most calories to least. Take a look at the table below to find out the number of calories in gin.
Gin is an excellent alternative to high-calorie alcoholic beverages. However, adding tonic to your drink will raise the calories in gin. Together, gin and tonic calories are still significantly fewer compared to other drinks. But if you don’t want your favorite drink to ruin your weight loss efforts, you can opt for a slimline gin and tonic.
Regardless of the calories in alcohol, moderation must be practiced when it comes to consuming your favorite spirits, especially when it comes to gin, which has at least 37.5% pure alcohol.
