6 Tips to help Reduce Cocktail Calories

With our recent post about Cocktails & Calories sending some of our followers into an early New Year Resolution tizzy, we decided to compile a few practical tips to help you survive a night of cocktail drinking. Cocktail calories on a Friday night can easily undo a whole weeks healthy work, but if you stick to a few simple rules, like alternating with non-alcoholic cocktails, you can have a relatively guilt-free night.

 

1) Ask for Simple Cocktails made with low-calorie mixers. Don’t be shy to ask for diet soda in cocktails which require soda, such as the Cuba Libre or the Black Russian. Also, where possible, mix cocktails with soda water, sugar-free syrups and low calorie juices. Freshly squeezed fruit juices can be beneficial, as they are also full of vitamins and anti-oxidants. Some cocktails use coffee and tea as mixers, or what some call additional ingredients, and both of these ingredients are fat and sugar free and will curb back overall cocktail calories in your drink.

2) Cocktails and Meals: when you’re having dinner, try to limit your consumption to 1 cocktail and then wait an hour or so before you begin drinking again if you’re having a night out. The reason here is because, when we consume alcohol, the body has to burn it off straight away, this means if your body is busy burning off alcohol at dinner your food will be stored and not burnt off until you need more energy. Hence,by drinking separately to a heavy meal you’re preventing the body storing extra food as weight.

3) Alternate alcoholic and non alcoholic cocktails to cut down your calorie count. Case in point, on you first drink, have a nice, zesty Daiquiri and on your next drink order one of an increasing range of non-alcoholic cocktails, such as the  Cran Daddy Shandy that tastes good, looks like the real thing, but has very few calories. This has double benefit of reducing the risk of over-consuming alcohol and calories and also helps you stay hydrated, helping to ward of that dreaded hangover in the morning. Furthermore, due to increased demand, bars have become much more creative and innovative with their non-alcoholic cocktails and now offer some delicious creations.

4) Diluting your Cocktail with soda water or sparkling water is a good way to make your cocktail last longer and ultimately curb those cocktail calories. This can also be done with additional ice, although this can have a negative impact on the taste of certain cocktails.

5) Skip the Mixer. One option, if you fancy a break from the cocktails (God forbid!), is to skip the mixer altogether and have your favourite spirit straight on the rocks. For those who may find the taste a little strong, there are now a range of spirits which have been infused with natural flavours such as peach and cherry. An obvious, but effective way to cut back the cocktail calories.

6) Plan Ahead Before you head out for a night on the town or for the traditional Christmas party, it is a good idea to try and think ahead, even if it’s only a few main pointers – maybe you could check the website of the bar for their range of non-alcoholic cocktails! Maybe you can decide how many cocktails you are going to have that night and then cut back on the calories during the day in anticipation.Also try and be aware of your personal limitations. If you lose control you often end up drinking more than you planned to (never mind that pizza on the way home) –resulting in more calories.