How many calories are in a vodka?
A 25 ml (0.9 fl oz) measure of 40% vodka is about 55 kcal, and a 50 ml double about 110. That is the same figure as gin, white rum, tequila or whisky at the same strength and measure. Vodka’s reputation as the low-calorie spirit does not survive the arithmetic.
Per portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single, 25 ml, 40% | ~55 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Double, 50 ml, 40% | ~110 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Double + 200 ml tonic | ~180 kcal | 0 g | 18 g | 0 g |
| Double + 250 ml energy drink | ~220 kcal | 0 g | 27 g | 0 g |
| Pre-mixed can, 250 ml | 110–180 kcal | 0 g | 10–30 g | 0 g |
What changes the number
Strength and measure, and then very little. A plain spirit is water and ethanol with trace flavour compounds; nothing else in it counts. Dropping from 40% to 37.5% saves about 4 kcal a measure; moving from a 25 ml single to a 44 ml US shot adds 40.
Whether it is actually vodka. Two products share the word “flavoured”. An aromatised vodka bottled at 37.5–40% with no sugar is still about 50–55 kcal per 25 ml. A sweetened version at 20% ABV is a liqueur in all but name: the lower alcohol offsets some of the sugar, so 25 ml is often 45–70 kcal, but it is poured as a 50 ml shot far more often than as a single. Cream and coffee versions are nearer 80 kcal per 25 ml with fat and carbohydrate attached — check the label.
The mixer, which routinely outweighs the spirit. Tonic, cola, lemonade, energy drinks and juice all bring their own calories; soda water, plain water and the sugar-free versions bring none. The full arithmetic is on the whisky page, and it applies identically here.
Pre-mixed cans, where the panel is often printed per 100 ml rather than per can. A 250 ml can labelled 55 kcal per 100 ml is 138.
Where it fits in a deficit
Vodka’s one real advantage is that it mixes with things that are free, so a double with soda and lime is a defined 110 kcal and stays there. It still brings no protein, fibre or satiety, and the calories land on top of the day unless they were planned into a calorie deficit first — a calculator makes the room easier to see.
There is also a metabolic effect independent of the calorie count, described on the beer page. Every country publishes its own guidance on low-risk drinking limits; this page is about energy content only.
The “lowest-calorie spirit” claim
At 40% ABV and 25 ml, every plain spirit lands in the same place:
| Spirit, 25 ml at 40% | Calories |
|---|---|
| Vodka | ~55 kcal |
| Gin | ~55 kcal |
| White rum | ~55 kcal |
| Tequila | ~55 kcal |
| Whisky | ~55 kcal |
| Brandy | ~55 kcal |
The rows are identical because the calories are ethanol, and ethanol is the same molecule in each. What separates these bottles is a few grams of flavour compounds per litre, which rounds to nothing.
The belief persists because of how vodka is drunk, not what it is: vodka goes into soda water and lime, gin into tonic, rum into cola. The mixer was always doing the work. Label phrases like “triple distilled”, “premium”, “gluten free” and “carb free” are true of vodka and equally true of every other plain spirit — none of them is a calorie claim.
The only real lever on a plain spirit is strength, and at about 4 kcal per measure between 37.5% and 40%, it is a small one.
Figures are typical values and vary by variety, size and preparation. General information, not medical advice.