Vodka is extremely popular. It is a delicious but clear liquid, it almost looks like water. Surely it isn’t too bad for you. It is true that there is usually no sugar or carbs in vodka but what about calories. How many calories does vodka have, is vodka zero calories?
How many calories does vodka have? Is it zero calories?
Unfortunately vodka is not zero calories. The USDA state a standard measure of vodka has 97 kcal per standard 1.5 fl oz shot. That equates to about 215kcal per 100ml of vodka. This is based on a 40% ABV vodka.
Some vodka are 37.5%, others are export strength at 43.5%, these will have slightly more or less calories per serving.
What is a standard serving of vodka?
Vodka can come in lots of unique shapes, sizes, strengths and from all over the world. What one person thinks of as a standard vodka might be completely different from someone else.
Luckily for everyone, the USDA and CDC have devised a list of “standard” alcoholic drinks. Each one contains the exact same amount of alcohol – 14g of alcohol (0.6 ounces).
Below is a list of the standard drinks, volumes and ABV that all give 14g of alcohol.
| Drink and volume | Alcohol content |
| 12fl oz Beer | 5% |
| 5fl oz Wine | 12% |
| 1.5fl oz Spirit (e.g vodka) | 40% |
From the information and definitions given to us by the USDA, we can see that a standard shot of vodka is 1.5fl oz.
So in the USA, a standard shot is 1.5fl oz of 45ml of vodka.
How many shots of vodka are in a bottle?
There are 16 full shots and very nearly 17 shots of vodka in a full bottle. A shot is 1.5fl oz and there are 25.4fl oz in a standard 750ml bottle of vodka. The precise answer is there are 16.91 shots of vodka in a bottle.
How many shots of vodka are in a handle?
There are 33.8 shots in a handle of vodka. A shot is 1.5fl oz and there are 50.7fl oz or 1750ml in a handle bottle of vodka. It represents half of a fluid gallon of vodka. A handle is over twice the size of a 750ml bottle of vodka.
How many calories are in a bottle of vodka?
If a 1.5fl oz shot of vodka is 97kcal and there are 16.91 shots in a bottle of vodka, that means a bottle of vodka contains 1640kcal.
How many calories are in a handle of vodka?
If a 1.5fl oz shot of vodka is 97kcal and there are 33.8 shots in a handle of vodka, that means a handle of vodka contains 3279kcal.
How many calories in different strengths of vodka?
All my calculations above are based on a vodka being 80% proof or 40% ABV. However, this might not be the only strength you might find, only what the CDC/USDA call standard to compare the alcohol in different drinks.
In the table below you can see the calories that would be in a shot of vodka for different strengths.
| ABV of vodka | Calories per 1.5fl oz shot |
| 30% | 74kcal |
| 37.5% | 92kcal |
| 40% | 97kcal |
| 50% | 121kcal |
How many shots of vodka to get drunk?
The CDC states it takes the average 160lb adult male, 4 standard vodkas to get drunk. A standard shot of vodka is 1.5fl oz and 40% ABV. The 4 vodkas have to be drank over 1-2 hours. If you are a female or lighter then it will take less vodka, if you are a significantly heavier male, it may take 5+ shots of vodka to get drunk.
You can check the math at my full article here
How many calories are in non alcoholic vodka?
Non alcoholic vodka can have as little as zero calories but the major brands have around 3-5kcal per 1.5fl oz shot. That means they have around 5% of the calories of alcoholic vodka.
What is the calorie difference in non alcoholic and alcoholic vodka?
The USDA state a standard measure of vodka has 97 kcal per 1.5 fl oz (44ml). We can use this as a decent generic reference point to start from.
I know there will be a large range within the craft vodka world with lots of new flavours, additives and alcohol contents but it acts as a good surrogate for comparison.
We can look at one household name regular vodka and then 1 of the new breed of non alcoholic vodkas
Vodka giant
- Smirnoff
Non alcoholic vodka
- Strykk 0.0%
| Vodka | Kcal count per 1.5 fl oz | % of calories | % of calories saved |
| Standard USDA measure vodka | 97 | 100% | 0% |
| Smirnoff 37.5% | 92 | 95% | 5% |
| Smirnoff Export 43.1% | 105 | 108% | -8% |
| Strykk 0.0% | 3 | 3% | 97% |
As you can see, you can save massive amounts of calories when you ditch the alcohol.
Quite clearly if you are a regular vodka drinker, then swapping some or all of your drinks to a non alcoholic alternative will have a huge calorie saving.
Why are non alcoholic vodkas so much lower in calories?
The answer is how many calories are in alcohol.
| Substance | KCal per gram |
| Fat | 7 |
| Alcohol | 7 |
| Sugar | 4 |
Gram for gram, alcohol contains much more calories than sugar and carbs. The alcohol free and non alcoholic vodkas have such a reduced calorie load due to the vast reduction in alcohol.
The flavoured alcohol free vodka is water based with infused botanicals which are virtually calorie free.
If you want a guilt free vodka then alcohol free and non alcoholic vodkas are the future.
