Sources
Wisconsin drinks 37% of America’s brandy — and most of it lands in Old Fashioneds that clock 250+ calories. We’ve spent three years behind the bar at Ripsaw Saloon in Prentice, and here’s what nobody tells you: you can cut calories without cutting the drink. Twelve cocktails, all under 150 calories, all things you can actually make at home with bottles from any Wisconsin liquor store.
Quick Answer: Twelve cocktails under 150 calories, from a 78-calorie vodka soda to a 142-calorie whiskey sour. The trick is swapping sugar for bitters, using fresh citrus instead of syrups, and measuring pours. Most of these use ingredients you already have. The most expensive one requires a $22 bottle of Korbel brandy.
The List: 12 Cocktails, 78-142 Calories Each
1. Vodka Soda — 78 calories. 1.5 oz vodka (96 cal) + soda water (0 cal) + lime squeeze (negligible). The baseline. If you’re counting calories, this is your house drink. We sell these for $8 at Ripsaw and they’re our #2 seller after the Old Fashioned.
2. Gin and Tonic — 120 calories. 1.5 oz gin (110 cal) + 4 oz diet tonic (10 cal). Use Fever-Tree Naturally Light tonic if you can find it — 15 calories per bottle, and the botanicals actually complement the gin instead of drowning it. Regular tonic adds 80+ calories; diet tonic is the move here.
3. Campari and Soda — 96 calories. 1.5 oz Campari (80 cal) + soda water + orange twist. Bitter, refreshing, and Italian. Campari has 24% ABV so it’s sessionable. The bitterness is an acquired taste — but once you acquire it, nothing else hits the same on a July afternoon.
4. Whiskey Sour (Light) — 142 calories. 2 oz bourbon (140 cal) + 0.5 oz lemon juice (4 cal) + dash of simple (negligible if you use 0.25 oz) + egg white (17 cal, optional but recommended for texture). Skip the sugar syrup entirely — the bourbon has enough sweetness. This is the one we make for people who “don’t like whiskey.” It works.
5. Tom Collins (Light) — 130 calories. 1.5 oz gin (110 cal) + 0.75 oz lemon juice (6 cal) + 0.25 oz simple (14 cal) + soda water. The trick is halving the simple syrup that most recipes call for. You get the gin botanicals, the citrus brightness, and the fizz without 60 extra calories of sugar.
6. Paloma (Light) — 135 calories. 1.5 oz tequila (96 cal) + 3 oz grapefruit juice (39 cal) + soda water + lime. Use fresh grapefruit juice, not Squirt or Jarritos — bottled grapefruit soda adds 120+ calories from sugar. Fresh juice from one grapefruit costs about $0.40 and gives you better flavor.
7. Americano — 118 calories. 1 oz Campari (54 cal) + 1 oz sweet vermouth (47 cal) + soda water. The aperitif that predates the Negroni. Lower ABV, sessionable, and you can drink three of them without falling off your barstool. The red color looks great in a highball glass.
8. Daiquiri (Traditional) — 143 calories. 2 oz white rum (130 cal) + 0.75 oz lime juice (6 cal) + 0.25 oz simple (7 cal). Not the frozen slushy machine version — the actual Cuban cocktail. Three ingredients, no mixer, no blender. If you’ve only had daiquiris from a machine, this will change your life.
9. Moscow Mule (Light) — 122 calories. 1.5 oz vodka (96 cal) + 0.5 oz lime juice (4 cal) + 4 oz diet ginger beer (22 cal). Use Bundaberg Diet Ginger Beer — it’s the only diet ginger beer we’ve found that actually tastes like ginger, not artificial sweetener.
10. Negroni (Light) — 138 calories. 1 oz gin (74 cal) + 1 oz Campari (54 cal) + 0.75 oz sweet vermouth (35 cal, slightly less than a full pour). The classic Negroni is 187 calories — this version just trims the vermouth pour slightly. You won’t taste the difference, and you save 49 calories.
11. Old Fashioned (Light) — 145 calories. 2 oz Korbel brandy (130 cal) + 0.1 oz simple (6 cal) + dash Angostura bitters (4 cal) + orange twist. We use 0.1 oz of simple syrup instead of the traditional 0.5 oz — that alone saves 30 calories. The bitters and orange peel carry the aromatics. This is how we make them at Ripsaw when someone asks for “the light version.”
12. Aperol Spritz — 135 calories. 2 oz Aperol (63 cal) + 3 oz Prosecco (78 cal) + splash soda. The lowest-ABV cocktail on the list at 11% total. Aperol is only 11% ABV, and with a 3 oz Prosecco pour, you’re drinking something that tastes like summer and won’t knock you out by 7 PM.
What to Skip If You’re Counting
Here’s the thing: the calories in cocktails come from three places — the alcohol itself, the sugar, and the mixers. You can’t do much about the alcohol (1.5 oz of 80-proof spirit is 96 calories, period). But the sugar and mixers are where most people blow their budget.
Skip: full-sugar tonic water (80 cal), sour mix (60+ cal per pour), heavy cream (100+ cal), flavored liqueurs like Baileys (130 cal per 1.5 oz), and any frozen drink mix. A frozen strawberry daiquiri from a mix can hit 400+ calories — nearly three times the traditional version.
See also: our signature Wisconsin Old Fashioned
See also: our complete calorie count chart for alcoholic drinks
See also: our summer 2026 seasonal cocktail guide
FAQ
What’s the lowest-calorie cocktail you can order at a bar?
Vodka soda with lime. 78 calories, zero sugar, and any bar in Wisconsin has the ingredients. If you want flavor, ask for a splash of grapefruit juice — adds about 15 calories and a lot of taste.
How many calories in a standard Wisconsin Old Fashioned?
A traditional Wisconsin Old Fashioned made with 2 oz brandy, 0.5 oz simple syrup, bitters, and soda water runs about 190-220 calories depending on the soda. The “light” version at 145 calories just reduces the simple syrup to 0.1 oz — you save 30 calories without losing the flavor.
Are diet mixers safe?
Diet tonic water and diet ginger beer use artificial sweeteners (usually sucralose or aspartame). They’re FDA-approved and safe in moderation. If you prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners, use soda water with a squeeze of fresh citrus — zero calories, zero additives.
Can I make these at home without bartending equipment?
Yes. You need a jigger (or measuring spoon — 1.5 oz = 3 tablespoons), a glass, and ice. A cocktail shaker helps for the whiskey sour and daiquiri but isn’t strictly necessary. Total equipment cost: under $15 at any kitchen store.