Which drink do you think has more calories: a White Russian or a classic Martini? You might be surprised to learn that the Martini is the higher-calorie cocktail with 200, vs. 195 for the White Russian, at least according to a recent article in Details.
But if you substitute cocktail onions as a garnish instead of olives you can reduce the Martini’s calorie count to 165. What’s more, Details notes that the recipe it used for the White Russian called for just 1 oz. of both Kahlua and cream. Some recipes use more, which means a higher calorie count.
Details calculated the calorie content for 20 common cocktails using standard drinks recipes employed by New York bars. The editors broke down the calories per spirit, fruit juice, and liqueur and crunched the numbers.
The skinniest drink on the list is the Sazerac with 140 calories; the “fattest” is the Mai Tai with 219 calories. The next highest-calorie cocktail is Long Island Iced Tea with 213. Considering the famously potent potable mixes vodka, gin, tequila, rum, Cointreau, lemon juice, simple syrup and Coke, it seems like its calorie count should be even higher.
Details’ list didn’t include some of the more decadent classics, like the Pina Colada, which ranges in calories from 230 to 500, depending on the source. A larger-size Pina Colada is said to have more calories than a Big Mac.
Read the full Details article.