In the spirit of our frugal 4th of July, here is advice for budgeting calories on those occasions when you are having more than one or two alcoholic beverages.
Even though I?m the daughter of a chef?or perhaps, because I am?I try to watch my calorie intake. With tons of deliciously decadent food around, I usually shoulder the burden onto my exercise routine, while also trying to keep my drink calories low. Sometimes, though, we all feel like having more than one or two alcoholic beverages, which can quickly drive up our sugar and calorie intake. At some restaurants, you?ll end up drinking over 1000 calories in a night out. So for Independence Day, here are my tips on having your fun without expanding your waistline and three specific drink recipes.
How to make Low Cal cocktails to your tastes
- Flavor your drinks with fruit
By using natural, fresh fruit juice, you can subtly sweeten it, without added sugar. Lemon and lime always add an important acidic complexity, but strawberry is my favorite, lowest calorie sweetener. Other great additions are grapefruit, pineapple, and watermelon.
- Dilute
Understand that the calories really do come from the alcohol. I try to make a great tasting, low-calorie cocktail while also maintaining its alcoholic content. However, there is only so much you can do, since alcohol has a lot of calories for little nutritional value. I try to add in at least one serving of fruit, but even doing shots, you?re going to ingest about 70 calories a drink. If this advice offends you (and I might agree), see number 5.
- Love sparkling water & club soda
When I?m out at a bar, I usually order a vodka tonic. It?s simple, unfussy, and decently low calorie. But for those few times when you?ll be drinking a little excessively, I recommend swapping tonic for sparkling water or club soda. There are over 120 calories in a can of tonic water, as opposed to 0 in my choice. Vodka, water/club soda, and lime tastes similarly enough when you?re out. If the drink still tastes too much of vodka/gin, ask them to squeeze more lime into it.
Additionally, it?s a great way to dilute a drink, while also adding some fizz without calories. They?re a staple with many of my drinks, which I generally use in conjunction with lemon or lime.
- Skip the store bought mix
On this subject, you?ll often hear: Avoid frozen drinks. While this is true for drink orders at a bar or restaurant, it isn?t all encompassing. Making your own drinks allows you control of all the ingredients, so you can have your frozen cocktail and drink it too. Blending the ice is a great way to dilute for those who don?t like sparkling water.
- Mix liquors
Okay, now this advice needs to be taken with a grain of salt. What I mean here is more about what I call getting your bang for your buck. The liquor is the most expensive caloric component of your drink. A great low calorie drink would simply be an ounce of vodka, a few ounces of sparkling water, and splash of lime juice, adding up to only 70 calories.
However, most of us want a more complex (and let?s admit it, stronger) drink. As a result, I tend to budget most of my calories in the liquor department. This means understanding what alcohol works together well, so that only a few additional and low calorie ingredients, like say lemon, cinnamon, or water need to be added.
- Understand Great Combinations
Pulling from my last tip, understanding what liquor/liqueurs work together is essential in harnessing the power of strength and calorie saving. People often think the mixer makes the drink?s taste, when in reality it?s the combination of everything, including the liquor and liqueurs.
In my opinion triple sec goes wonderfully with nearly all liquors (rum, tequila, brandy), except vodka, which goes well with triple sec but best with dry vermouth. Whiskey, I find, is dependent on the type you have, but I really love pomegranate liqueur (and other sweet liqueurs, like the classic sweet vermouth) and bourbon. With this understanding, I simply take my liquor of choice (let?s say vodka), add the liqueur (dry vermouth), and mix in sparkling water and either lemon (best with cognac, vodka, and whiskey) or lime (tequila, and rum).
However, not all liqueurs are made the same. Some of the lowest calorie liqueurs include Grand Marnier (a great orange liqueur at 76 calories an ounce), amaretto (distilled from almonds, and generally 79 calories and ounce), and Pernod (anise liqueur, a favorite of mine, in addition to being 75 calories an ounce)
Watermelon Margarita
Watermelon is a super low-calorie, yet delicious summertime fruit. Add it to your drinks as much as you want, as its calories are all healthy. When freestyling, remember that watermelon flavors well with tequila, lemon, mint, vanilla, and balsamic.
Enjoy your frozen drink! I measured the watermelon to ensure that I had the right calorie count, while also being delicious. Nonetheless, play with it to ensure it fits in with the right amount for you. There are 103 calories in a cup of watermelon, as a base understanding.
Ingredients
12oz watermelon
6 oz tequila
3 oz triple sec
juice from 3 lemons
ice
Instructions
Blend all ingredients together. Makes 6
110 calories per serving
(13% alcohol per volume)
Martini Cocktail
This drink works best for a more bitter taste palate. Even the sweeter version works better for those who appreciate a tangy flavor over a sugary drink. It?s my favorite cocktail, but not for everyone.
Ingredients
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1 oz lemon juice*
2 oz sparkling water or club soda
Instructions
Shake over ice. This drinks isn?t for the sweetest of palates, but has a great tang with few calories. Makes 2.
103 calories per serving-118 for the sweeter version
(13-16% alcohol per volume)
Peaches & Rum
I grill my peaches first, as it adds a textural complexity? but it isn?t necessary. This is a great simple drink for those who like something a little bit sweetened. Blend with ice or substitute apricot/nectarine. (For the same or fewer calories)
Ingredients:
2 oz rum
1 oz triple sec
1 peach
splash of lime juice
2-3 oz Sparkling water (my choice) or Fresca/Diet Sprite (for those who want something sweeter and don?t mind artificial sweeteners)
Slice peach and remove pits. In a blender, puree the peach with rum and triple sec. Stir in water, Fresca, or Diet Sprite and adjust to taste.
100 calories per serving
(12% alcohol per volume)
Champagne & Cognac
This is a tart drink that can be sweetened by increasing the Fresca content without changing the caloric expense.
I first made this drink when I wanted to waste a bottle of Champagne. It was my first Halloween as a 21 year old, and I mistakingly, and crazily, thought that cognac was no different than, say, triple sec or wine. I came up with this drink, made myself a goblet of it, and found myself drunker halfway through, than I?ve been since been 2 years later. But it is delicious nonetheless?that is, when you understand it?s a cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz cognac
4 oz cheap champagne
2 oz fresca
1 oz white grape juice (I used fresh squeezed juice. Make sure it?s unsweetened)
slices of lemon and lime
Mix together 2 oz champagne, cognac, Fresca, and grape juice. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and half a lime. In a chilled glasses, add mixture, top off with an ounce of champagne, and garnish with lemon and lime slices. Makes 2.
114 calories per serving
(14% alcohol per volume)
Source: http://www.gatheraustin.com/blog/index.php/low-calorie-mixed-drinks/
helena dave mandy moore fistula jennifer hudson jim rogers sabbatical
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