The alcohol with more calories than doughnuts

Cocktails may look less calorific than a glass of wine or beer, but some of these drinks contain over 300 calories which is more than a glazed doughnut. Photo / Getty

Sipping on a fruity cocktail doesn't feel like it's piling on the pounds, but a nutritionist has revealed that some of our favourite tipples contain more calories than a doughnut.

Emma Clarke has revealed the sinful secrets of some classic cocktails, highlighting exactly how many liquid calories they contain.

But it's not all bad news. She's also shared the best cocktails to drink this party season if you're watching your weight - and one has less than 100 calories a glass.

Her top tip is to avoid anything creamy: so put down those pina coladas and white russians.

These two cocktails are the most calorific you can drink, with a pineapple and coconut-flavoured pina colada containing 318 kcals and a whopping 18.3g of fat.

A white russian of Kahlua, Vodka and cream contains slightly less at 303 kcals and 195g of fat. In comparison, a Krispy Kreme doughnut contains just 8.3g of fat and 200 kcals.

Third most calorific is, perhaps surprisingly, a fruity Sex on the Beach: traditionally made with vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice.

Nutracheck.co.uk nutritionist, Emma Clarke says: "Some of the worst culprits are cocktails. They may look less calorific than a glass of wine or a pint of lager, but don't be fooled by the smaller volumes - some of these drinks contain over 300 calories which is more than a glazed doughnut.

"Christmas socialising can result in us consuming far more calories than we realise through alcohol alone, as it's sometimes difficult to know the exact calorie content of what we are drinking."

But not all cocktails are to be avoided, according to Emma.

Some contain less than a glass of wine - including the famous and festive Snowball cocktail of lemonade and Advocaat.

Other light cocktails include the classic Mojito and Daiquiri, both of which contain 127 kcal a glass.

All three contain less than 0.2g of fat.