Whiskey sour: one drink, 18.7 g of alcohol and a sugar question

Nobody has studied the whiskey sour itself, so this page borrows from trials on alcohol taken with sugar or with food. In a randomized crossover trial in 12 healthy adults given vodka at 0.5 g per kg of body weight, mixing it with sugar-sweetened cola gave a lower peak breath alcohol than diet cola, 34.8 against 38.3 micrograms per 3.4 fl oz (100 mL). Both drinks held the same dose of alcohol, and the gap in peak was small. That trial used cola, and we found no trial that tested a sour mix. A second randomized study in 24 healthy men found that taking 0.3 g of alcohol per kg after an evening meal changed peak blood alcohol compared with taking it before, and the abstract gives neither the size nor the direction. One drink in US survey data weighs 7.9 oz (225 g) and holds about 18.7 g of alcohol, 277 calories and 36 g of carbohydrate, by a single standard recipe that bars vary in size and syrup.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• By US survey data a whiskey sour is about 8.3% alcohol by weight, with 123 calories and 16.1 g of carbohydrate per 3.5 oz (100 g). — USDA FNDDS, Whiskey sour, fdc_id 2710654 Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: ethyl alcohol 8.3 g, energy 123 calories, carbohydrate 16.1 g (recomputed from the 225 g drink)

What a real portion looks like

• One whiskey sour in US survey portions weighs 7.9 oz (225 g) and carries about 18.7 g of alcohol, 277 calories and 36 g of carbohydrate. — USDA FNDDS, Whiskey sour, 1 drink Evidence E source
  1 drink 225 g: alcohol 18.7 g, 276.8 calories, carbohydrate 36.2 g, vitamin C 4.5 mg; 1 fl oz = 30 g

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover trial in 12 adults, vodka mixed with sugar-sweetened cola gave a lower peak breath alcohol than the same dose with diet cola (34.8 vs 38.3 ug/100 mL), with slower stomach emptying on the sugared mix (half-emptying 111 vs 100 min). — 12 healthy adults aged 19-64, vodka 0.5 g/kg with regular or diet cola, 3-hour follow-up (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Peak BrAC 38.3 ± 9.45 with diet vs 34.8 ± 6.82 ug/100 mL with regular cola; gastric half-emptying 100 vs 111 min
• In a randomized study in 24 healthy men given 0.3 g/kg of ethanol, drinking after an evening meal changed peak blood alcohol and total exposure compared with drinking before it. — 24 healthy men, ethanol 0.3 g/kg before or after an evening meal, two study days each (n = 24) Evidence B source
  AUC, peak concentration, elimination slope and time to peak differed between fed and fasted; large inter-individual variability

What it does to your health

• The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 review finds no safe limit for several cancers, and total abstinence carries the lowest mortality in young adults. — evidence up to May 2021, mainly observational studies, Nordic and Baltic context Evidence C source
  No safe limit for several cancers; light to moderate intake without binge drinking not linked to higher all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older adults

Safety, limits and interactions

• A meta-analysis of 35 case-control studies names eating raw eggs among the most important risk factors for sporadic salmonellosis. It did not study cocktails or egg white. — 35 case-control studies of sporadic Salmonella infection (n = 35 studies) Evidence C source
  Raw egg consumption among the top risk factors (pooled odds ratios, sizes not in abstract)
• In a meta-analysis of 12 studies with 5,510 Wernicke encephalopathy patients, alcohol was the main risk factor, present in 90.7% of cases. — 12 studies, 5,510 patients with Wernicke encephalopathy (n = 5510) Evidence C source
  Alcohol the main risk factor (90.7%); overall mortality 5.1% (95% CI 2.3-8.8%)
• According to the CDC, there is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy. — pregnant people Evidence E source
  No known safe amount
• According to the FDA, dishes served with raw egg should use shell eggs treated to destroy Salmonella or pasteurized egg products, which applies to egg-white sours. — general public; higher risk for children, older adults, pregnant women, immunocompromised people Evidence E source
  Use treated shell eggs or pasteurized egg products for raw-egg recipes

Who this works differently for

• According to NIH, up to 80% of people with chronic alcoholism become thiamin deficient because ethanol cuts thiamin absorption and storage. — people with chronic alcohol use disorder Evidence E source
  Up to 80% develop thiamin deficiency
• According to the FDA, children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems face greater risk of severe Salmonella illness. — children, older adults, pregnant women, immunocompromised people Evidence E source
  Greater risk of severe illness

The bottom line

The review behind the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023, built mainly on observational studies, finds no safe limit for several cancers. The same review links total abstinence with the lowest mortality in young adults. Light to moderate drinking without binges was not tied to higher all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older adults. These are associations from population data and say nothing about what one cocktail does to one person. Who should be careful. The CDC says there is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Many sours are shaken with raw egg white. A meta-analysis of 35 case-control studies names eating raw eggs among the most important risk factors for sporadic salmonellosis, though it did not look at cocktails or at egg white alone. The FDA advises pasteurized eggs or egg products for any dish served with raw egg, and lists children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems as the groups at greater risk of severe Salmonella illness. Heavy, long-term drinking is a separate story. In a meta-analysis of 5,510 patients with Wernicke encephalopathy, alcohol was the main risk factor in 90.7% of cases, and NIH says up to 80% of people with chronic alcoholism become thiamin deficient. We have no card on medicines that interact with alcohol, so this page cannot tell you which ones do.

Sources

1. wsr-r4-10 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2710654 Whiskey sour (code 93301160): per 225 g drink Alcohol, ethyl 18.7 g · Energy 276.8 kcal · Carbohydrate 36.2 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 93301160 · checked 2026-10-01
2. wsr-r4-11 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2710654 Whiskey sour: 1 drink 225 g · Alcohol, ethyl 18.7 g · Energy 276.8 kcal · Carbohydrate 36.2 g · Vitamin C 4.5 mg · 1 fl oz 30 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 93301160 · checked 2026-10-01
3. wsr-r4-01 · randomized controlled trial
   In a randomised order, twelve healthy participants (n = 12, 8 male and 4 female) aged 19-64 years were studied twice. ... Diet coke increased both the peak BrAC (38.3 ± 9.45 vs. 34.8 ± 6.82 μg/100 mL)
   Toxicol Lett, 2025 · checked 2026-10-01
4. wsr-r4-02 · randomized controlled trial
   Twenty-four healthy male subjects were randomized to receive ethanol 0.3 g kg-1 before an evening meal on two study days and ethanol 0.3 g kg-1 after an evening meal on two study days. ... There were significant differences in the mean area under the ethanol concentration-time curve (AUC), the mean peak ethanol concentration (Cmax), the mean ethanol elimination slope and the time to peak ethanol concentration between the fed and fasted subjects.
   Br J Clin Pharmacol, 1995 · checked 2026-10-01
5. wsr-r4-03 · scoping review
   For several cancers, it is not possible to set any safe limit. All-cause mortality is not increased with light to moderate alcohol intake in middle-aged and older adults who do not engage in binge drinking. Total abstinence is associated with the lowest risk of mortality in young adults.
   Food Nutr Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-01
6. wsr-r4-04 · meta-analysis of case-control studies
   Thirty-five Salmonella case-control studies were identified. ... Results suggested that travel, predisposing factors, eating raw eggs, and eating in restaurants were the most important risk factors for salmonellosis.
   Epidemiol Infect, 2012 · checked 2026-10-01
7. wsr-r4-05 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   A total of 12 studies comprising 5,510 patients were analyzed. ... Overall mortality was 5.1% (95% CI: 2.3-8.8%) and higher in non-alcohol-related cases (8.8%). Alcohol consumption was the main risk factor (90.7%)
   Neuroepidemiology, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
8. wsr-r4-07 · agency guidance
   There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy.
   CDC, About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy · checked 2026-10-01
9. wsr-r4-08 · agency guidance
   For recipes that call for eggs that are raw or undercooked when the dish is served — like Caesar salad dressing and homemade ice cream — use either shell eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella, by pasteurization or another approved method, or pasteurized egg products.
   US FDA, What You Need to Know About Egg Safety · checked 2026-10-01
10. wsr-r4-06 · fact sheet
    Up to 80% of people with chronic alcoholism develop thiamin deficiency because ethanol reduces gastrointestinal absorption of thiamin, thiamin stores in the liver, and thiamin phosphorylation [3,19].
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Thiamin Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-01
11. wsr-r4-09 · agency guidance
    Certain people are at greater risk for severe illness and include children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems (such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and diabetes).
    US FDA, What You Need to Know About Egg Safety · checked 2026-10-01