Low-calorie canned spritzes and cocktails: what to choose and where to buy

A canned spritz is one of the easiest ways to enjoy a drink without opening a whole bottle. But “light” on the front of a can can mean very different things: fewer calories, less sugar, fewer carbs, or just less alcohol. This guide sets out exactly what’s in the canned spritzes and cocktails we sell at DrinkWell, how they compare with a spritzer you’d make at home, how they taste, and how to buy them.

All the spritzes in this guide are from TRACES, our own lighter wine and spritz brand.

Canned drink options for a calorie-conscious evening

We currently sell three canned spritzes, all 250ml cans at 5.5% ABV, plus lighter wines you can turn into a spritzer at home:

TRACES Hugo Spritz: a ready-mixed take on the Italian Hugo, with elderflower, mint and lime. 80 calories, 0g sugar and 0g carbs per can.

TRACES Paloma Spritz: inspired by the tequila-based Paloma, made with an agave-based spirit and natural grapefruit and lime flavourings. 80 calories, 0g sugar and 0g carbs per can.

TRACES Vita Spritz: a spirit-based canned cocktail with blackberry and açaí flavours and added vitamins and minerals. 88 calories and 1.5g sugar per can.

TRACES Rosé: not a can, but a dry 11% rosé with 78 calories, 0g sugar and 0g carbs per 125ml glass. Top it up with soda water and you have a homemade rosé spritzer.

We don’t currently sell hard seltzers or alcohol-free drinks, so you won’t find those here.

Calories, carbohydrates and sugar

These three numbers are easy to mix up, so it helps to keep them separate:

Calories are the total energy in the drink. In the UK, a drink can only be labelled “low calorie” if it has no more than 20 calories per 100ml, so very few alcoholic drinks qualify. Most people use “low calorie” more loosely, to mean lower than the usual version.

Sugar is one type of carbohydrate. A drink with 0g sugar can still contain other carbs.

Carbohydrates include sugar and starches. “Zero carb” means no carbs at all, which is not the same as zero sugar, and not the same as zero calories.

The key thing to know is that alcohol has calories of its own: about 7 calories per gram, nearly as much as fat. So an alcoholic drink with no sugar and no carbs still has calories. In a 250ml can at 5.5%, the alcohol alone accounts for around 75 calories. That’s why Hugo and Paloma Spritz still have 80 calories a can despite having 0g carbs and 0g sugar, and why no alcoholic drink can be calorie free. Only alcohol-free drinks can get close to zero.

Spritz, wine spritzer, hard seltzer and cocktail comparison

Here is how our canned spritzes compare with each other and with a spritzer made at home from TRACES Rosé.

Source: DrinkWell product pages, checked 13 November 2026. Can prices are the 12-can case price divided by 12. The homemade spritzer is based on TRACES Rosé’s figures per 125ml, with soda water adding no calories, and is priced from a single bottle (£9.99) or a case of six (£56.94), at six glasses per bottle.

What about hard seltzers? Hard seltzers are usually sparkling water with alcohol and a light fruit flavour. We don’t stock them, so we haven’t included figures here. If you’re comparing, look at the calories per can and the can size, since seltzers often come in 330ml cans.

Taste and mid-priced value

Each type of drink has its own character:

Rosé wine spritzers are usually dry and fresh, with red berry fruit and gentle bubbles from the soda water. You control the fizz and strength by how much soda you add.

Other wine spritzes, like a classic Aperol or Hugo, tend to be brighter and more bittersweet or floral, depending on the liqueur used.

Hard seltzers are typically very dry and lightly flavoured, with lots of fizz.

Ready-to-drink cocktails usually carry more flavour, and many are sweeter, though that varies a lot.

Here’s how TRACES describes its spritzes. These are the producer’s tasting notes, not our own:

Hugo Spritz: a refreshing blend of elderflower, mint and lime in a crisp, gently sparkling drink.

Paloma Spritz: sharp, juicy grapefruit balanced by fresh lime, with a smooth agave finish. Light, fizzy and refreshing without being sweet.

Vita Spritz: ripe blackberry and açaí in a light spritz.

TRACES Rosé: a light-bodied dry rosé with strawberries, apricots and stone fruit, zesty and lively.

On value: for this guide, we’re calling £2 to £3 a can the middle of the market for UK canned spritzes and cocktails. All three TRACES cans sit in that band, at £2.50 to £2.75 a can when you buy a case of 12. A homemade spritzer from TRACES Rosé works out cheaper per glass, at around £1.58 to £1.67, if you don’t mind mixing it yourself.

Choices for after work, date night and weekend parties

Whatever the occasion, remember that the figures are per can. Two cans means double the calories, and choosing a lighter drink is no guarantee of anything if the rest of the evening adds up.

After work

If you want one cold drink to mark the end of the day, a single can is a simple, measured serve. Paloma Spritz is the crisper, more citrusy choice, and Hugo Spritz is softer and more floral. Either is 80 calories a can. If you’d rather skip alcohol some evenings, sparkling water with fresh lime or grapefruit over ice gives you the same ritual without the alcohol.

Date night

Pour into a wine glass over ice with a slice of citrus and a sprig of mint, and a canned spritz feels like a proper cocktail. A TRACES Rosé spritzer works well with dinner, especially lighter food, and you can make it as strong or as long as you like. Two glasses of spritzer made with 125ml of rosé each comes to 156 calories.

Weekend parties

For a crowd, cans are easy: no measuring, nothing to wash up, and everyone can pick their flavour. As a rough guide, allow two to three cans per guest over an evening, so a case of 12 covers four to six people. Get a case of Hugo and a case of Paloma so there’s a crisp option and a softer one, and keep jugs of iced water and sparkling water out for anyone who wants an alcohol-free drink or a break between cans. Three cans of Hugo over a party comes to 240 calories.

Carbonation, bloating and serving considerations

A crisp, fizzy taste and how a drink makes you feel are two different things. Carbonation adds bubbles, and some people find fizzy drinks leave them feeling full or bloated, while others notice nothing at all. It depends on the person, how much they drink and how quickly. No drink can promise to stop bloating.

If fizz bothers you, a few simple things can help: pour into a glass rather than drinking from the can, add plenty of ice, sip slowly, or make a homemade spritzer with less soda water.

Drinking responsibly: each 250ml can at 5.5% ABV contains about 1.4 units of alcohol. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days. You must be 18 or over to buy alcohol from DrinkWell.

Online buying options

Mixed packs: we don’t currently offer a mixed spritz case, but you can add a case of each flavour to one order and pay one delivery charge. Choose Subscribe & Save on any product page to take 10% off every order.

Delivery: we deliver across the UK, including the Highlands and Islands and Northern Ireland. Standard delivery is free on orders over £79, otherwise £5.99 per address to UK mainland, or £7.99 for Express. Highlands and Islands delivery is £10.99 and Northern Ireland is £14.99. On average, 98% of orders arrive within 24 hours (48 hours for the Highlands and Islands and Northern Ireland), but please allow 3 to 5 working days. Full details are in our delivery policy.

Age: you must be 18 or over to buy alcohol from us.

Prices and stock were checked in November 2026 and may change. The product page always shows the latest.

Frequently asked questions

Can an alcoholic drink be zero calorie?
No. Alcohol has about 7 calories per gram, so any drink with alcohol in it has calories, even with no sugar or carbs. Only alcohol-free drinks can be close to zero.

Does zero carb mean low calorie?
Not on its own. A zero-carb drink can still have plenty of calories from alcohol. TRACES Hugo and Paloma Spritz have 0g carbs but 80 calories a can, almost all of it from the alcohol.

How does a canned rosé spritzer compare with a regular wine spritz?
We don’t sell a canned rosé spritzer. A homemade spritzer with 125ml of TRACES Rosé and soda water comes to 78 calories, with 0g sugar and 0g carbs. A spritz made with a sweet liqueur, like a classic Aperol Spritz, will usually be higher in sugar and calories, depending on the recipe and how much is poured.

Where can I buy these drinks?
All the drinks in this guide are available from DrinkWell, with delivery across the UK. Shop Hugo Spritz, Paloma Spritz, Vita Spritz and TRACES Rosé, or browse the whole TRACES range.

A lighter evening drink doesn’t have to mean a dull one. Browse the full TRACES range, or for more on the numbers, read our guides to calories in Prosecco and sugar in Prosecco.