Spring break is quickly approaching, and you’ve probably been working on your beach body. (Okay, maybe you’ve actually been shoveling cookies into your mouth every day, but if so, I’m certainly not one to judge.)
Either way, drinking all your calories isn’t the way to go; it’s just not as filling or satisfying that way. And unfortunately, many spring break drinks have a ton of calories without offering any nutritional benefit. So while spring break is definitely a time to indulge, it might be worth considering which beverages offer the most tastiness-bang for your calorie-buck! Below, I’ve ranked the typical spring break drinks below from worst to best in terms of calories per ounce of alcohol. You can find more calorie information for your favorite drinks here.
9. Piña Colada
Courtesy of Paul Trebor
Piña coladas have the highest number of calories per ounce of liquor, but don’t worry! This is still a great, pool-side drink because you can sip for hours on a big, frosty glass without going overboard on calories. There are only 155 calories in 8 ounces.
Calories in recipe – 202
Calories in 8 ounces –155
Calories per ounce of liquor – 135
8. Strawberry Daiquiri
Courtesy of Chuck Olsen
For all of the strawberries fans out there, a strawberry daiquiri can be a delicious go-to. The daiquiri is another great pool-side drink because 8 ounces still sets you back fewer than 275 calories.
Calories in recipe – 183
Calories in 8 ounces – 266
Calories per ounce of liquor – 122
7. Tequila Sunrise
Courtesy of Christian Benseler
While the tequila sunrise is not very low calorie, you can take heart in the fact that it’s 60 percent orange juice by volume, meaning it has mostly natural sugars and will give you a healthy dose of vitamin C as well.
Calories in recipe – 232
Calories in 8 ounces – 286
Calories per ounce of liquor – 116
6. Blue Hawaiian
Courtesy of Stephanie Franco
The blue Hawaiian is a festive color, and it boasts a pretty good calorie to liquor ratio. However, with all of that Curacao, this one is pretty high in sugar. 8 ounces of this beverage would put you over 300 calories.
Calories in recipe – 207
Calories in 8 ounces – 331.2
Calories per ounce of liquor – 104
5. Classic Mojito
Courtesy of Iliyan Yankov
The incredible thing about mojitos is that, even with 60% of the calories coming from the alcohol, they still manage to taste good. And if you cut down on the sugar in this recipe, you’ll be sipping guilt-free.
Calories in recipe – 127
Calories in 8 ounces – 271
Calories per ounce of liquor – 102
4. Bahama Mama
The bahama mama is one fruity lady. Since it’s a complicated recipe, it seems like it might hide a lot of calories, but it doesn’t! So if you’re not on a tropical island this spring break, try a Bahama Mama and you’ll be transported!
Calories in recipe – 299
Calories in 8 ounces – 299
Calories per ounce of liquor – 100
3. Mai Tai
Courtesy of YoungDoo Moon
The rum and orange combination in a mai tai is surprisingly good, and since it’s also one of the lighter beverages in terms of calories per ounce of liquor, this is a great choice! I wouldn’t recommend drinking more than one of these potent beverages though; it sneaks up on you.
Calories in recipe – 345
Calories in 8 ounces – 614
Calories per ounce of liquor – 99
2. Sex on the Beach
Since the sex on the beach doesn’t have any added sugar beyond the small amount in the schnapps, it’s definitely one of the healthier options. You might find yourself having a few of these, but more sex on the beach is never a bad thing, right?
Calories in recipe – 196
Calories in 8 ounces – 224
Calories per ounce of liquor – 98
1. Classic Margarita
Photo by Katherine Richter
That’s right, the classic margarita. You get the best alcohol-bang for your calorie-buck with these babies. So if you’re looking to get drunk without pounding shots, a margarita is the way to go. Salt that rim and drink up!
Calories in recipe – 164
Calories in 8 ounces – 437
Calories per ounce of liquor – 82
Most importantly, make sure you remember to drink responsibly. Or not, I’m not the boss of you.
Happy spring break!