Cocktails and Calories

Image by theweirdone via Flickr

We have a continual dilemma when we are making a new drink. We are very conscious of the calories contained in any drink, yet the truth is that most high-calorie drinks. . . well, a lot of them just taste better! That’s not a coincidence.  For example, one of our favorite additions in a drink is a liqueur. They are generally flavored with fruits, creams, or other items, and have sugar added also. Just for the record, we are not going to stop recommending them in some of our drinks. Everything in moderation.

Another think that drives up the calories is the content of the alcohol you are using. For example, 80-proof vodka has 64 calories per 1oz. Going to the other extreme, 100-proof vodka, which is 50% alcohol has 82 calories per 1 oz.

So what ingredients can you look for in a cocktail or martini that will increase its likelihood of being lower-calorie? Here’s a list of some items to look for:

• Lemon or lime juice – 1/2 oz: 10 calories
• DaVinci or Torani’s sugar-free syrups: 0
• Orange juice 6 oz: 84 calories
• Cranberry juice cocktail 8 oz: 136 calories
• Light orange juice 8 oz: 50 calories
• Light cranberry juice 8 oz: 40 calories
• Light lemonade 8 oz: 5 calories

The good news? A standard martini has 160 calories (2.5 oz). A Green apple martini? 148 calories for 1 oz of vodka, sour apple, and apple juice.

A few other tips include adding stevia to a drink to sweeten it up. Always drink responsibly by drinking slowly and not more than you should. Also, have a glass of water between drinks.

Here are a few links that provide calorie information on what you are drinking tonight.

Calorie information by type of alcohol

Calorie information by type of drink

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