Warm-Weather Cocktails
By ldelmas
Swear off fun, fruity beverages? Never! Just follow our tips to help lighten up these summer classics.
1. Never come to happy hour hungry
"Skipping lunch to compensate for the calories you plan to drink is not a good idea," says Molly Gee, RD, weight-loss counselor and researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "Alcohol does not satisfy hunger."
Arrive with a growling belly and you may find yourself downing a few handfuls of bar nuts (about 600 calories), or worse, falling prey to the cheese-covered nachos. A better choice: Eat how you normally would during the day, work in some extra exercise, and munch a piece of fruit before you go to take the edge off.
2. Be mindful of mixers
Hard liquor runs 100-200 calories per shot, but add a sugary or creamy mixer and you'll double or triple the calories, says Lisa Drayer, a New York City-based dietician. Her tip: Order what you love, just make it lighter — a rum and Coke using diet cola, a gin and tonic using low-calorie tonic. Or, skip mixers altogether and sip a light beer (one-third the calories of regular) or a glass of red wine (just over 100 calories). Incidentally, light beers have always been low in carbs. "A Miller Light versus a Michelob Ultra is really only a caloric difference," says Drayer.
3. Make the cocktail your dessert
If you can't resist a piña colada or daiquiri, drink seltzer during your cocktail hour and savor the mega-calorie libation instead of dessert, suggests Drayer. "Negotiate with yourself." But exercise moderation. "If you drank a piña colada or any 500-calorie drink every day in excess of what your body needs to maintain your current weight, you'd gain a pound a week," says Drayer.
4. Enjoy alcohol every other round
Alternate each alcoholic beverage with seltzer or water. It'll cut down on calories and help you keep count of how much you're drinking. And because alcohol has a diuretic effect, the water will hydrate you, says Drayer. Or, follow Gee's lead and order a glass of water along with your cocktail. You'll sip the hard stuff more slowly.
5. Focus on the conversation, not the cocktails
When you find yourself alone at a fête, you may swig more swiftly out of anxiety or a need to look occupied. "Food and drink become substitutes for conversation; don't fall into that trap," says Gee. "If you don't want to look like you're standing there doing nothing, drink seltzer."
6. Go for volume
A platter of healthy food can satiate you more than a couple of high-fat morsels; it's the same way with cocktails. "The taller the drink, the longer you'll have it in your hand and hopefully drink a little less," says Gee. "Make it last by adding lots of ice and soda water."
Drink slim
Sip skinny with these slimmed-down versions of your favorite cocktails, concocted by master mixologist Dale DeGroff, author of The Craft of the Cocktail (Clarkson Potter, 2003).
Ingredients
- Caipirinha
- Mojito
- Margarita
- Long Long Island Iced Tea
- Sangria
Preparation
Step 1
Enjoy our recipes and tips for summer sips
A frothy daiquiri, a crisp gin and tonic or a sweet Long Island iced tea sipped outdoors among friends is as much a part of warm-weather seasons as daylight savings. But are these drinks slowing your weight loss?
Here's a buzz kill: A piña colada packs a caloric wallop. Your average eight-ouncer can set you back more than 400 calories. Follow our strategies to help you avoid drink disasters like this one.
Six smart summer sipping tips
Swear off fun, fruity beverages? Never! Just follow our tips to help lighten up these summer classics.