There’s nothing quite like a refreshing cocktail on a hot summer day—although the hefty dose of unwanted calories can be a major buzz-kill.
The good news: This doesn’t mean we need to forgo happy hour (like that’s an option). We just need to opt for low-calorie drinks and follow some simple rules, notes Keri Glassman, R.D., author of “Slim, Calm, Sexy Diet: 365 Proven Food Strategies for Mind/Body Bliss.” “I always tell my clients to have a snack before cocktail hour so the first drink doesn’t send them straight to the chip bowl or bread basket,” she explains. “Also, rotate each alcoholic beverage with a club soda or water, and never go for the hardcore sugary drinks.”
Try these eight summer cocktails to whet your whistle—all for under 150 calories. Cheers to that!
1Skinnygirl Cucumber Refresher Skinnygirl Cocktailsr
Ingredients:
4 mint leaves
1 large basil leaf
1 lime wedge
1.5 ounces Skinnygirl Cucumber Vodka
3 ounces soda water
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
Directions:
Squeeze lime wedge into rocks glass, muddle (aka mash) lime wedge with mint and basil leaves and vodka. Add ice. Top with soda water. Add agave nectar and stir. Garnish with lime wedge.
Makes 1 serving
Calories: 86 per serving
2Fireworks in a Glass by Keri Glassman, R.D.
Ingredients:
6 ounces jalapeño-infused tequila
2 cups fresh pineapple juice
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 cup strawberries, muddled, aka mashed, like mint in a mojito
Ice as needed
Directions:
Prepare jalapeño-infused tequila by slicing one fresh jalapeño in half and adding to a 750-mililiter bottle of tequila. Let sit for at least 24 hours (the longer it sits, the spicier it gets). Then, in a shaker, combine tequila, pineapple juice, lime juice and muddled strawberries. Pour over ice.
Makes 4 servings
Calories: 133 per serving
3The Vino Quencher by Keri Glassman, R.D.
Ingredients:
1 cup blackberries
1 cup cantaloupe
1 bottle of full-bodied red wine
1 cup sparkling water
Directions:
Fill each glass with ¼ cup of blackberries, ¼ cup cantaloupe, and ¼ bottle of wine. Allow at least 10 to 15 minutes to infuse wine and blackberries. Add the sparkling water right before serving.
Makes 4 servings
Calories: 148 per serving
4Smirnoff Sorbet Light Couture Cosmo by Smirnoff
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces Smirnoff Sorbet Light Raspberry Pomegranate Vodka
2 ounces cranberry juice
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, shake, strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with lime wedge.
Calories: 107 per 4.25-ounce serving
5Green Garden Margarita by Brad Johnson
Green Garden Margarita
by Brad Johnson, Ph.D., co-author of “Scared Skinny No More: Exposing the Myths of Weight Bias and Weight Loss”
Ingredients:
1.25 ounces tequila
2 sprigs of fresh cilantro
4 slices of fresh cucumber
2 slices of fresh jalapeño
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces distilled water
2 packets of Splenda to taste
Lime wedge (optional)
Directions:
Add all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, shake and serve over the rocks in an 8-ounce glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Makes 1 serving
Calories: 100 per serving
6Skinnygirl Aloha Sparkle by Skinnygirl Cocktails
Ingredients:
1 part Skinnygirl White Cherry Vodka
4 parts sparkling water
1 part pineapple juice
Pineapple wedge for garnish
Cherry for garnish
Mint sprig for garnish
Directions:
Mix cherry vodka and sparkling water over a glass of ice. Add a touch of pineapple juice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge, mint sprig and cherry.
Makes 1 serving
Calories: 113 per serving
7Watermelon Martinis by Skinnytaste
by Skinnytaste
Ingredients:
3 cups ripe watermelon
¼ cup Absolut Citron Vodka
2 tablespoons Midori Melon Liqueur
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup ice cubes
Watermelon rind
4 (2-inch-long) thin strips of lime ring (lime twist)
Directions:
Dice 1 cup watermelon; set aside. Purée remaining watermelon in blender. Add vodka, liqueur, lime juice and ice, and blend well. Divide among martini glasses. Divide diced watermelon and add to drinks. Garnish with watermelon rind and lime twists.
Makes 4 servings
Calories: 91 per serving
8Smirnoff Sorbet Light Cucumber Spa-Tini by Smirnoff
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces Smirnoff Sorbet Light Lemon Vodka
0.5 ounce fresh lemon juice
0.5 ounce agave nectar
10 slices of English cucumber
1.5 ounces club soda
Directions:
In a mixing glass, muddle the cucumbers, and then add remaining ingredients except the soda. Add ice, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with soda and cucumber slice garnish.
Calories: 144 per 6-ounce serving
