Most people who order a vodka soda at our bar think they’re making the lowest-calorie choice possible. They’re not even close. A 1.5 oz pour of 80-proof vodka carries 102 calories, and there are three Wisconsin spirits behind our bar that beat it by 6 to 14 calories per shot, plus a 70-proof strategy that cuts 30. More flavor, fewer calories, same buzz.
Quick Answer: The lowest-calorie spirit options per 1.5 oz serving are tequila and rum (102 cal each), vodka (102 cal), and whiskey (111 cal), all at 80 proof. But the real calorie savings come from dropping proof, swapping mixers, and choosing liqueurs like Dancing Goat Limoncello (88 cal per 1.5 oz) or Port Washington Brandy (95 cal). A vodka soda isn’t the floor. It’s the ceiling most people never look below.
By the Ripsaw Saloon Bar Team | Updated July 20, 2026
Why Vodka Isn’t Actually the Lowest-Calorie Spirit
Last updated: July 20, 2026
Vodka has a reputation problem. People assume “clear” means “low-calorie.” It doesn’t. Vodka at 80 proof packs 231 calories per 100ml, which works out to 102 calories per 1.5 oz shot. That’s identical to rum and tequila at the same proof. The only spirit that’s genuinely higher is gin at 263 calories per 100ml (117 per shot).
Here’s what nobody tells you. The calorie count in straight spirits comes from one thing: alcohol content. Pure alcohol delivers 7 calories per gram. A 1.5 oz shot of any 80-proof spirit has roughly 14 grams of alcohol, which means roughly 98 calories from alcohol alone. The remaining 4-19 calories come from trace congeners and residual flavor compounds.
So if all 80-proof spirits are within 15 calories of each other, the real lever isn’t which spirit you pick. It’s proof and pour size. Drop from 80 proof to 70 proof and you lose roughly 30 calories per shot. That’s a bigger savings than switching from vodka to tequila, which saves you zero.
The Actual Calorie Rankings: 80-Proof Spirits Per 1.5 oz
| Spirit (80 proof) | Calories per 100ml (USDA) | Calories per 1.5 oz shot |
|---|---|---|
| Vodka | 231 | 102 |
| Rum | 231 | 102 |
| Tequila | 231 | 102 |
| Whiskey | 250 | 111 |
| Gin | 263 | 117 |
| Brandy | 263 | 117 |
All figures sourced from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. We did the math ourselves: 1.5 oz equals 44.36 ml, so we multiplied the per-100ml figure by 0.4436 and rounded to the nearest whole calorie. These aren’t approximate ranges from a blog post. They’re computed from USDA reference values.
The spread between the lowest and highest 80-proof spirit is 15 calories. That’s a single minute on a stationary bike. If your goal is cutting calories from alcohol, spirit selection at 80 proof barely moves the needle.
Drop the Proof, Drop the Calories: The 70-Proof Strategy
Here’s where it gets interesting. Calories scale linearly with ABV. A 70-proof spirit (35% ABV) has about 30% fewer calories than the same spirit at 80 proof (40% ABV). That’s because there’s simply less alcohol in the glass.
The USDA lists 70-proof spirits at 163-165 calories per 100ml depending on type. Per 1.5 oz, that’s roughly 72-73 calories, a 30-calorie savings over the 80-proof version. For someone drinking two cocktails a night, that’s 60 calories. Over a week, 420. Over a year, 21,900 calories, which is about six pounds.
The tradeoff is flavor. Lower-proof spirits taste thinner. A 70-proof vodka soda tastes like sparkling water with a whisper. But if you’re mixing with strong-flavored mixers like ginger beer, cranberry, or tonic, you won’t notice the difference. And at Ripsaw, we’ve started offering 70-proof pours on request for exactly this reason. Nobody’s asked yet, but the option’s there.
The Liqueur Loophole: Lower ABV, Lower Calories, More Flavor
This is the move most calorie-conscious drinkers miss entirely. Liqueurs and lower-ABV spirits often deliver fewer calories per serving than full-proof spirits because they contain less alcohol. Dancing Goat Limoncello from Cambridge, WI, runs 28% ABV and clocks just 88 calories per 1.5 oz. That’s 14 fewer than a shot of vodka, with actual flavor.
We wrote about this in our 9 Wisconsin Spirits Under 100 Calories piece, and the response surprised us. People wanted to know which liqueurs could replace vodka in common cocktails. So here’s the practical version.
Port Washington Brandy from Cedar Creek Distillery in Grafton comes in at 95 calories per 1.5 oz with a fruity nose that works in an Old Fashioned. Clear River Vodka from Eau Claire is 96 calories, slightly under the 80-proof baseline because it’s distilled to a tighter cut. These are real numbers from real Wisconsin bottles, not generic USDA ranges.
Mixer Math: Where the Calories Actually Hide
A vodka soda has 102 calories. A vodka tonic has 226. Same spirit, same pour. The difference is the mixer. Regular tonic water adds 124 calories per 12 oz bottle thanks to 33 grams of sugar. That’s more than the alcohol itself.
| Mixer | Serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Soda water | 12 oz | 0 |
| Diet tonic / slimline tonic | 12 oz | 0-2 |
| Lime juice | 1 oz | 20 |
| Orange juice | 8 oz | 112 |
| Cranberry juice | 8 oz | 137 |
| Regular tonic water | 12 oz | 124 |
| Cola | 12 oz | 136 |
The cheapest calorie cut in any bar isn’t switching spirits. It’s switching mixers. A gin and diet tonic saves you 80 calories compared to a gin and regular tonic. Same drink, same buzz, same botanicals. We pour Fever-Tree Naturally Light tonic at Ripsaw, 15 calories per bottle, and honestly, it tastes better than the full-sugar version because the gin comes through instead of getting buried under corn syrup.
If you want to go deeper on specific low-cal drinks, our 12 Cocktails Under 150 Calories guide breaks down exact recipes with per-ingredient calorie counts. Every one of those drinks uses the mixer-swap principle.
What We Pour at Ripsaw When Someone Says “Low Calorie”
When a customer asks for something light, we don’t reach for vodka by default. We ask one question: do you want something spirit-forward or something refreshing? The answer determines what goes in the glass.
Spirit-forward and low-cal? Tequila neat or on the rocks. 102 calories, zero mixers, and tequila’s agave flavor actually holds up without additions. We pour El Jimador at $7 a pour. A 1.5 oz serving with a lime wedge is the same calories as a vodka soda with 10x the flavor.
Refreshing and low-cal? Gin and diet tonic. 117 calories for the gin plus 2 for the tonic. We use J. Carver Barrel Reserve from Sauk City, $11 a pour, and Fever-Tree Naturally Light. Total: 119 calories. That’s 17 more than a vodka soda, and it tastes like an actual cocktail instead of cold water with a burn.
The lowest-calorie drink we serve isn’t even a cocktail. It’s a shot of Dancing Goat Limoncello over ice. 88 calories, served in a rocks glass, and it tastes like summer in Wisconsin. We charge $9. Nobody orders it because they don’t know it exists. Now you do.
The Contrarian Take: Stop Drinking Vodka If You Want Low Calories
Here’s our honest position. If calorie count is your primary concern, vodka is the most boring choice you can make. It’s middle-of-the-pack for calories, it contributes zero flavor to a drink, and it forces you to add mixers that either add calories (juice, regular tonic) or add nothing (soda water, which makes the drink taste like nothing too).
Tequila gives you the same 102 calories with agave character that stands on its own. Rum at 102 calories pairs with diet cola for a 102-calorie Cuba Libre that actually tastes like something. Whiskey at 111 calories with a single ice cube is a 111-calorie drink that takes 30 minutes to sip. Vodka at 102 calories plus soda water is a 102-calorie drink that takes 30 seconds to choke down.
We sell vodka sodas all day at Ripsaw. It’s our #2 seller. But we’d be lying if we said it was the best low-calorie option on the bar. It’s just the laziest.
How to Build a Lower-Calorie Home Bar
If you’re stocking a home bar in Price County and calorie count matters, here’s what we’d actually buy. Start with Clear River Vodka from Eau Claire, $22 at Prentice Meat & Grocery, 96 calories per shot, and it’s our well vodka at the bar. Then add a bottle of tequila (El Jimador, $24, 102 cal) for shots and Palomas. Third, J. Carver Barrel Reserve Gin ($34, 117 cal) for gin and tonics. Finally, Dancing Goat Limoncello ($30, 88 cal) from Cambridge for after-dinner sipping.
Four bottles, $110 total, and you can make over a dozen cocktails all under 130 calories. The key is buying diet tonic, soda water, and fresh citrus as your mixers. Skip the cranberry juice, skip the regular cola, skip the simple syrup. For the complete picture of what we pour and why, see our calorie count chart for every alcoholic drink we serve.
And if you’re driving through Price County on a Friday night, check out the supper club guide over at Price County Fun. Those places pour Old Fashioneds that clock 250+ calories, so you’ll want to plan accordingly.
See also: our signature Wisconsin Old Fashioned
See also: our guide to Wisconsin distilleries worth the drive
See also: our summer 2026 seasonal cocktail guide
See also: the Wisconsin supper club ritual (start and end at Ripsaw)
FAQ
What is the lowest-calorie alcohol?
Straight spirits at lower proof are the lowest-calorie alcohol options. A 1.5 oz shot of 70-proof vodka runs about 72 calories. Among standard 80-proof spirits, vodka, rum, and tequila tie at 102 calories per 1.5 oz. Liqueurs like Dancing Goat Limoncello (88 cal) beat all of them.
Is vodka the lowest-calorie spirit?
No. Vodka, rum, and tequila all have the same calorie count at 80 proof: 102 calories per 1.5 oz shot (USDA reference value of 231 kcal/100ml). Gin (117 cal) and brandy (117 cal) are higher. The lowest-calorie spirit options come from dropping proof or choosing lower-ABV liqueurs.
How many calories in a vodka soda?
A standard vodka soda made with 1.5 oz of 80-proof vodka and soda water contains 102 calories. Soda water adds zero calories. Adding a lime wedge contributes about 1-2 calories. A vodka soda is not the lowest-calorie cocktail available. It’s just the most common one.
What spirit has fewer calories than vodka?
At 80 proof, no common spirit has fewer calories than vodka. Rum and tequila tie it at 102. But lower-proof spirits (70 proof: ~72 cal), Port Washington Brandy (95 cal), Clear River Vodka (96 cal), and Dancing Goat Limoncello (88 cal) all come in under 100 calories per 1.5 oz serving.
Does higher proof mean more calories?
Yes. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, so calories scale directly with ABV. A 70-proof spirit has about 30% fewer calories than the same spirit at 80 proof. A 100-proof spirit has about 25% more. Proof is the single biggest calorie lever in straight spirits, bigger than spirit type.