Ripsaw Saloon Breaks Down Calories in Alcohol: 7 Per Gram, 9

Last updated: September 2026

Two multiplications explain every calorie number ever printed next to a drink. Multiply the ounces in the glass by the ABV on the label and you get ounces of pure alcohol. Multiply those alcohol ounces by 163 and you have the calories that came from the ethanol itself. We pour at 1117 Railroad Ave in Prentice, and that is the same math we run in our heads when somebody asks which drink on the rail will cost them the least.

Quick Answer: Pure alcohol carries 7 calories per gram, so one standard US drink (14 grams, or 0.6 ounces, of ethanol) is about 98 calories. A 12-ounce beer at 5% ABV, a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12%, and a 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof vodka all deliver that identical 98-calorie alcohol load. Sugar and mixers are what push the totals apart.

What are calories in alcohol?

Ethanol is the calorie source that never makes it onto a menu. It supplies 7 calories per gram, while table sugar and protein supply 4 and fat supplies 9. That puts alcohol between carbohydrate and fat on the energy scale, and it arrives with no vitamins, no minerals, and no fiber attached.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism sets a standard drink at 14 grams of pure alcohol, which equals 0.6 fluid ounces. Run that through the 7-calorie rule and you land on 98 calories of pure ethanol in every standard drink you pour.

The two numbers behind every chart

Ethanol weighs 0.789 grams per milliliter and burns at 7 calories per gram. Combined, one fluid ounce of pure ethanol is 23.3 grams and roughly 163 calories. Charts look complicated because drinks are complicated, not because the math is.

Why 98 calories is the number to remember

A 12-ounce can of 5% beer, a 5-ounce pour of 12% wine, and a 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof liquor each hold 0.6 ounces of ethanol, so each one starts at 98 alcohol calories. Everything added after that point is a separate decision with its own cost.

How do you calculate calories from alcohol by volume?

Four steps get you there, and none of them requires a specific app.

Get the volume in ounces. Divide milliliters by 29.57. A 750 mL bottle works out to 25.4 ounces.
Multiply by the ABV. Write 40% as 0.40. The result is ounces of pure alcohol.
Multiply by 163. That converts alcohol ounces into ethanol calories.
Add the sugar and mixers. Carbohydrates carry 4 calories per gram, which is where cocktails separate from straight pours.

Worked example: 1.5 ounces of 80-proof vodka

1.5 times 0.40 equals 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, and 0.6 times 163 equals 98 calories. USDA FoodData Central lists 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits at 97 calories, and a plain vodka shot holds no sugar because distillation strips it out.

Worked example: a 16-ounce pint of 6.5% IPA

16 times 0.065 equals 1.04 ounces of pure alcohol, and 1.04 times 163 equals 170 calories from ethanol alone. The grain that never fermented into alcohol is still in the glass, so the pint’s total calorie count runs higher than its alcohol figure.

Worked example: a 5-ounce glass of 12% red wine

5 times 0.12 equals 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, which is 98 alcohol calories. USDA FoodData Central puts 5 ounces of red table wine at 125 calories total, so the remaining 27 calories are residual grape sugar and trace carbohydrate.

Does a beer have the same calories as a shot?

On the alcohol side, yes, whenever both drinks pour 0.6 ounces of ethanol. The gap between drink types shows up in the total, and it comes from carbs and added sugar.

Drink	Serving	ABV	Alcohol calories	Total calories
80-proof spirits (vodka, rum, whiskey)	1.5 oz	40%	98	97
Regular beer	12 oz	5%	98	153
Light beer	12 oz	4.2%	82	103
Red wine	5 oz	12%	98	125
White wine	5 oz	12%	98	121

Totals come from USDA FoodData Central figures for standard servings. The distilled spirits line reads 97 instead of 98 because the database entry rounds the ethanol weight to the nearest calorie.

Which drink types stack sugar on top of the alcohol?

Cocktails are where the arithmetic stops being tidy. Six ounces of regular cola adds about 70 calories and 19 grams of sugar to a rum and Coke. A single 4-gram sugar cube is 16 calories by itself. The ethanol never changed, and the drink nearly doubled.

Our house brandy old fashioned, by the numbers

The Wisconsin old fashioned is the drink we build most often at Ripsaw Saloon. Ours starts with 2 ounces of brandy, which is 0.8 ounces of pure alcohol and about 130 calories. One sugar cube adds 16, two dashes of bitters add roughly 1, and a splash of sour soda adds about 10. Call it 157 calories for the drink, before anybody orders a second one.

How do you cut calories without giving up the drink?

A few swaps do most of the work, and they are the ones we suggest most often.

Order spirit plus soda water. A vodka soda with a lime wedge holds 1.5 ounces of vodka, so roughly 98 calories and no sugar at all.
Switch the mixer, not the liquor. Diet cola removes the 70 calories that regular cola brings along.
Drop to a lower-ABV pour. A 4.2% light beer carries 82 alcohol calories instead of 98, landing at 103 total.
Count the whole night. Four regular beers comes to 612 calories, which is a full meal on a Tuesday.

What does 98 calories look like on a Friday in Prentice?

We are open Monday and Thursday through Sunday from 2 PM until close, and we are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That schedule matters if you are counting calories, because the fish fry crowd lands before 6 PM and the room fills fast. Our address is 1117 Railroad Ave, Prentice, WI 54556, and the phone behind the bar is (715) 428-2042.

The lightest thing on our rail is a vodka soda with lime, which lands near 100 calories. The heaviest is a brandy old fashioned with extra sour, closer to 175 once the sugar and soda are counted. Both start from the same 7-calorie gram of ethanol.

If you are driving up from Park Falls, our Things to Do in Park Falls WI guide on pricecounty.fun covers what else is worth a stop on the way. Back on this site, our Cocktail Calorie Chart comparing 196 drinks applies this same math drink by drink, and the master calorie count chart for beer, wine and spirits keeps the reference numbers in one place.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in 1 gram of alcohol?

Seven calories. Pure ethanol provides 7 calories per gram, which is more than the 4 calories in a gram of sugar or protein and less than the 9 in a gram of fat. A standard 14-gram drink therefore carries 98 calories of alcohol.

Is a shot of vodka the same calories as a beer?

The alcohol is identical when both pour 0.6 ounces of ethanol, which is 98 calories either way. The totals differ because a 12-ounce regular beer also carries about 55 calories of carbohydrate, taking it to 153, while a plain shot of 80-proof vodka has no sugar or starch left at all.

Do spirits have fewer calories than wine?

Not per standard drink. A 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof liquor and a 5-ounce glass of 12% wine both deliver 98 alcohol calories. Wine totals slightly higher at 121 to 125 calories because unfermented grape sugar remains in the glass.

How many calories are in alcohol-free beer?

Take the ethanol out of a 5% beer and you remove roughly 98 calories, leaving only the residual carbohydrate behind. That is why non-alcoholic beer usually lands between 60 and 90 calories per 12 ounces, with almost none of it coming from alcohol.

Why do calorie charts disagree with each other?

Three reasons cover most of it. Servings differ (a 12-ounce beer against a 16-ounce pint), ABV varies between brands of the same drink type, and some charts list alcohol calories while others list the total, which includes carbs and mixers. Our full beverage calorie chart labels which number it reports.

Ripsaw Saloon Breaks Down Calories in Alcohol: 7 Per Gram, 98 Per Standard Drink