Low & No Cocktails

Frustratingly alcohol is calorific with your average spirit coming in at approximately; 55 calories per 25ml (single shot) of spirit. Start adding sweet liqueurs and sugar syrups and the calories start to pile up! Thankfully, January for whatever reason is the month to moderate and look in more detail at what we are consuming. Check out this handy tip guide provided by Gifford's magazine; one of the most renowned cocktail books and media output sources in the world.

Spirits - Some spirits such as gin, most cognacs and many rums contain a couple of grams of sugar per litre so select your base spirit carefully.

Bitters - Most aromatic bitters contain a small amount of sugar or caramel but with just a dash or two being used you can simply call this a trace of sugar. Utilize a variety of bitters to enhance any simple cocktail, this will provide the punch you need without dousing your beverage with sugar. 

Champagne - Brut Champagne may be dry but it still contains sugar. Look for Brut Nature or Brut Zero champagnes which do not have sugar added during the dosage process. Despite this, they may contain up to 2 grams of sugar per litre. 

Agave - This is an unbelievable natural way of sweetening a cocktail or a smoothie without using processed sugar cane or beet. However, the agave nectar is itself processed, containing sugars and is calorific. Keep an eye out for natural agave. It's your cupboard's best friend.

To keep on top of your calorie consumption, Gifford's cocktail guide has provided all cocktails under the search tool 'nutrition' a calorific breakdown of each drink. some of the top contenders for a better January are listed below: 

NO & LOW COCKTAILS

Bloody Mary

Vodka 50 ml

Unsweetened Tomato juice 125 ml

Lemon juice 20 ml

Add your seasonings: celery, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce. With Vitamin loaded tomato juice and lemon juice, this sugar-free & low-calorie Mary is almost a healthy alternative option. Approx 158 calories.   

Caipirinha

50 ml Cachaca

25 ml Fresh lime

15ml Agave

Forget those Caipirinhas blighted by crunchy undissolved sugar crystals, this version is punchy, boozy, clean and helped along with our Mexican plant extract agave. Approx 101 calories

Espresso Martini

Vodka 40 ml 

Espresso Coffe. large measure

Sugar-free sweetener 10ml 

Slightly lighter than your usual Espresso Martini due to the removal of the coffee liqueur. Add a pinch of salt to give a bit more body and balance. Approx 103 calories.

Old Fashioned

Bourbon 50ml 

Angostura Bitters 2 dashes

Orange peel to garnish

Despite being made with agave rather than a block of brown sugar, this is very palatable and many will struggle to differentiate between the two. Classic, clean, elegant, punchy! everything an Old Fashioned should be. Approx 127 calories.