Units and calories in gin

A gin and tonic might have more alcohol and calories in it than you would expect.

A typical-strength single (25ml) measure of gin will have one unit of alcohol in it. If your drink has a double measure, that means double the amount of alcohol (and calories).¹

The UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMOs’) low risk drinking guidelines recommend that, to keep health risks from alcohol low, it´s safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week, for both men and women, spread over three or more days with several drink-free days, and no bingeing.²

So, drinking more than seven double measures of gin in a week would put you above the low risk drinking guidelines.

Drinking above the low risk drinking guidelines increases your risk of developing long-term health problems including seven types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, and stroke.³ It can also affect your skin, fertility, and is also linked with low mental health.^4,5,6

How much alcohol is in gin?

For a drink to be sold as ‘gin’ in the UK, it has to be at least 37.5% Alcohol By Volume (ABV).^7,8 That means 37.5% of the drink is pure alcohol.

But the alcoholic strength of gin can vary a lot and sometimes be as much as 40% ABV or above. Checking a gin’s ABV will tell you how strong it is. Look out for the ABV on the label which shows what percentage of the drink is alcohol. If you’re in a pub, bar, or restaurant, you could check the menu or ask at the bar.

You can work out how many units of alcohol there are in any drink by multiplying the size of the serving (in ml) by its ABV percentage and dividing the result by 1,000. Strength (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1,000 = units

Check the strength of your drink

A gin and tonic made with a single 25ml measure of 40% ABV gin contains one unit of alcohol.

If you’re drinking at home, it’s important to keep an eye on the measures you are pouring. If you're measuring 'by eye’ your drink might be a lot bigger than the standard measures used in pubs – these are normally 25ml for a single or 50ml for a double.

Using a unit measuring cup can be a good way of keeping track of how much you’re drinking.

How many calories are in gin?

It’s a myth that drinks using clear spirits are low in calories. Alcohol contains around seven calories a gram – almost as many as one gram of fat.⁹

All alcohol – including the alcohol in gin – is made from natural starch and sugar. That means a single measure (25ml) by itself typically contains about 52 calories¹⁰ – almost as much as a chocolate chip cookie.¹¹

In fact, you might be surprised to hear that a double gin and tonic made with a 50ml measure of gin contains around 153 calories.¹² Even switching to a diet mixer will still mean a high calorie drink – a double gin and diet tonic is estimated to have 112 calories.¹³

Just like in other alcoholic drinks, these are ‘empty calories’ with no nutritional value, so don’t benefit your body in any way.¹⁴

What’s more, the calories people consume through alcohol tend to be additional to the calories they consume in the rest of their diet, rather than a replacement. That means you could be having lots of extra calories ‘passively’, or without thinking about it, which can lead to weight gain.¹⁵

Are there alcohol-free alternatives for gin?

There are more alcohol-free alternatives to gin than ever before. If you fancy something other than a ‘traditional’ soft drink, you could choose from a range of alcohol-free substitutes that are designed to mimic the taste of gin, but without the high alcohol content.

In the UK, there is government guidance that recommends anything labelled as alcohol-free should be no more than 0.05% ABV¹⁶ (although some drinks labelled alcohol-free contain up to 0.5% ABV). This means, because they can still contain some alcohol, alcohol-free isn’t suitable if you want or need to avoid alcohol completely.

They are designed to go with traditional mixers – why not try swapping your regular gin for an alcohol-free one with a diet tonic to enjoy the flavour of a ‘gin’ and tonic, but with less alcohol and calories?