Types of alcohol
There are many different types of alcoholic drinks and it’s important to know which ones contain glucose and carbohydrate to help you work out what effects they will have on your blood glucose levels.
Have a look at the table below: In each case, two similar drinks are shown i) a high sugar option and ii) a low-sugar version, together with the verdict on which is lower carb option.
| Alcoholic drink | Carbohydrate per serving | Equivalent in sugar cubes | Alcohol units per serving | Calories per serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 ml vodka and 100 ml coke vs 25ml vodka and 100ml diet coke | 10.6 g Trace | 4 0 | 1 1 | 95 52 |
| Lower carb option = vodka and diet coke | No carbs compared to 10g | No added sugar | Same amount of alcohol | 43 calories less per drink |
| 275ml bottle Smirnoff Ice vs 275ml bottle Smirnoff Mule | 20 g 7 g | 8 3 | 1.5 1.5 | 180 130 |
| Lower carb option = Smirnoff Mule | 13 g carbs less | 5 sugar cubes less | Same amount of alcohol | 50 calories less per drink |
| Pint Tennent’s Lager vs Pint dry cider vs Pint sweet cider | 8 g 15 g 25 g | 3 6 10 | 2.2 2.2 2.1 | 166 206 241 |
| Lower carb option = lager | 8g carbs compared to 15–25 g | 3 – 7 sugar cubes less | Same amount of alcohol | 40–75 calories less per drink |
| An Aftershock to finish | 10 g | 4 | 1 | 111 |
You can see the contents of similar drinks can actually vary a lot and can have the same alcohol content but quite different carbohydrate levels. Have a look at this detailed guide about what’s in your drink.
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