Holiday Parties: Controlling Calories in Drinks - as part of the nutrition series by GeoBeats. I am Ruth Carey, registered dietitian. First of all, think about a champagne cocktail or a wine spritzer. You can dilute the champagne with a little bit of club soda. That is going to extend your drink a little bit longer and reduce the calories in it. Another thing is to avoid sugary mixers. Things like egg nog are loaded with fat and sugar calories. Mixers in margarita mix, for example, are loaded with sugar. So, whenever you can just drink straight alcohol with water or club soda, bourbon, water, vodka, soda. Add a touch of cranberries, just a few calories. That is another way. Light beer has fewer calories and it also has a little bit less alcohol. That is a good thing because one of the problems with alcohol at those holiday parties is it reduces your inhibitions and then, even though you made that goal to avoid those sweets and cookies, you are much more likely to eat them after you have had a few cocktails. So, keeping your total alcohol content down is a good idea. And another way to extend that is every other drink, promise yourself you will make it a water or a club soda or a diet tonic with a lime. So, between every alcoholic beverage, have a non-alcoholic one. That is also going to help you stay hydrated and it is going to prevent that headache tomorrow.