Low Calorie Drinks That Taste Like Heaven

Cocktails are delicious (duh). But they can also be decadent, loaded with sugar and a little heavy on the tummy. But is it possible to indulge without, well, indulging? Can you escape the black hole of vodka sodas with extra lemon every time you want to have a good time?

Yes! Low-calorie drinks are not only possible, but delectable too. There are so many great ways to avoid adding too much sugar to a cocktail, and some of my favourite are:

1)    Using local, seasonal fruits: There is nothing sweeter, and juicier, that a perfectly ripe fruit that has just been harvested. When you purchase local fruits on a seasonal basis, they are so flavourful that they explode in your mouth, and bring so much zing to your cocktail. I personally love shopping at farmer’s markets—you can always find fun and exciting new fruits to add to your drinks, and when you buy them in season you can save some money too! 

2)    Using a natural calorie-free sweetener: Sweeteners like stevia, erythritol and monkfruit are great and widely accessible, but they can sometimes upset the flavour balance of a cocktail, and leave you with a slightly metallic aftertaste. I generally use them in a drink that is already quite intensely-flavoured to mask this aftertaste—when I use rose water or orange blossom, for example, the intensity of the flavours tends to mask any unpleasantness from the sweetener. Brands like Zevia also offer great low-calorie mixers (I love their tonic water, ice teas and ginger beer) that make delicious drinks too! 

3)    Infusing your alcohol with sweet spices or dried fruits: A great way to reduce the amount of sugar needed in a cocktail is to infuse your spirit with spices or dried fruits such as cinnamon, cardamom or dried mango. These ingredients not only make your cocktail burst with flavour, but they also can add beautiful shades of colour to your drink, and will have your friends saying “I’ll have what she is having!”. Teroforma has some amazing infusion brands (I personally love the Marrakech blend with vodka), so check them out!

Spring Mule

Some of my favourite low-calorie cocktails are: 

1.     Spring Mule:

Shake ¼ oz of orange juice, 1 oz of lime juice, 1 splash of rose water and 2 oz of vodka (I use Greenbar Distillery’s TRU Vodka, Ocean Organic Vodka or Prairie Organic Vodka, but you can use  Hanson of Sonoma’s ginger vodka if you love that ginger ‘burn’). Serve in a chilled mule mug, top with  Zevia’s ginger beer (or ginger kombucha if you can’t find a zero-calorie ginger beer) and garnish with lime and orange slices.

150 calories, 1.5 g sugar, 0 g fat, non-gluten, vegan, paleo and keto-friendly. For a non-alcoholic version replace the vodka with Seedlip Spice 94.

2.     Absolutely Pearfect: 

Muddle 3 slices of pear and a pinch of tarragon, add 1 oz lemon juice, 2 oz organic gin (I love the CITY gin by Greenbar Distillery or the gin by Prairie Organic Spirits), 1 oz calorie-free syrup (I use a 1:1 ratio of water and monkfruit sweetener by Lakanto) and shake with ice. Fine strain over ice and garnish with pear slices and tarragon. 

160 calories, 1.3 g sugar, 0 g fat, non-gluten,vegan, paleo and keto-friendly. For a non-alcoholic version replace the vodka with Seedlip Garden 108. 

3.     Tummy Tuck: 

Muddle 3 slices of ginger and a pinch of rosemary, add 1/2 oz grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz lemon juice, 1 oz calorie-free syrup (I use a 1:1 ratio of water and monkfruit sweetener by Lakanto), 1 dash of lemon bitters (this ingredient is optional—you can make your own using the recipe by Vine Pair if you wish to add it to the cocktail), 2 oz organic vodka or organic gin and shake with ice. Fine strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with grapefruit peel.

145 calories, 1.3 g sugar, 0 g fat, non-gluten,vegan, paleo and keto-friendly. For a non-alcoholic version replace the vodka with Seedlip Grove 42. 

 *All nutritional values are estimates only, and can vary according to ingredients used.