But sadly, there are drinks out there that seem like innocuous picks—There’s no chocolate sauce dripping down the glass! There’s muddled fruit in there! It’s a whiskey drink, it’s not sweet!—but are actually crammed with more calories, sugar, and dirty ingredients than anyone needs at happy hour—or really, at any hour. These five drink orders are perfect examples: Anything “Sour” Not all sours are created equal. While none are exactly nutritional superstars, a classic whiskey sour made with real ingredients like lemon juice, sugar, and egg whites clocks in at around 175 calories, which isn’t so bad. But when your drink’s made with a sour mix (they’re usually loaded with high fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes, and artificial preservatives), that’s another story. Combine that crap with a sweet liquor like amaretto, and you could be downing nearly 400 calories and more than 15 teaspoons of sugar. Should’ve just ordered dessert! High-ABV Craft Beer A watered-down Miller Lite won’t even set you back 100 calories. But craft beers tend to have higher alcohol contents than their mass-produced counterparts, which over time, can add up to a bigger beer belly. Case in point: At a whopping 10% ABV, both Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout and Samuel Adams’ Imperial White pack around 320 calories per 12-ounce bottle. Get them on tap in a 16-ounce pint glass, and you’re up to around 420 calories. (Thankfully, not all craft beers are calorie bombs. If you want something lighter, stick with session ales, which tend to be lower in alcohol—and calories—than many other brews.) MORE: The Seven Cleanest Beers for Your Summer Cookout Margaritas Giant goblets, endless tortilla chips, burritos the size of your head—margaritas and excess pretty much go hand in hand. So think about this now, not when it’s 2 a.m. and you’re karaoke-ing Ace of Base: The jumbo frozen Tex-Mex drinks will run you around 543 calories each, plus nearly as much sugar as a Snickers bar. But that’s not all: Even if you’re cool with the crazy calorie count, most margaritas are made with mixes laden with high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. No bueno, muchacho. Mai Tai The retro tiki favorite gets its addictive flavor from orgeat syrup, a creamy, saccharine concoction made from toasted almonds and sugar. (At least, that’s what real orgeat syrup is made from. Plenty of cheaper versions use artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives.) Throw in two kinds of rum and syrupy orange Cointreau, and you’re staring at a 260-calorie monstrosity topped with a cocktail umbrella. Save it for vacation. MORE: The Moscow Mule You Need to Make This Weekend Strawberry Daiquiri It’s made with strawberries, so how bad can it be? Actually, pretty frickin’ bad. And most of the time, there are no real berries in there at all. The slushmonsters beloved by sorority girls everywhere are typically made with cloyingly sweet mixes brimming with high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, preservatives, and red 40. Then there’s the fact that they’re usually ginormous: A 32-ouncer boasts nearly 2,000 calories, 53 g sugar, and more carbs than a serving of pasta.
