It’s fair to say that some of our favourite alcoholic beverages have a bit of a reputation for being less than kind to our waistline… and shockingly some of the most well known cocktails can contain more calories than a small meal! We’ve done some research on the highest and lowest calorie options.
We’ll start by calling out some of the highest calorie cocktails - and whilst some won’t come as a surprise, others may be quite unexpected. Of course, the Pina Colada is one to watch, most commonly made with cream or coconut milk; they are one of the worst offenders and can have over 600 calories each. We have rationalized that as one is most likely to have a Pina Colada in hand on a sunny beach many miles from home, calorie consumption isn’t likely to be high on the priority list!
However, it may come as a surprise to hear that an average Long Island Ice Tea, made with a mix of a variety of different spirits, has over 700 calories! Who’s been guilty of knocking back a few too many of these at one time or another?! – and yes, we’re mentally calculating how many doughnuts we could’ve enjoyed instead…!
So now we’ve called out some of the worst offenders, how about some options that are still guaranteed to hit the spot but won’t have a negative impact on your summer body efforts? It’s no coincidence that one of the reasons why gin has grown in popularity recently is because it’s one of the most low calorie options. With a low calorie tonic, a double measure of gin is only around 120 calories, which is less than a large banana…! Lucky for us, there are now a huge variety of different gins available, including many different flavoured gins. Some bars are even dedicating an entire menu to gin based cocktails, complimented by a variety of flavoured low calorie tonics; we particularly like the Fever Tree and Fentimans range.
Another low calorie option is the Cosmopolitan, made with a mix of vodka, triple sec, lime juice and raspberry juice; an average serving is only around 150 calories. Coming in around the same, at just 160 calories, is everyone’s favourite, the Mojito! A standard Mojito is made with light rum, soda water, fresh lime, fresh mint and sugar, making it a lighter choice. We’ll take two!
We’d love to hear your thoughts; were you surprised by our findings? Would this influence your choices? Get in touch and let us know!