With Sunday Funday’s, After work Happy Hours, and Summer Trips, it can be easy to find yourself consuming extra calories. Let me preface by saying, I am not a calorie counter. I like to follow more of an 80/20 rule for eating and gauging how I feel. 

However, I have spent the last couple months working hard in the gym for the last couple of months and I really want to focus on not detailing my progress anyway I can. Since Fitness is mostly diet, I know that my Achilles heel is a well-mixed cocktail. 

I love catching up with old friends over drinks or hosting wine night with my girlfriends so I don’t foresee that changing, haha! In that case, I’ve decided to find some low calorie options to order that allow me to enjoy the long summer nights ahead.

Let start with my favorite, now I know gin isn’t in everyone’s taste…but for those of us that do, this is a great option since there aren’t a lot of sugary mixes or additives to beware of.

Strawberry Mojito

Ingredients

• 6-8 Mint Leaves

• 3 tbsp. Stevia

• 1 Lime sliced

• 6 oz Strawverries sliced

• 12 oz club soda

• 3 oz light rum

• ice

Instructions

1. In a large cocktail shaker, combine mint leaves and Stevia. For a stronger mint flavor mash the mint leaves to release the flavor.

2. Squeeze in lime juice from 1/2 of the lime.

3. Add rum and shake.

4. Add sliced strawberries and lime slices. Gently stir them in.

5. Separate between two glasses and add club soda and ice.

6. Stir lightly and serve.

Rosé Spritzer

Ingredients

• 5 medium-sized ice cubes

• Rosé wine

• Club soda

• Slice of lemon

Instructions

1. Place ice in glass.

2. Fill the glass half full with wine, then top up with the club soda.

3. Garnish with the slice of lemon. 

4. Enjoy immediately; preferably on a patio somewhere.

Jalapeno Infused Vodka Cocktail

• 1 cup vodka

• 1 diced jalapeno, seeds removed

Cocktail

• 1 shot jalapeño vodka (1 – 1.5 ounces)

• 2 tablespoons pineapple juice

• 6 ounces lime or pineapple flavored sparkling water

• Author: Physical Kitchness

• Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

1. Pour the vodka into a glass jar and add the sliced jalapeño. Seal the top with a cover or lid and let sit overnight to infuse

2. When ready to assemble the cocktail, combine one shot of the jalapeño infused vodka with 2 tablespoons pineapple juice and 6 ounces sparkling water flavor of choice (lime or pineapple works best)

3. Add ice and pineapple tidbits if desired