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Calories · Drinks

Drink calories, glass by glass.

At a dinner out, the drinks are the part nobody photographs and everybody forgets. Here is roughly what a glass, a pint or a cocktail adds, with the pour each number is for — because pours are where the numbers really differ.

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In short

A standard 5 oz glass of red wine is about 130 calories, a 16 oz pint of regular beer about 210, and a standard margarita about 270. Pour size and sugary mixers matter more than the drink’s name.

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Side by side

Drinks at the table, roughly.

Each drink links to its own page, with other pour sizes, the usual range and the sources behind it.

Rough calories for restaurant drinks, lightest first, with the pour each number is for
DrinkRough numberPour behind the number
Mimosa~120one 6 oz mimosa: sparkling wine and orange juice
Glass of red wine~130one standard 5 oz pour
Pint of beer~210one 16 oz US pint of regular beer
Eggnog~230one cup (8 fl oz) of eggnog, without alcohol
Margarita~270one standard margarita, about 7½ fl oz, on the rocks or frozen
Dirty soda~320one 24 fl oz cup over ice: pepper-type soda with 1 fl oz coconut syrup and lime
Horchata~340one 12 fl oz glass, made with milk
Milkshake~600one small 12 fl oz shake, no whipped cream

What moves it

The pour, the mixer, the strength.

  • The pour. A “glass” of wine can be 4 oz or 9 oz. A standard US pour is 5 oz; many restaurants pour 6.
  • Pint or bottle. A 12 oz bottle is about 150, a 16 oz pint a third more; a 12 oz light beer is about 100. Stronger craft beers run higher.
  • Mixers. Margarita mix, juice and syrups add sugar on top of the spirit. Frozen and oversized restaurant glasses add the most.
  • Alcohol itself. Alcohol carries about 7 calories a gram, so stronger drinks count higher even with no sugar.

In PlateDiary

The glass is part of the night.

Calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. With them on, snap the table and each dish and drink becomes its own save; a PlateDiary AI read gives each one a rough “~” number you can accept or change, or you can type your own number on any save without AI. Restaurant portions vary, so treat every number here as rough, and ask a doctor for medical guidance. Drinks are saves too: snap the table and the glasses come out alongside the plates.

In PlateDiary

A rough number for the dishes you save — only if you want one.

Off unless you turn them on

Calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and, when PlateDiary AI reads your photo of the table, each dish gets one rough “~” number. Accept it or change it; a number you correct is remembered for that dish. With Calories off, the app looks exactly as it did before.

A read sends small pictures of the cut-out dishes, with the place's name as a hint — never the table photo, faces or your location. Calorie numbers never go to analytics, and nothing is written to a health app. PlateDiary AI starts with free tries; here is how it works.

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Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Alcoholic beverage, wine, table, red (5 fl oz 147 g), FDC 173190
  2. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Mimosa (1 drink 180 g), FDC 2710642
  3. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Beer (12 fl oz 360 g; 16 fl oz 480 g), FDC 2710616
  4. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Margarita (1 drink 225 g), FDC 2710638
  5. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Eggnog (1 cup 256 g), FDC 2705502
  6. USDA FoodData Central — Horchata, made with milk (FNDDS; 1 cup = 248 g), FDC 2710603
  7. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Milk shake, fast food, flavors other than chocolate, FDC 2705509 (small 405 g, medium 526 g, large 690 g)
  8. USDA FoodData Central — Soft drink, pepper type (FNDDS; 1 fl oz with ice = 23 g), FDC 2710545

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in a glass of wine?

A standard 5 oz glass of red wine is about 130 calories; a 9 oz restaurant pour is closer to double.

How many calories are in a pint of beer?

A 16 oz pint of regular beer is about 210 calories; a 12 oz light beer about 100.

How many calories are in a margarita?

A standard margarita is about 270 calories; big restaurant glasses and frozen ones with extra mix run much higher.

Is a mimosa lower in calories than a glass of wine?

Usually: a 6 oz mimosa is about 120 because half of it is orange juice.