Forget the box of chocolates, the double high cheesecake for dessert, and all of those calorie-rich cocktails! Valentine’s Day can really play havoc with your waistline. However, if you vow to play bartender at home you can keep your special someone’s diet goals in check with the following sweet elixirs in a glass.
Here are 10 low calorie cocktails for your sweet Valentine—minus the added sugar…
1. Red Pomegranate Cosmopolitan
150 calories
The cosmo is a classic—especially for the single ladies (seriously, have you ever seen an episode of ‘Sex and the City’?). You can pre-mix these puppies and have them on hand to serving to a room of lovely girlfriends. They’re totally lightweight, but brimming with the red promise of love—made with cranberry infused vodka, sparkling water, Cointreau—and, of course, pomegranate!
2 ounces cranberry-infused vodka
1 ounce Cointreau liqueur
1 cup ice
sparkling water, splash (optional)
lemon, a squeeze (optional)Directions:
Shake ingredients in a shaker and strain into chilled martini glasses.
2. Lusty Lemon Fizz
50 calories
At a mere 50 calories a glass, you can get your lover’s motor going with a drink we like to call the Lusty Lemon Fizz. It’s quite simple to shake up—it’s just a shot of vodka, champagne, fresh lemon juice, and you can substitute the rich calorie simple syrup for a dash of stevia or agave syrup—all served sexy-like in a tall highball glass!
Teaspoon of stevia or agave syrup
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 ounce ginDirections:
Shake and pour into a highball glass
3. Light My Heart Sea Breeze
120 calories
Even if you can’t afford to whisk your sweetie away to a tropical island, you can give them a piece of paradise in a glass! This lighter version of the classic sea breeze is just 1 ounce vodka, a splash of low calorie grapefruit juice, a splash of light cranberry juice, and sparkling soda.
A splash of low calorie grapefruit juice
A splash of light cranberry juice
1 1/2 cups sparkling soda
1 ounce light runDirections:
Layer in a highball or cocktail glass and garnish with fresh pineapple and citrus slices
4. Sweet Vanilla Ginger
100 calories
If you’re down with Gilligan, you will appreciate a drink that’s smokin’ like Ginger; not chaste like Mary Ann! And it’s perfect for your sizzling hot valentine too! Infused with the sweetness of vanilla vodka, you don’t need any added sugar. Just add some diet ginger ale on ice and enjoy!
1 1/2 cups diet ginger aleDirections:
Prepare over crushed ice and garnish with a few mint springs
5. Melt My Heart Mojito
81 calories
This fresh take on the mojito is a mere 81 calories so you can tempt your sweetie with a few. The tart citrus flavors of lemon and orange juice meet the sweetness of diet spirte and light rum for a marriage made in low-calorie mojito heaven.
1 ounce white rum
8 ounces diet Sprite
1/2 tsp of Splenda
A splash of orange juice
1 tbsp fresh mint
1 ounce lemon or lime juice (or both)Directions:
Muddle mint leaves, Splenda and lime juice in bottom of glass. Add rum, sprite and orange juice. Top with a few sprigs of mint and a squeeze of lemon/lime.
6. Grape Crush
100 calories
Nothing says, “I have a crush on you!” like this blushing beauty in a glass. To keep things light on your amours waistline, use a shot of vodka, sparkling water or plain soda, and just a splash of grape juice for color. You can also impress her by muddling red grapes in the bottom of a highball glass and squeezing a little fresh lemon on top!
1 ounce shot of vodka
1 1/2 cups sparkling water or plain soda
A splash of grape juice
A squeeze of fresh lemon on topDirections:
Muddle grapes in the bottom of a highball glass, pour all other ingredients into a shaker and shake away. Pour over ice and add lemon for garnish.
7. Mmmmmm Margarita
115 calories
Spice up your valentine’s day with a little margarita action—prepared lovingly in your own kitchen. Just sub the high caloric margarita mix with a packet of sugar free lemonade, add the tequila, a splash of diet lemon soda or sparkling lemon water—and suddenly it’s happy hour!
11/2 cup sparkling water or diet lemon soda
1 ounce tequila
Lime wedges, crushedDirections:
Pour all ingredients into a shaker, shake and pour mixture into a margarita glass with lots of crushed ice. Garnish with a slice of lime.
8. Raspberry Kiss
140 calories
Even if you don’t get a genuine kiss from the sweetheart of your dreams on Valentine’s Day, you can pucker up for this mouth-watering, low calorie beauty made with raspberry vodka, champagne, muddled sweet raspberries (for sweetness), and a twist of lemon.
11/2 cup sparkling water or diet lemon soda
1 ounce tequila
Lime wedges, crushedDirections:
Pour all ingredients into a shaker, shake and pour mixture into a margarita glass with lots of crushed ice. Garnish with a slice of lime.
9. Sour-Apple Martini
160-calories
If you’re sweetheart is already too saccharine, try a sour apple martini on for size. Most martinis weigh in at over 250 calories, but this particular martini weighs in surprisingly light—with one shot of sour-apple liquor, one shot of vodka, and soda.
1 ounce vodka
1 1/2 cup club soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Apple slices for garnishDirections: Use lemon wedge to moisten rims of martini glass and rub in cinnamon. Fill martini shaker with crushed ice. Pour in sour-apple liquor, vodka, and club soda. Strain into glasses and serve.
10. Simple Champagne
85 calories
A classy drink for a classy lady, champagne says romance and bubbly fun! Plus, at just 85-calories you and your sweetie can enjoy a few glasses for the same calorie total as a single beer or a single glass of wine.
Simple Champagne The champagne of your choice!
Directions:
Pop the cork, pour bubbly into two champagne flutes. Cheers!
