The best and worst alcoholic beverages for your health -

Let’s set things straight right away: alcohol is not good for you, and even the health benefits some drinks offer are much better received from nutritious foods that don’t damage your liver and increase your risk of cancer. That said, alcohol is ingrained in the lifestyles of so many people, and in this day and age you can’t be blamed for wanting to indulge in a strong beverage or two.

But not all alcoholic drinks are created equal, and there are some that are much healthier than others in terms of sugar, calories, and general impact on your body. Curious? Click through to find out how to drink more mindfully.

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A word to the wise - It almost goes without saying that if you drink too many of even the healthiest drinks listed here, it will quickly turn a good choice into a bad one. Now, here are the worst and best beverages you can get.

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Worst: Piña colada -

A piña colada typically contains a combination of rum, coconut milk, coconut cream, pineapple juice, and lemon juice, with roughly 40 grams of sugar in a single eight-ounce serving. According to Gizmodo, a single piña colada has more than 650 calories—more than a Big Mac!

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Worst: Long Island iced tea -

A Long Island iced tea typically contains vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, sweet and sour mix, lemon juice, simple syrup, and cola, which Gizmodo reports not only has over 600 calories but also “hits your system like a freight train.”

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Worst: Vodka Red Bull -

Red Bull is a stimulant, and alcohol (vodka in this case) acts as a depressant. The combination of any energy drink and alcohol can affect the heart muscles and lead to a range of serious health problems like heart palpitations, arrhythmia, and sleeping difficulties, as well as jolt and crash episodes.

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Worst: Margarita -

It’s not usually the case that people will just have one eight-ounce margarita, but that serving alone comes in at a staggering 36 grams of sugar. It's important to note that you can certainly make healthier margaritas for yourself, but those served at restaurants or hotel bars are often loaded with sugar and served in a massive glass lined with salt.

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Worst: Frozen daiquiri -

The average daiquiri contains around 40 grams of sugar, the same amount you'd find in four Krispy Kreme glazed donuts.

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Worst: Mudslide -

A mudslide cocktail usually contains vodka, Irish cream (Bailey’s), coffee liqueur (Kahlúa), and heavy cream, along with chocolate syrup drizzle for the “mud” aspect. As you can guess, it’s loaded with sugar and empty calories.

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Worst: Dark 'n' Stormy -

Ginger beer is largely to blame for the sugar impact of this cocktail, which frequently also adds simple syrup to the dark rum, ginger beer, and lime mixture.

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Worst: Eggnog -

When the holidays come knocking, this spiked beverage is tempting around the fire. But with its milk, cream, and eggs. it can have as many calories as a meal and can be disruptive to your digestion.

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Worst: Craft beer -

Craft beers, as opposed to commercial beers, often have extra ingredients and carbs that help enhance the flavor. Everyday Health reports that they also tend to have higher alcohol content—meaning more calories and a harder hit on your body.

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Worst: Jack and Coke -

The Coca-Cola makes this drink (and drinks like Cuba Libre) high in calories and sugar content, which also negates the health benefits that have been associated with whiskey (as you'll see later). If this is your go-to, a slightly better option is switching to Diet Coke.

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Worst: Cider -

While many pick cider over beer as a “lower carb” option, what they don’t realize is that because of the sugar content of cider, it actually has a higher carbohydrate content than beer and many other drinks. It is, however, gluten-free.

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Worst: Espresso martini -

This caffeinated cocktail made of espresso, coffee liqueur, and vodka mixes the negative effects of drinking several shots of espresso (increased heart rate, atrial fibrillation, anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc.) with the known heart risks associated with any level of alcohol. Plus, the sweeteners, such as Kahlúa or simple syrup, make it much worse for you and your energy crash.

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Best: Red wine -

Red wine is hailed for its high levels of healthy antioxidants and polyphenols, which promote heart health. It’s also generally linked to more health benefits than any other alcoholic drink.

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Best: Bloody Mary -

Typically made with vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, celery salt, Tabasco, and lemon juice, this cocktail offers up electrolytes, sodium, potassium, and vitamin C. The tomato juice also has lycopene, which is high in antioxidants and helps combat toxins in the liver.

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Best: Light beer -

If you’re craving a cold beer, go for the light option. What you may perceive as a sacrifice in flavor is also minimizing the impact on your body. Plus, beer’s combination of yeast, hops, water, and cereals actually delivers a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

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Best: Whiskey neat (or on the rocks) -

Whiskey is a better option because it has high levels of polyphenols, which are linked with lowering your risk of heart disease, decreasing “bad” cholesterol, and reducing triglycerides, or fat in your blood. But the key is to drink it slowly without any mix-ins.

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Best: White wine -

Though not as healthy as its red counterpart, white wine is hailed for containing polyphenols—naturally occurring compounds in plants that have been shown to help regulate metabolism, weight, and chronic disease.

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Best: Dry vermouth -

Though it’s usually mixed into martinis or other drinks, sipping dry vermouth on its own is a lower-calorie and healthier option due to the high level of polyphenols—which is even higher here than in white wine.

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Best: Vodka soda -

There’s a reason why this drink is stereotypically associated with people trying to stay slim, and that’s because soda water (also called seltzer) is one of the healthiest mix-ins for a cocktail—even over tonic water, which is sweetened.

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Best: Champagne -

Drinking bubbly offers less calories than a sweet white wine, and the carbonation tends to fill people up so that they don’t drink so much or so fast. Additionally, the grapes used to make champagne are reportedly high in phenolic compounds, which are antioxidants that can boost brain health.

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Best: Tequila on the rocks -

If you’re avoiding carbs, tequila on the rocks—and sipped, not tipped back in a shot—is a good zero-carb and low-sugar option for you.

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Best: Natural wines -

Even red wines aren’t all made equal! No matter what kind of wine you’re looking for, dietitians recommend reaching for natural wines, since they have way less additives and will weigh less on your liver.

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Best: Greyhound -

This cocktail is just gin and grapefruit juice served over ice—with a salted rim it becomes a Salty Dog. Clear liquors like gin are reportedly the lowest in sugar and easiest for our bodies to metabolize, but gin on its own can be a little hard for some people to stomach so this is a great alternative.

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Best: Hard kombucha -

Beloved by health nuts for its probiotic benefits, kombucha is a lightly effervescent, fermented tea that naturally has a small (negligible) alcoholic content. But hard kombucha makers use the same ingredients—tea, yeast, bacteria culture, and sugar—to create a drink with an alcohol content similar to beer or hard seltzer. You’ll just want to make sure there aren’t added sugars.

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Best: Low sugar dry ciders -

Without the added sugars of many commercial brands, hard apple cider is actually packed with vitamin C plus antioxidants like polyphenols and flavonoids. Dryer ciders allow the yeast to consume the majority of cider’s natural sugars so you get a less sweet drink with a higher alcohol content, according to Greatist.

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Best: Aperol Spritz -

Aperol is an Italian apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other herbs that have certain health-promoting properties. Mixed with prosecco, digestive bitters, and soda water, the Aperol Spritz is relatively low in alcohol content and calories.

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Best: Mocktails -

Okay, this one doesn’t really count as an alcoholic beverage, but getting a liquor-free cocktail is the healthiest way to enjoy a night out with friends or even to simply pace yourself between alcoholic beverages.

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General guidelines -

If you’re considering another drink not mentioned here, just consider how much sugar is added, as a single ounce of simple syrup contains more than five teaspoons of added sugar. Try to keep your mixers to natural ingredients, and drink water between each beverage.

Sources: (Gizmodo) (Eat This, Not That!) (Insider) (Bustle) (Everyday Health) (Healthline) (Greatist)

See also: What your favorite drink says about you, according to bartenders

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