You might be surprised to learn just how many calories are in your favorite summer cocktails and how quickly they add up on those warm evenings in the backyard. All of those mixers—juices, simple syrups, sodas—contain sugar, which equals calories. If you don’t typically drink soda or other sweet, caloric beverages, you’d do well to avoid them in your alcoholic consumption as well.
No need to eschew your favorite mint julep recipe just yet! Forget anything you might have heard about low-calorie cocktails as being tasteless and boring. Most of our current favorites are simply takes on the classics, pared down or modified to decrease the calorie content. Also, when fresh fruit is available, don’t be afraid to add extra. The natural sweetness of the fruit will enhance the flavor of the drink without doing any damage to your waistline.
We’ve come up with seven delicious drinks that also happen to be low in calories. Don’t forget that the booze itself contains calories (about 100 calrories, give or take, per 1.5 ounces of hard liquor), so before you knock back too many so-called low-calorie beverages, remember: everything in moderation.