Many popular cocktails are full of flavor and may be linked in your mind to memories of specific places, experiences, or times. But do you know how much sugar is in your favorite cocktail? While an occasional sugary cocktail may be fine, repeatedly ordering sugary drinks can contribute to health issues.
Many popular cocktails contain significant amounts of added sugars, with some reaching 30 to 40 grams per serving—60 to 80% of the recommended daily sugar limit. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends keeping added sugar to less than 10% of your daily intake. On a 2,000-calorie diet, this amounts to 200 calories or 50 grams of sugar. While sugar enhances the flavor of cocktails and masks the alcohol, it also contributes empty calories, which can lead to weight gain and a greater risk of other chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
We've rounded up some of the sugariest cocktails and offer alternatives so you can continue enjoying these alcoholic beverages without all the sugar.
Piña Colada
Piña coladas are popular tropical cocktails made with rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice. Piña coladas are one of the sugariest cocktails: An 8-ounce piña colada can contain 40 grams of sugar, most from coconut cream and pineapple juice.
Drink this instead: For a lower-sugar alternative, use coconut water or light coconut milk instead of coconut cream and reduce the amount of pineapple juice.
Margarita
A classic margarita is made with tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur (usually triple sec). The sugar content of a margarita varies, but on average, the classic cocktail contains 36 grams of sugar. Instead of using fresh lime juice and triple sec, some margaritas are prepared with a premade mix, often high in sugar. Premade margarita mixes can have nearly 7 grams of sugar per ounce.
Drink this instead: For a low-sugar alternative to a margarita, make a Ranchwater cocktail, usually tequila with soda water and a splash of lime juice.
Mai Tai
A type of rum punch, the mai tai combines rum, lime juice, orange curaçao, and almond syrup (orgeat). Some mai tais include additional fruit juices and syrups, boosting the sugar content. Even without the additional fruit juices and syrups, the mai tai is a sweet cocktail with 32 grams of sugar per drink. Most of the sugar in mai tais comes from the orgeat, a syrup of almonds, sugar, water, brandy, and orange flower water. Orange curaçao, an orange-based liqueur similar to triple sec, contributes more sugar to this already sweet tropical cocktail.
Drink this instead: Use unsweetened almond milk instead of orgeat and skip the orange curaçao, swapping it for a splash of orange juice.
Daiquiri
Strawberry daiquiris are a fun variation of the classic daiquiri, blending rum, fresh lime juice, and strawberries. Although the exact sugar content of a strawberry daiquiri varies depending on the ingredients, most contain at least 30 grams of sugar. Daiquiris can be high in sugar from the sweetened strawberry purees or syrups used for flavoring. Strawberry daiquiri mixes can be a significant source of sugar, with some containing 34 grams per 4-ounce serving.
Drink this instead: Opt for a rum and soda water with mudded fresh strawberries and a splash of lime juice.
White Russian
A White Russian is a creamy, rich drink made with vodka, coffee liqueur, and heavy cream or milk. With 21.5 grams of sugar per 8-ounce drink, a White Russian is more like a dessert than a cocktail. Most of the sugar in a White Russian comes from the coffee liqueur, which can have 11 to 16 grams per ounce, depending on its alcohol proof.
Drink this instead: Mix coffee with vodka and low-fat cow or almond milk for a low-sugar alternative.
Long Island Iced Tea
The Long Island iced tea is a boozy cocktail made with vodka, rum, tequila, gin, triple sec, lemon juice, and a splash of cola. Despite its high alcohol content, the Long Island iced tea is a sugary drink with 19 grams of sugar per 8-ounce beverage, most of which comes from the triple sec and cola. Some Long Island iced teas may even be sweeter: It is not uncommon for this potent cocktail to contain simple syrup.
Drink this instead: If you're looking for a boozy cocktail without the sugar, skip the triple sec and simple syrup and use diet cola.
Cosmopolitan
Popularized by the television show "Sex and the City," a Cosmopolitan is a tangy, slightly sweet cocktail made with vodka, triple sec (orange liqueur), cranberry juice, and fresh lime juice. An 8.25-ounce Cosmopolitan has 19 grams of sugar, mostly from triple sec. One ounce of triple sec boasts 19 grams of sugar.
Drink this instead: Order a vodka soda with lime and a splash of cranberry juice with 4 grams of sugar for a low-sugar option.
Appletini
Apple martinis, or appletinis, are cocktails made with vodka, apple schnapps, and a splash of lemon juice. An 8-ounce appletini has about 18 grams of sugar. The apple schnapps provides an apple flavor and makes the appletini sweeter than a typical martini. Most of the sugar in an appletini is from the apple schnapps, a sweet liqueur made from fermented and distilled apples.
Drink this instead: Swap the appletini for a regular, dry martini, which is nearly sugar-free.
Sangria
An 8-ounce glass of red wine sangria contains 16 grams or more of sugar. Sangria ingredients vary depending on where you get the sangria. Some sangrias include fruit juice and an alcohol flavoring, while others add another alcoholic spirit and sweetener. Ask about sangria ingredients before ordering if you're watching your sugar intake.
Drink this instead: Plain red wine or a red wine spritzer.
Mojito
Mojitos are refreshing cocktails made with rum, fresh lime juice, mint leaves, sugar, and soda water. Despite its simple ingredients, a traditional mojito contains around 2 teaspoons of sugar per serving, providing 8 grams of sugar, making it a relatively sweet drink. Some recipes use simple syrup from water and sugar to sweeten the mojito.
Drink this instead: Try rum and soda water with mint and a splash of lime—all the components of a mojito but without the sugar.
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