How many units and calories are in an alcopop or premix?

Stronger than you think…

Alcopops and premixed drinks might taste sweet but they still pack a punch

To figure out just how many units are in your alcopop, you first need to know the Alcohol By Volume (ABV) and the size in mls, this will be printed on the bottles’ label. Alcopops such as WKD, Hooch and Smirnoff Ice are generally 4% ABV. Watch out for premixed drinks such as Gordon’s Gin & Tonic or Jack Daniel’s & Cola, these are a bit stronger sitting at around 5% ABV.

You can work out how many units there are in any amount of alcopop by using the below formula:
ABV x ml ÷ 1000 = units

For example, to work out the number of units in a 700ml bottle of 4% ABV alcopop:
4 x 700 ÷ 1000 = 2.8 units

Alcopop & Premixed Spirits unit guide
1x can (250ml) of 5% Premixed Spirits = 1.25 Units
1x can (330ml) of 5% Premixed Spirits = 1.65 Unit
1x bottle (275ml) of 4% Alcopop = 1.1 Units
1x can (330ml) of 4% Alcopop = 1.65 Unit
1x can (440ml) of 4% Alcopop = 1.76 Units
1x bottle (700ml) of 4% Alcopop = 2.8 Units

The recommended weekly alcohol limit in the UK for men and women is 14 units, which is the same as 13 small bottles (275ml) of 4% alcopop like WKD or Smirnoff Ice.

Find out more about units.

High in sugar, high in calories

There are 228 calories in a small bottle (275ml) of 4% alcopop - that’s more than in a doughnut!

A man needs around 2,500 calories a day to maintain his weight. For a woman, that figure is around 2,000 calories. These values can vary depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting added sugars — which can increase the risk for health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure — to 25 grams per day. Just one small bottle of alcopop contains 15 grams!

• Despite what you might think, alcohol can negatively affect your sleep and a lack of sleep can lead to imbalance in the hormones related to hunger, satiety, and energy storage as well as a decrease in motivation to exercise.

• Another important reason why alcohol leads to weight gain is its ability to increase appetite – and not for salad!

How can I reduce the amount of alcopops that I’m drinking?

• Take a day (or two) off…
  Make sure you include some ‘zero-alcohol’ days in your week

• Share your goals…
  If you let your friends and family know you're cutting down and it's important to you, you could get support from them. Our free DrinkCoach app features a goal setting and sharing tool, why not try it out?

• Go shopping…
  Stock the fridge with soft and low-alcohol alternatives so you don’t feel like you’re missing out.

Safe bet… understanding the low risk drinking guidelines in relation to alcopops

Low risk drinking guidelines advise that both men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units a week. Drinking any more than 13 small bottles (275ml) of 4% alcopop will put you over those low risk drinking guidelines. All the extra sugar won’t be doing you any favours either!

If you regularly drink over these guidelines, you are increasing your chances of developing long-term health conditions.

Find out how risky your drinking is by taking the Alcohol Test.