Looking for Skinny Summer Cocktail Recipes?
Mixers, syrups, and sodas really get people into calorie trouble, because most drinks start with 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits that only have around 96 calories, but mixologists can easily turn that into a drink with hundreds of calories.
Also, consider that whether you’re drinking a beer, margarita or a cosmo, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories.
- 80-proof vodka (40% alcohol; the most common type) has 64 calories per 1oz
- 86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 oz
- 90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 oz
- 100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 oz
So don’t blow your healthy eating habits with crazy-high calorie cocktails! Here are a few skinny drink recipes, starting with the Watermelon mojito.
*calories are an approximation and will vary depending on size of cocktail.
Watermelon Mojito: 101 Calories
Instead of using sugar, use a wooden pestle or a big spoon to gently crush cubes of watermelon with fresh mint leaves. Add rum and sparkling water for a sweet mojito with half the usual calories.
Skinny Margarita: 170 Calories
Trim the calories by skipping the syrupy mixes and avoiding added fruit mixers. Measure out the basics: one shot of tequila, lots of fresh lime juice, and a splash of triple sec. Shake with ice or blend to a frozen oblivion, and serve.
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Skinny Piña Colada: 229 Calories
Use the Rum that’s infused with a coconut flavor to cut about 300 calories from a piña colada. Measure one shot of coconut rum, add fresh strawberries, a splash of agave syrup, and blend with ice. You get a tall, 12-ounce tropical cocktail minus the sugary coconut milk syrup.
Shochu Cosmo: 70 Calories
Make a super-slim cosmopolitan by replacing the vodka with shochu, a Japanese spirit with a smooth flavor. A 2-ounce serving has only about 35 calories. Add splashes of 100% cranberry juice, fresh squeezed lime and orange juice, and then toss in a martini shaker. This cosmo shakes in at half the calories of a traditional cosmopolitan.
Berry Berry Daiquiri: 145 Calories
Berries can help slim down a strawberry, blueberry, blackberry or rasberry daiquiri. Start with 1 cup of no-sugar-added berries, either fresh or frozen. You get intense berry flavor for just 50 calories, compared with 255 calories in berries frozen with syrup. Add rum, ice, and sweeten the deal with 1 teaspoon of stevia. Blend into a slim berry berry delicious frozen treat.
Slim the Gin and Tonic: 75 Calories
Skip the sweetened tonic water and switch to club soda and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a skinny version of this favorite cocktail. Flavored seltzer does the trick too.
Asian Flavor Fusion: 90 Calories
Flavor-infused alcohols are a tasty way to limit juice mixes, which can be high calorie. Try ginger vodka and lime sparkling water for a fusion of Asian flavors at just 90 calories. Use flavored seltzer or mineral waters that have no added calories.
Skinny Vodka Iced Tea: 80 Calories
Simple, easy and refreshing. The mix of lemonade, sweet iced tea, a shot of vodka and crushed ice is all it takes. You can slice off half the calories in this tall, cool drink by using low calorie lemonade and sweet-tea-flavored vodka. This specialty vodka is lower in calories than traditional types.
When Making Your Skinny Cocktail:
- Choose fresh 100% juice instead of sweet sugary syrupy mixes.
- Use seltzer, club soda, sparkling water or flavored seltzer instead of soft drinks.
- Fewer ingredients mean fewer calories.
- Keep it reasonable – moderation is key for your waistline and health.
Skinny Cocktail No Nos:
- Nix the creamed spirits or liqueurs. This can up your calories two fold.
- Keep it simple with one to two alcoholic ingredients. A Long Island iced tea has seven ingredients and 700 calories!
- Say no to sweet, rich after-dinner drinks
- Skip the dessert wine, which contains 1/3 more calories than table wine.
Just for fun! How Many Calories Are in Popular Cocktails?
Check out the calorie content of these popular cocktails before the Skinny shape up happens.
- Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
- Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories
- Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories
- Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
- Margarita (8 oz): 280
- Skinnygirl margarita (4 oz): 100
- Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
- Martini (2.5 oz): 160
- Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118
- Red wine (5 oz):120
- White wine (5 oz): 120
- Beer (12 oz): 150-198
- Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
- Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
- Champagne (5oz): 106-120
- Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
- Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
- Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
- Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200
- Screwdriver (8 oz): 190
- Mimosa (4 oz): 75
- Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200
- Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
- White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
- Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
- Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185
These calorie counts for popular alcoholic drinks are approximate and may vary depending on ingredients and portions.
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