The best and worst alcoholic beverages

A word to the wise - It almost goes without saying that if you drink too many of even the healthiest drinks listed here, it will quickly turn a good choice into a bad one.

Worst: Long Island iced tea - A Long Island iced tea typically contains vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, sweet and sour mix, lemon juice, simple syrup, and cola etc.

Worst: Vodka Red Bull - Red Bull is a stimulant, and alcohol (vodka in this case) acts as a depressant.

Worst: Margarita - It’s not usually the case that people will just have one eight-ounce margarita, but that serving alone comes in at a staggering 36 grams of sugar.

Worst: Dark 'n' Stormy - Ginger beer is largely to blame for the sugar impact of this cocktail, which frequently also adds simple syrup to the dark rum, ginger beer, and lime mixture.

Worst: Craft beer - Craft beers, as opposed to commercial beers, often have extra ingredients and carbs that help enhance the flavor.

Worst: Cider - While many pick cider over beer as a “lower carb” option, it actually has a higher carbohydrate content than beer and many other drinks. It is, however, gluten-free.

Best: Red wine - Red wine is hailed for its high levels of healthy antioxidants and polyphenols, which promote heart health.

Best: Bloody Mary - Typically made with vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, celery salt, Tabasco, and lemon juice, this cocktail offers vitamin C.

Best: Light beer - If you’re craving a cold beer, go for the light option. What you may perceive as a sacrifice in flavor is also minimizing the impact on your body.

Best: Whiskey neat (or on the rocks) - Whiskey is a better option because it has high levels of polyphenols, which are linked with lowering your risk of heart disease or fat in your blood.

Best: White wine - white wine is hailed for containing polyphenols—naturally occurring compounds in plants that have been shown to help regulate metabolism, weight, and chronic disease.

Best: Vodka soda - There’s a reason why this drink is stereotypically associated with people trying to stay slim.

Best: Champagne - Drinking bubbly offers less calories than a sweet white wine, and the carbonation tends to fill people up so that they don’t drink so much or so fast.

Best: Tequila on the rocks - If you’re avoiding carbs, tequila on the rocks—and sipped, not tipped back in a shot—is a good zero-carb and low-sugar option for you.

Best: Natural wines - Even red wines aren’t all made equal! No matter what kind of wine you’re looking for, dietitians recommend reaching for natural wines.

Best: Hard kombucha - Beloved by health nuts for its probiotic benefits, kombucha is a lightly effervescent, fermented tea that naturally has a small (negligible) alcoholic content.

Best: Aperol Spritz - Aperol is an Italian apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other herbs that have certain health-promoting properties.