WASHINGTON — If you’re watching your calorie intake at cocktail parties and dinner gatherings, heavy appetizers and creamy dips aren’t your only enemy — what’s in your glass can affect your waistline too. Some cocktails contain more calories than an average meal.
If you’re looking to offset the calories you’ve taken in at previous holiday parties, or starting to think of ways you can slim down after the New Year, registered dietitian and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokeswoman Joy Dubost has some tips on keeping your cocktails slim.
Know the Basics
Before you break out the shaker or start pouring your drink of choice, know how many calories the alcohol contains. Dubost says a standard 1.5-ounce pour of an 80-proof spirit contains about 96 calories.
“And then, if you’re adding ingredients to it that have calories, then of course that’s going to increase it,” she says.
A 5-ounce pour of wine, at 12 percent alcohol per volume, contains about 100 calories, as does a can or bottle of a light beer at 4.2 percent alcohol per volume.
If you’re being careful with calories, Dubost says it’s often easier to do so with canned or bottled beer.
“The issue with wine is that people continually top off their glass, and the wine glasses have gotten so large — and then those calories quickly add up,” she says. “So you really need to limit your portion size and be mindful of how many times you’re re-pouring that wine into your glass.”
Mind the Mixers
The mixers are often to blame for cocktails that clock in a lot of calories. Juices, syrups and sodas can really pack a caloric punch, adding anywhere from 50 to a couple of hundred calories to your already 100-calorie spirit.
Dubost’s best advice is to ditch the sugar-laden mixers and turn to fresher ingredients, such as fresh fruit, herbs and low-calorie or no-calorie drinks.
Adding a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime can brighten up the flavor of a drink with no added calories. And something as simple as adding a few mint leaves to a spirit can “really bring it to life.”
Zero-calorie flavored seltzers can also transform a basic spirit. Try adding a coconut-flavored sparkling water to rum for a lighter take on a piña colada, or a black cherry-flavored seltzer and a brandied cherry to vodka. And of course, switch to diet tonic or diet sodas if those are your preferred mixers.
Switch up the Sugars
If your cocktail recipe calls for sugar or simple syrup, Dubost recommends switching your source of sugar to cut down on the calories. Her best recommendation is to substitute agave nectar. It still adds calories to your drink, but a little goes a long way.
“Agave nectar is a little bit sweeter, so you may not need quite as much sugar when you’re using agave nectar to sweeten up the drink,” Dubost says.
Try a New Spirit
Instead of adding ingredients to liquor to alter or augment its taste, let the manufacturers do it for you. Many brands sell infused or flavored liquors, which have about the same number of calories as the regular varieties.
“A lot of times you’ll find flavored vodka, tequila or rum that will enhance the taste, without adding the extra calories from the other mixers or the bottled juice.”
You can also make them at home with pineapples, vanilla beans and even jalapenos.
Don’t Over-Indulge
Of course, not every gathering you attend is going to have low-calorie options. Sometimes, the host will serve drinks that contain the same number of calories as a milkshake. In that instance, it’s OK to indulge, but practice some restraint.
“If you’re going to have a more indulgent beverage that has those cream-based mixers in them, then use that as your dessert — and limit yourself to one for sure, because they are really higher in calories,” Dubost says.
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