You’ve made a promise to meet friends out for a drink this weekend, and you fear that your New Year’s Resolution will go down the drain along with the first sip of that Margarita or a heavy winter stout. The beer belly has got to go, but an enjoyable adult beverage does not. We understand that counting each bran flake or ounce of salad dressing can be tiring, so we would like to lend a hand and help you stick to your New Year’s commitment. Relax and have fun with these calorie conscious cocktail recipes and drink suggestions:
Grapefruit Basil Martini – 161 Calories
Ingredients:
2 basil leaves
1 ounce grapefruit juice
1 ounce Da Vinci’s Sugar Free Sweetener Syrup
1 ¾ ounces gin
Splash of sparkling wine
Directions: In a shaker, muddle basil and syrup. Add syrup and gin and shake hard with ice for 20 seconds. Strain ingredients into a martini glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Pim’s Cup – 150 Calories
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Pimm’s No. 1
2 cups ginger ale, chilled
1 1/3 cups sparkling water, chilled
4 lemon slices
1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 4 spears
Directions: Fill 4 tall (12-ounce) glasses with ice cubes.
Pour 3 tablespoons Pimm’s into each glass. Pour 1/2 cup ginger ale and 1/3 cup sparkling water into each glass; stir to combine. Garnish each serving with 1 lemon slice and 1 cucumber spear. Serve immediately.
Bloody Mary – 76 Calories
Ingredients:
4 cups tomato juice
1 cup vodka
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground celery seeds
Fresh lemon slices and celery sticks
Directions: Combine the first 9 ingredients in a pitcher and stir. Serve over ice. Garnish with lemon wedges and celery sticks.
Shochu Cosmo – 70 Calories
Ingredients:
2 ounces of shocu (a Japanese spirit)
Splash of diet cranberry juice
1 lime
Splash of orange juice
Directions: Add all ingredients in martini shaker, shake, and pour.
Easy low-calorie bar orders:
Dark and Stormy with diet ginger ale instead of regular ginger ale.
Bud Light – 100 calories
Sam Adams Light – 119 calories
Guinness – 126 calories