Skinny Cocktails

Skinny Cocktails

Here at American Bartending School we are now teaching our bartender school students how to make low cal cocktails.  Like to have a drink and not worry about the extra calories, think about ordering a skinny cocktail for a change.

We teach our future bartenders how to make their own drink mixes using sugar substitutes like Splenda to cut the calories in half of drinks that use a lemon or lime mixer.  In the old days of bartending, one of the first things that bartending schools taught students was how to make non-alcoholic mixes.  One of the original recipes consisted of fresh lemon or lime juice, sugar and egg white.  The egg white when shaken with other ingredients produces a foamy head on the drink.

With America’s bulging waistlines, some of the large chain restaurants are coming up with unique ways to make their customers favorite cocktails more slimming.  Many of these low calorie delights are less than 200 calories.  My first experience with of these slimming lavations was a Skinny Margarita.  It consisted of tequila and fresh lime juice.  Since the sugar was left out, it was a little on the tart side to say the least.

Most cocktails like martinis and margaritas have around 300 calories in them.  A couple of these before or during dinner can have as many calories as some of the low fat entrees.  The success of light beers has shown that many consumers are interested in reducing their calories, while still enjoying their favorite alcoholic beverage.

Skinny cocktails particularly appeal to women and to older consumers.  However, by the second or third cocktail, I don’t think anyone is still worrying about calories.

The Cheesecake Factory, known for its extra-large portions, now offers a full array of low calorie cocktails.  The Ram Restaurant Chain and Bakery in 5 states sell 80 calorie, Skinny Lime Bite Coolers made with Captain Morgan Lime Bite Rum and diet Coke with a lime garnish. A local Austin chain Z’Tejas  Southwestern Grill has a “Naturally Skinny” cocktail menu with six drinks under 250 calories.  They use fresh juices, spirits and natural sweeteners.

So, if you want to shed a few pounds after letting loose after the holidays, think about going on a diet of skinny cocktails every now and then.