7 Ways To Lower The Calories In Your Favourite Cocktails

Summer is on its way, so it's soon going to be time to start drinking cocktails as we enjoy the sun...not that we need the excuse of summer to enjoy a delicious cocktail! The only drawback to cocktails is that they aren't exactly good for the clean, healthy lifestyle; but there are ways to change that. Read on to find out how you can still drink your delicious cocktails...but without the guilt. 1. Swap lemonade for soda water We all know that lemonade is full of sugar, and the low sugar versions are often full of artificial sweeteners, which also aren't great. So try swapping the lemonade for soda water. Soda water has zero calories and, although it won't quite give your cocktail the amount of fizz you are used to it having, it will still taste amazing! 2. Use fresh fruit juices with no added sugar By using fresh fruit juice you will know that you're not drinking any nasty preservatives, or added sugar, so your cocktail will instantly be getting a healthier start. Make this simple swap for a much healthier recipe. 3. Stick to low calorie alcohol This one's a pretty obvious suggestion; avoid calorie-dense alcohol, such as Irish creme and chocolate liquor. Instead opt for vodka, gin, whisky or rum. Creamy cocktails are also more likely to make you feel a sense of guilt immediately after drinking them, because of the thick consistency, so stick to the lighter spirits. 4. Watch your serving sizes As with meals, serving sizes are important with cocktails too. It's easy to get carried away and pour what most bars would probably class as a jug, into one glass when you are at home. Because cocktails often contain a large amount of ice, many of us drink them pretty fast, so, rather than guzzling down a pint-full as fast as possible before the ice melts, give yourself smaller servings so that there's less for you to drink before the ice disappears into the liquid, meaning that you will take your time and end up drinking less. 5. Replace fruit syrups with fruit puree For cocktail recipes that require fruit syrups, simply replace the sugary syrups with fruit puree. Blend fresh fruit into a puree and add that to the cocktails; this way you avoid any of the added sugar or other nasty surprises that may be lurking in the fruit syrups ingredients list. Catherine Roberts, writer for www.activebeat.com, makes her own puree for her cocktails and stores them in jars ready to use...I don't know about you, but I'm inspired to do the same. 6. Consider using vegetables instead of fruit This might sound crazy, but a really easy way to cut the sugar from your cocktails is to make them using vegetables. I found some fantastic recipes at http://www.organicauthority.com/. I've tried the cucumber martini and it's delicious! Very tasty and refreshing. 7. Ditch the alcohol Some of you might read this and think I've gone crazy...how can you have a cocktail without alcohol!? My answer to that is...easily! I recently made a non-alcoholic cocktail (mocktail) after finding the recipe on Honey, what's cooking?, and, it was delicious! Refreshing and sweet tasting, and by excluding alcohol it was far healthier. This idea won't appeal to everyone, but give it a go and see what you think. By making these small changes, the flavour of your cocktails won't be altered very much, but they will contain far fewer calories. For more articles like this, please follow my blog.    Picture credit for featured image: http://rivista-cdn.sandiegomagazine.com/   Sources: http://m.activebeat.com/diet-nutrition/10-ways-to-shave-calories-off-your-favorite-cocktail/ http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=we_cut_the_calories_in_your_5_favorite_cocktails http://www.thesavory.com/drink/5-simple-ways-make-your-summer-cocktails-so-much-healthier.html http://healthyliving.msn.com/nutrition/healthify-your-cocktails-1#1 http://www.fitsugar.com/Soda-Water-Bad-You-5143992 http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/2014/06/slim-down-your-summer-cocktails/ http://www.organicauthority.com/juicy-spirits/vegetable-cocktails-recipes.html