5 Low-Calorie Cocktails You’ll Love to Include in Your Diet
Weight loss diets come with many restrictions. While observing those restrictions, most people prefer to reduce rather than eliminate alcohol from their diets.
There are about seven calories per gram in alcohol. This amount is not so different from dietary fat, which has about nine calories per gram. However, unlike the healthy fats that are high in calories, alcohol does not provide us with nutrients that enable us to perform bodily functions. Therefore, health professionals usually recommend cutting down alcohol for those who want to lose weight and/or to improve their health.
That being said, even if you are on a weight loss diet, you can still drink in moderation. Check out those five drinks that are low in calories:
The Best Low-Calorie Alcoholic Drinks
1. Old Fashioned
A traditional old fashioned cocktail has about 154 calories.
Ingredients
- 2 dashes bitters
- 1 ½ tsp of simple syrup
- 1 tsp of water
- Maraschino cherries
- 1 cup of ice
- 2 ounces of bourbon whiskey
- 1 orange slice
Instructions
Pour the whiskey into a glass. Afterward, add the syrup, bitters, and some ice. Continue by stirring the ingredients.
Put a clean glass in the freezer. After 30 minutes, take the glass out and, with a strainer, pour your drink into it. Then garnish your drink with an orange slice and cherry.
*Tip: Use a free-sugar sweetener instead of syrup to reduce the calories of this classic cocktail.
2. Gin and Tonic
Gin is a low-calorie alcohol. Therefore, a gin and tonic is one of the best low-calorie drinks you can have in a diet. There are about 150 calories in a gin and tonic.
Ingredients
- 2 oz of gin
- 4 – 6 oz of tonic water
- Lime wedge
- Ice cubes
Instructions
Place the ice into a glass. Pour the gin and continue by pouring the tonic on top. Next, gently stir to mix the ingredients. Garnish with a lime wedge.
This gin and tonic recipe doesn’t include syrup, but you can add some sugar-free syrup if you want to.
3. Skinny Mojito
The traditional mojito recipe has about 240 calories. However, with this recipe, you can enjoy a mojito with only 90 calories.
Ingredients
- 2 small lime wedges
- 6 fresh mint leaves
- 2 ounces of white rum
- 12 ounces of lemon-lime-flavored soda
- 4 tbsp of stevia (calorie-free sweetener)
Instructions
In a chilled glass, muddle the mint leaves, the lime wedges, and the stevia. Next, add some crushed ice. Then add the rum and soda; stir to combine all the ingredients. Use a lime wedge to garnish and enjoy!
4. Pomegranate Martini
A pomegranate martini only has 107 calories.
Ingredients
- 2 oz of vodka
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 2 oz of sparkling water
- 2 tbsp of orange juice
- Ice
Instructions
Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and mix thoroughly. Next, use a strainer to pour the drink into a martini glass. You can also add a slice of lime or some pomegranate seeds to garnish the drink.
5. Margarita
A margarita has about 170 calories and it is perfect for enjoying in the summer.
Ingredients
- 3/4 oz of lime juice
- 2 oz of tequila
- 1 oz of orange-flavored liqueur
- Salt
- 4 tbsp of stevia
Instructions
To prepare your glass, run a lime wedge over the rim. Next, dip the opening of the glass in a plate with salt.
Add the lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur into a cocktail shaker and mix it up. Then add some ice to your glass and pour the margarita mix into it.
*Note: You can enjoy this drink without sugar. But, if you prefer something sweet, try adding about 4 tbsp of stevia to the margarita mix.
Are you on a weight loss journey? At Z.E.N. Foods, we offer tasty and healthy delivery meals. Find out more about our meal plans by calling us at (310) 205-9368. We are here to help!