Let's be frank: if you're trying to lose weight, you should probably stop drinking altogether; but if you're merely trying not to gain weight while maintaining your ever-important socialite status, these five cocktails will facilitate your drunken good time while keeping those empty calories to a minimum.
5. Mimosa
Surely all you brunch fiends are relieved to see this one on the list. Most champagnes have a lower calorie count than liquors, and orange juice isn't bad either (provided it's 100% juice), so an 8-ounce Mimosa will only set you back about 150 calories.
4. Bloody Mary This one is kind of surprising since one Bloody Mary tends to feel like a whole meal, but if you order a modestly-sized version (about 6 ounces served in a collins glass), you're only looking at about 140 calories. This is due in part to the lower sugar content in tomato juice versus the usual sweet fruit juices, but it's still packed with sodium so don't overdo it.
3. Rum and Diet
It's really quite simple: liquor has a set number of calories per ounce/shot/bottle/etc. so your mixer is the variable. One shot (1.5 ounces) of rum contains roughly 100 calories, so that's your bare minimum. The lowest-calorie rum cocktail possible would therefore be with a zero calorie mixer like Diet Coke to keep your 5-ounce beverage sitting pretty at 100 calories.
2. Vodka Soda
Same story as the rum cocktail. Vodka also has about 100 calories per 1.5-ounce shot, but it has the added benefit of mixing better with plain old soda water, which is much better for you than diet soda (note: please keep in mind that soda water and tonic water are not the same thing). Try ordering a strawberry, raspberry or peach-flavored Vodka Soda for a tastier low-cal option that won't stain your dress when you spill it on the dance floor.
1. White Wine Spritzer
Most wines have less calories than liquor, and all "spritzer" really means is that it's diluted with some type of clear carbonated beverage and a splash of lemon or lime juice. If you go the lowest calorie route by using a drier wine like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc and soda water, you can pare that spritzer down to 70 calories per 7-ounce glass.
Nutritional information was taken from WebMD and nutrientfacts.com.
