Nutrition Diet: What alcohol is highest in sugar?

October 17, 2025 •

3 min read

A single can of some commercial ciders can contain as much as five teaspoons of sugar, a significant portion of the recommended daily limit. Understanding what alcohol is highest in sugar is crucial for managing your overall dietary intake and avoiding hidden sources of empty calories.

Quick Summary

Certain alcoholic beverages, including sweet liqueurs, cocktails with sugary mixers, and dessert wines, contain the most sugar. Identifying these high-sugar options and opting for alternatives can help effectively manage dietary sugar intake.

Key Points

Liqueurs and Syrups: Sweetened liqueurs, like Kahlua and Baileys, contain some of the highest sugar levels per serving due to added sweeteners.
Sugary Cocktails: Drinks made with fruit juices, sodas, and syrups, such as Piña Coladas and Margaritas, are loaded with sugar, despite being made with initially sugar-free spirits.
Hidden Sugar in Wine: Dessert wines, fortified wines like port and sherry, and many commercial ciders contain significant residual and added sugars.
Choosing Low-Sugar Options: Stick to unflavored spirits with sugar-free mixers, dry wines, light beers, or hard seltzers to minimize sugar intake.
Read the Label: Always check the nutrition information for pre-mixed drinks and flavored spirits, as sugar content varies widely between brands.
Impact on Health: High sugar alcohol consumption contributes to empty calories, weight gain, and can cause blood sugar spikes, posing risks for individuals with diabetes.

The Surprising Sources of Sugar in Alcohol

While many are aware of the calorie content in alcohol, the sugar content often goes unnoticed. Pure distilled spirits like vodka, gin, and whiskey generally contain no sugar in their unflavored state. Sugar is typically introduced through added sweeteners, mixers, or residual sugars from fermentation. For those monitoring sugar intake for health or weight management, identifying high-sugar drinks is important.

Liqueurs and Syrups: The High-Sugar Culprits

Liqueurs, being sweetened and flavored spirits, are among the alcoholic beverages with the highest sugar content. This sugar is added during production to achieve a sweet profile. The sugar content in liqueurs can be very high. For example, coffee and cream liqueurs like Kahlua and Baileys Irish Cream, and nut-flavored options like Amaretto and Frangelico, all contain significant amounts of sugar per serving. Citrus liqueurs often used in cocktails, such as Triple Sec and Grand Marnier, also contribute substantial sugar.

Cocktails and Sweet Mixers

Even if a base spirit like vodka has no sugar, adding sugary mixers dramatically increases the sugar content. Cocktails frequently contain high levels of sugar from syrups, sweetened juices, and sodas. Popular examples like the Piña Colada, Margarita, and Mojito can contain significant amounts of sugar per serving. Blended drinks such as the Long Island Iced Tea, often mixed with cola, also have a high sugar load.

Fortified and Dessert Wines

Dessert and fortified wines like port and sherry are sweet by design due to high levels of residual sugar left from fermentation. The sugar content can range from 5 to 20 grams per 100ml. Sweet dessert wines such as Moscato and Sauternes also have high sugar levels, with Moscato containing 12-15 grams per 100ml.

Sugary Ciders and Ready-to-Drink Cocktails

Many commercial ciders and pre-mixed, ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails are significant sources of added sugar. These beverages prioritize convenience and flavor, which often means a high sugar content. Hard lemonades, for instance, can contain 30-40 grams of sugar per can, making them one of the highest-sugar common alcoholic drinks.

Comparison Table: High-Sugar vs. Low-Sugar Options


Alcoholic Beverage	Type	Approximate Sugar Content	Dietary Impact
Piña Colada	Cocktail	22–30g+ per serving	High added sugar, high calories
Hard Lemonade	Ready-to-Drink	30–40g per 355ml can	High added sugar, high carbs
Kahlua	Liqueur	~39g per 100ml	Very high sugar, high calories
Port Wine	Fortified Wine	10–20g per 100ml	High residual sugar, high calories
Mojito	Cocktail	15–25g per serving	High added sugar, high carbs
Dry Wine	Wine	1–1.5g per 150ml glass	Low sugar, moderate calories
Light Beer	Beer	Low sugar, low carbs	Low sugar, low carbs
Hard Seltzer	Seltzer	0–2g per serving	Very low sugar, low carbs
Unflavored Distilled Spirit	Liquor	0g per serving	Zero sugar, moderate calories

Making Healthier Choices

Reducing sugar intake from alcohol is beneficial for a nutrition-focused diet. Strategies include choosing zero-sugar mixers like club soda or diet soda instead of sugary ones, opting for dry wines over sweeter varieties, and exploring naturally low-sugar cocktails such as a dry martini. Checking labels for sugar content on ciders and RTD drinks is also advised as content varies. Hard seltzers are another popular low-sugar alternative.

The Impact on Your Health

Consuming alcohol high in sugar negatively impacts diet by providing 'empty' calories lacking nutritional value. High intake can lead to weight gain and rapid blood sugar spikes, particularly risky for individuals with diabetes. The combination of alcohol and sugar can also contribute to dehydration and worsen hangovers. Choosing lower-sugar alcoholic options can help mitigate these health risks.

Conclusion

While distilled spirits are sugar-free, added mixers, sweeteners, and cream make many alcoholic drinks high in sugar. Sweet liqueurs like Kahlua, sugary cocktails such as the Piña Colada, and fortified wines are primary sources of high sugar. Making informed choices by checking labels, being mindful of ingredients, and selecting lower-sugar options like dry wines, light beers, and spirits with sugar-free mixers allows for moderate alcohol consumption while managing sugar intake. Understanding where the sugar originates is key to healthier drink choices. Learn more about alcohol and sugar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sweetened liqueurs and some pre-mixed cocktails and ciders are among the highest in sugar. Examples include Kahlua, with nearly 40g per 100ml, and hard lemonades, which can contain 30-40g per can.

No, not all cocktails are high in sugar. The sugar comes primarily from the mixers used. Cocktails made with sugar-free mixers, or those that are spirit-forward with minimal sweet additions, can be low in sugar.

Yes. Pure spirits are sugar-free after distillation, while sugar in wine comes from residual sugar left over from grape fermentation. Fortified and dessert wines have higher residual sugar than dry wines, and all wine is lower in sugar than most cocktails and liqueurs.

Low-sugar options include dry wines (like Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio), light beers, hard seltzers, and unflavored distilled spirits (like vodka or gin) mixed with soda water or diet mixers.

Yes. High-sugar alcoholic beverages can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar levels, which is particularly dangerous for individuals with diabetes or insulin resistance.

To reduce sugar intake from alcohol, you can replace sugary mixers with sugar-free alternatives like club soda, choose dry wines over sweet ones, and opt for hard seltzers or spirits on the rocks.

Alcohol is a source of energy, with 1 gram providing 7 calories—almost as much as fat—but it offers very few, if any, essential nutrients, vitamins, or minerals. When consumed in excess, it contributes to overall calorie intake without nutritional benefit.