There's nothing wrong with being a little calorie conscious, especially when so many foods and drinks today are jam-packed with empty calories, and low calorie cocktails serve as the perfect alternative to their more indulgent cocktail cousins. Jam-packed with flavor and easy to make, all of these cocktails are great options to give you more for less.
Diet Ginger Mule
This low-calorie spin on the classic Moscow mule substitutes ginger ale for ginger beer and lands in at only 70 calories per serving.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounces stevia simple syrup
- 1 ounces vodka
- Ice
- Diet ginger ale
- Lime wedge and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice, stevia simple syrup, and vodka. Add ice and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a mule cup filled with ice.
- Top with diet ginger ale and garnish with a lime wedge.
Bloody Godfather
The Godfather is one of the quintessential two-ingredient cocktails, and this low-calorie option adds a sprinkling of raspberry flavor while weighing in at 83 calories a glass.
Ingredients
- 10 raspberries
- Dash Angostura bitters
- 1 ounce Scotch whiskey
- Ice
- 1 ounce no calorie raspberry sparkling water
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, combine the raspberries, bitters, and Scotch.
- Muddle the ingredients and strain into a cocktail glass filled with ice.
- Top with raspberry sparkling water and serve.
Rum and Diet Coke
A quick way to cut some calories out of your favorite cocktail pairing is to swap out sugary colas for their diet versions instead. In fact, this rum and Diet Coke recipe is only 98 calories.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces light rum
- Ice
- Diet cola
- Lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a tall glass, pour in the rum and add ice.
- Top with diet cola and garnish with a lime wedge.
Cranberry Bog Cocktail
This cranberry, honey, and vodka cocktail is only 100 calories and goes great with a light brunch or lunch.
Ingredients
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 1 ounce vodka
- Ice
- No-calorie cranberry seltzer
- Lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice, honey, and vodka.
- Add ice and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a cocktail glass or tall glass and top with cranberry seltzer.
- Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
Lemon Gin Fizz
You can't go wrong with a gin fizz, and this lemon version ends up being only 88 calories a glass.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ounce gin
- Ice
- Lemon seltzer
- Lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, combine the lemon juice and gin.
- Stir together and pour into a tall glass filled with ice.
- Top with lemon seltzer and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Skinny Presbyterian
Another classic two-ingredient whiskey cocktail, this skinny Presbyterian uses diet ginger ale to come out to only 94 calories.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Scotch whiskey
- Ice
- Diet ginger ale
Instructions
- In a tall glass or rocks glass, pour in the Scotch whiskey.
- Add ice and top with diet ginger ale.
- Stir together and serve.
Raspberry Old Fashioned
Old fashioneds are a barroom staple, and this raspberry old fashioned is only 96 calories.
Ingredients
- 1 fresh cherry
- 4 raspberries
- 1 sugar cube
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 ounce whiskey
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, combine the cherry, raspberries, sugar cube, and bitters.
- Gently muddle the ingredients.
- Pour in the whiskey and add ice.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Speed Trap Greyhound
A low-calorie spin on the classic greyhound cocktail, this speed trap greyhound ends up being under a hundred calories at only 98 per serving.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- Ice
- No-calorie grapefruit seltzer
- Lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a tall glass, pour the vodka.
- Add ice and top with grapefruit seltzer.
- Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
Lime Vodka Soda
Vodka sodas are incredibly popular because of how easy they're to make and how delicious they taste; this lime vodka soda recipe weighs in at only 98 calories.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- Ice
- No-calorie lime seltzer
- Lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a collins glass, pour the vodka.
- Add ice and top with lime seltzer.
- Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
Raspberry Lime Gimlet
Anyone who takes a sip of this flavor-packed raspberry lime gimlet will have any clue that it's only 78 calories.
Ingredients
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 ounce gin
- Ice
- No-calorie raspberry seltzer
- Lime slice for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice and gin.
- Add ice and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a cocktail glass or rocks glass and top with raspberry seltzer.
- Garnish with a lime slice (optional) and serve.
Low-Calorie Mudslide
At only 78 calories a serving, but with the richness of the original mudslide, this choco-coffee concoction is sure to become your new favorite drink. This recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1½ cups espresso
- ¼ cup Kahlúa
- 4 teaspoons stevia
- Ice
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the skim milk, espresso, Kahlua, sugar, and ice.
- Blend thoroughly and pour into four tall glasses.
Aperol Spritz
One of the most beloved daytime cocktails, this Aperol spritz recipe serves up a drink that's only 89 calories.
Instructions
- In a cocktail glass, combine the Aperol and Prosecco.
- Add ice and top off with club soda.
- Garnish with an orange wedge.
Low Calorie Cocktail Mixers
All of these recipes probably have you itching to start experimenting with making your own low-calorie cocktails out of your favorite flavor pairings and local ingredients. Here are a few fundamental low-calorie mixers that'll get you started.
- Diet tonic water
- Diet sodas
- Tea
- Sparkling water
- Lime/lemon juice
- Sugar-free cranberry juice
- Coconut water
- No-calorie flavored seltzers
Tips for Lowering Calorie Count
If you're looking for ways to reduce the calorie count in some of your favorite cocktails without sacrificing taste, here are a few suggestions.
- Use light or low-cal versions of cocktail mixers, such as calorie-reduced juices or diet sodas.
- Cutting back on the alcohol used in a recipe can reduce calorie count quickly. Gin, rum, and vodka all contain about 65 calories per ounce, so if a recipe calls for 1½ ounces, try making it with 1 ounce of alcohol instead.
- Look for low calorie drink mixes, such as Baja Bob's. These mixes are sugar free and low-calorie, with only 10 calories per serving (before adding alcohol).
- Avoid most tropical drinks, such as margaritas, piña coladas, daiquiris, and any drinks that call for multiple fruit juices or syrups. Shockingly, these hidden high-calorie ingredients can create cocktails that are 700+ calories per serving.
Don't Sacrifice Taste
The most important thing to remember when you're creating low-calorie cocktails is that you should never sacrifice taste for calorie count. Fresh herbs, botanicals, seltzers, and fruits can be your best friend when trying to build a cocktail profile that's both healthy and tastes wonderful.
