Half-kcal Happy Hour!

Don’t miss out on all the fun! Here are some great drink recipes that won’t ruin your daily calorie budget! Have all the fun without all the hangover guilt! These are great replacements for happy hour, but still remember to limit to just 1 or 2 per day. Be kind to your liver! (Cocktail recipes modified from Sparkpeople.com)

Skinny Cosmo

This traditional ladies choice is a usually a 220 kcal drink with vodka and cranberry juice. Instead, try squeezing a wedge of each a lime and an orange into 1 oz of cranberry flavored vodka and top it off with club soda and serve on the rocks. The lighter version is less than half the calories at only 75 calories per drink. You could also use just a splash of cranberry juice and regular vodka if you don’t have cranberry vodka. Another lighter idea would be to use 4 oz diet cranberry juice and 1 oz vodka on the rocks.

The Easiest Light Cocktail Ever

At only 75 calories just use 1 shot of flavored vodka or rum over club soda and ice with a twist of lime.

The Classic Mimosa

This classic has only 75 calories with just 1 oz of orange juice and 3 oz of champagne.

Traditional Marg

The usual margarita served at your local Mexican restaurant is full of added sugar from the super-sugary sour mix. Instead try just 1 oz of tequila and 1 oz of triple sec on the rocks in a salt rimmed class and a squeeze of lime. For more volume you could add club soda. If you prefer the sour mix, find a light sour mix like crystal light margarita mix.

Basic Bellini

For only 105 calories, this popular cocktail is delicious and easy to make. Just blend 2 oz white-peach puree with 4 oz Prosecco.

Real Strawberry Daiquiri

The real deal is so much better than the usual 350 calorie sugar attack. Puree 1 c strawberries in a blender (frozen works best) with 1 oz of light rum, a handful of ice cubes, and a sprinkle of Stevia or sugar. Put a strawberry on the rim if you’re feeling real fancy and maybe even a tiny umbrella, and celebrate the fact that it’s only 135 calories!

Nada Colada

If you like pina coladas but don’t like drinking a whopping 700 kcals from just one drink, then try instead mixing 1 oz coconut rum with 4 oz of pineapple juice topped off with club soda and served over ice. Add a cherry and a slice of pineapple to make it legit. This version is only 145 kcals!

Miami Vice

A beach-bum favorite! Swirl together the past two recipes (Nada colada and Strawberry Daiquiri) for a fun lower-calorie Miami Vice!

Calories in Wine

In one 5 oz glass (that’s right just 5 oz is a serving, not filling up your giant wine glass) a dry white wine such as Chardonnay is about 95 kcals/ 5 oz glass, a sweet white wine such as White Moscato is about 125 kcals/ 5 ox glass, dry red wine such as Merlot or Pinot Noir are about 100 kcals/ 5 oz glass, and a sweet red wine such as Port or dessert wines are about 200 + kcals/ 5 oz glass. For the alcohol content, a dry white or dry red wine can be more bang for your kcal budget versus a regular cocktail or regular beer.

Calories in Shots

A shot (1.5 fl oz) of vodka, tequila, whiskey, gin, bourbon, or rum is about 95-105 kcals/ shot.

Light Beer vs. Regular Beer

A light beer such as Michelob Ultra or Natural Light contains about 95 kcals/12 oz and 4.1-4.2 % alcohol by volume.

A regular beer such as Pabst, Stella, Budweiser, Coors are about 150 kcals/ 12 oz. The heavier, darker beers are closer to 200 kcals / 12 oz with the exception of Guinness at 130 kcals/ 12 oz.

Here is a chart from fitsugar.com