How Many Calories in a Vodka Martini?

If you enjoy an occasional vodka martini, but you're diligent about tracking your calories, it's helpful to know your martini calories. While specific totals may vary, using online calorie counters can give you a good idea of how that evening drink contributes to your overall calorie intake.

One popular drink ordered up at bars and restaurants, and also hand-crafted at home, is a vodka martini. Simple, yet full of flavor, this drink still delivers in taste but also keeps the calories in check.

Depending on the size of your cocktail, and the extras you mix in, one serving of a vodka martini is approximately 202 calories. Vodka martini calories can be much higher if the drink has more than the two basic liquors.

Read more: 5 Hidden Health Benefits of Alcohol

To figure out the calories in vodka, the first step is to determine the number of calories in one serving. In general, a 1-ounce serving of vodka has approximately 64.7 calories, according to the USDA FoodData Central. Vermouth is typically displayed in ounces when referencing nutrition information. One ounce of vermouth has about 47 calories. If one ounce is equal to 6 teaspoons, then 1 teaspoon of French vermouth has approximately 7.8 calories.

With those figures in mind, a regular-sized vodka martini has about 202 calories based on the following ingredients:

• 3 ounces of vodka
  
• 1 teaspoon of French vermouth
  

If you add garnishes, such as olives, the overall martini calories change. For example, 2 tablespoons of olives adds 25 calories, changing the total to 227 calories, according to the USDA FoodData Central. To give your cocktail a sweet touch, you can mix it up a bit with a few maraschino cherries. One maraschino cherry has 7.1 calories, according to USADA FoodData Central. Top your drink with two of these and your martini calories end up being 216 calories.

When you design your diet around a healthy lifestyle, it's possible to include extras like cocktails or deserts in your overall plan. The key to indulging in your favorite beverage is to do so occasionally, and include the calories in your daily total. If you are trying to lose weight, this means accounting for 225 calories when factoring in martini calories.

Read more: Does Drinking Alcohol Slow Your Metabolism?

While the occasional drink is not going to completely sabotage your dieting efforts, you do need to be aware of the trend to consume more calories, not from alcohol, when sipping on a cocktail. A September 2017 study published in Obesity found that while only minor changes in body weight were observed from drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, many participants tacked on extra calories from food when drinking.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says moderate drinking for males is considered no more than one to two drinks per day, and for females, it should be no more than one drink per day. To keep your weight loss efforts in check, it's a good idea to follow these recommendations. Additionally, you may want to find some new low-calorie cocktails to order at a bar. The trick to keeping your drinks low-calorie is to stick to minimal ingredients, keep the cocktail size on the short side and avoid sugar.