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Lighten up refreshing cocktails | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Thursday, May 29, 2008

Lighten up refreshing cocktails

By Charles Stuart Platkin

Barbecues, sun, water and fun. Summer is here, and it's time for a cocktail. Problem is, alcoholic drinks are like liquid doughnuts — and most people overlook their calorie costs. To help you keep track, we've figured out the calories in a few of the most popular summer drinks, put in the exercise equivalents, and provided tips for lightening up your summer cocktails.

FROZEN MARGARITA

  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt

  • 1 lime wedge

  • 3 ounces white tequila

  • 1 ounce triple sec

  • 2 ounces lime juice

  • 1 cup crushed ice

    Place salt in a saucer. Rub rim of a cocktail glass with lime wedge and dip glass into salt to coat rim thoroughly; reserve lime. Pour tequila, triple sec, lime juice and crushed ice into a blender. Blend well at high speed. Pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime wedge.

    Makes 1 drink.

    Source: CraveOnline/Drinks Mixer (www.drinksmixer.com)

    Calories: 280

    Exercise equivalents in minutes: walk, 72; bike, 40; run, 30; swim: 34; yoga, 96; and dance, 48

    MOJITO

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 4 sprigs fresh mint — plus 1 for garnish

  • Club soda, as needed

  • 1 lime, halved

  • 2 ounces light rum

    Muddle sugar and 4 mint springs with club soda to moisten in a pint glass. Squeeze both halves of lime into the glass, leaving one hull in the mixture. Add rum, stir and fill with ice. Top with additional club soda. Garnish with remaining mint sprig.

    Makes 1 (1-pint) drink.

    Source: "Mr. Boston Platinum Edition" (Wiley, 2006)

    Calories: 171

    Exercise equivalents in minutes: walk, 44; bike, 24; run, 18; swim, 21; yoga, 59; and dance, 29

    PIÑA COLADA

  • 1 1/2 ounces light rum

  • 2 ounces Coco Lopez cream of coconut

  • 2 ounces pineapple juice

  • 1 cup crushed ice

  • 1 slice pineapple, for garnish

  • 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

    Pour rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice into a blender with crushed ice. Blend until smooth, and pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with pineapple slice and maraschino cherry.

    Makes 1 (8- to 12-ounce) drink.

    Source: CraveOnline/Drinks Mixer (www.drinksmixer.com)

    Calories: 193

    Exercise equivalents in minutes: walk, 50; bike, 27; run, 21; swim, 24; yoga, 66; and dance, 33

    FROZEN CAPPUCCINO

    SUGAR AND CINNAMON TO RIM GLASS

  • 1/2 ounce Irish cream liqueur

  • 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur

  • 1/2 ounce hazelnut liqueur

  • 1 scoop vanilla ice cream

  • 1 dash light cream

  • 1 cup crushed ice

  • Cinnamon stick, for garnish

    Dip moistened rim of a parfait glass in sugar and cinnamon. Combine all remaining ingredients (except cinnamon stick) in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared parfait glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

    Makes 1 (12-ounce) drink.

    Source: "Mr. Boston Platinum Edition" (Wiley, 2006)

    Calories: 439

    Exercise equivalents in minutes: walk, 114; bike, 62; run, 47; swim, 54; yoga, 150; and dance, 75

    STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI

  • 1/2 ounce strawberry schnapps

  • 1 ounce light rum

  • 1 ounce lime juice

  • 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

  • 1 ounce strawberries

  • 1 whole strawberry, for garnish

    Combine ingredients (except garnish) with a bit of ice in a blender. Blend and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the strawberry.

    Makes 1 drink.

    Source: CraveOnline/Drinks Mixer (www.drinksmixer.com)

    Calories: 127

    Exercise equivalents in minutes: walk, 33; bike, 18; run, 14; swim, 16; yoga, 43; and dance, 22

    TIPS FOR LIGHTENING UP DRINKS

    James Oliver Cury, executive editor of Epicurious.com, suggests the following:

  • Use more or larger ice cubes. The gradual melting can be good for a drink.

  • All fizzy drinks can be made lighter with more soda water.

  • Go easy on the sugar. Rum, lime and mint have plenty of flavor. Add sugar to taste instead of dumping in the recipe's stated amount.

  • Use freshly squeezed juice.

  • When rimming a glass with sugar or salt, do not dip the entire glass upside down into salt/sugar. Twirl the outside of the glass only into the mix so the inside doesn't get the sugar/salt.

  • The pina colada has a lot of sugar. Experiment with using some regular pineapple instead of pineapple juice and some unsweetened cream of coconut in place of the sweetened cream of coconut.

  • Using smaller, classic cocktail glasses is retro chic, plus it cuts down on calories and keeps you and your friends from getting soused.

  • Some good lower-calorie drink options: red or white wine, wine spritzers and drinks made with seltzer or club soda.

  • Steer clear of anything that could double as dessert (creamy liqueurs, anything with cream or ice cream).

  • Alternate consuming alcoholic beverages with drinking water for hangover prevention and calorie reduction.

    Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and founder and editor of www.DietDetective.com.

    Reach Charles Stuart Platkin at info@thedietdetective.com.

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