There's no escaping the fact that most cocktails are very high on calories. They often contain sugar, juices, mixers and syrups that bump up the calorific value.
Consider this: The calories from alcohol can depend on the pour, but typically, a 1.5-ounce shot means approximately 60-100 calories. What one has with the alcohol, makes the difference. For example, a 30ml shot of vodka is roughly 60 calories. A vodka-based cocktail with a juice or fizzy drink is in the vicinity of 500 calories.
Also read: World Cocktail Day 2022 | How to ace your cocktail game: Tips from top bartenders
For some time now, bartenders and makers of beverages and cocktail mixers have been looking for ways to market to consumers who are more calorie-conscious.
“Today, Indians consume more than 22 billion pegs of spirits at home, according to the International Wine & Spirits Report, and these are usually mixed with some non-alcoholic beverage to add variety and flavour,” says Ankur Bhatia, founder and CEO, Jimmy’s Cocktails.
According to Bhatia, more consumers have become mindful of what they put into their bodies since the Covid pandemic began. "They are looking for beverages that not only add flavour, but also have fewer calories and are made from high-quality natural ingredients," he adds.
Gaurish Rangnekar, mixologist and partner, Toast Bistro & Bar, Mumbai, says, “There is a lot of awareness of how sugar in excess is harmful. Hence, people are opting for low-calorie cocktails and drinks.”
Bartender’s choice
For those counting their calories, bartenders generally suggest wine, champagne, vodka, or even hard alcohol on-the-rocks or with soda as these don't contain sugary syrups, sweet juices, and mixers.
Robert Hospet, bartender and brand ambassador, Svami Drinks, says, “Cutting down on the quantity of the spirit, choosing your ingredients carefully and substituting wherever necessary, is the key.”
Vikram Achanta, founder and CEO, Tulleeho, agrees, “Select ingredients wisely. Remember, less is more. Create single or few flavour-driven drinks, rather than filling the drink with multiple syrups or ingredients. Companies are making efforts to mention calories, premium mixers are launching low-calorie variants as well.”
A mojito without syrup could be as low as 100 calories, but the addition of tequila and sugar can up the count.
A bartender only needs to be imaginative and clever, as today he has access to several products. Rangnekar, who started Skinny Cocktails in 2013, adds, “Bartenders today can make use of a variety of natural sweeteners such as Stevia, Monk Fruit Powder... Substitute the sugar beverages wherever possible, with seltzer or simple sparkling water. You can have a sugar-free mojito with white rum, soda, lime, mint leaves and stevia powder.”
There are options now for people who want to avoid preservatives and too-sweet flavours in their drinks, too. The Vodka Mule from Pune-based RM Beverages, is chief mixologist Varun Sudhakar’s take on the classic Moscow Mule - vodka mixed with ginger and lime. His Whiskey Collins, a take on the traditional cocktail, is mixed with apple and cinnamon.
If cocktails are getting reinvented by bartenders, and companies are offering low-cal readymade ones, mixer makers also have skin in the game. Low-calorie crafted beverages from Malaki, tonic waters and club sodas from Jade Forest, and offerings from Indian Standard Time Hard Seltzers with an alcohol content of 5% ABV (alcohol by volume), offering the effects of a beer in just 99 calories, 2 grams of sugar and a gluten-free concoction, making it the lowest calories drink, there is enough and more to choose from.
Into the Barrel at PCO Cocktail Bar, Mumbai.
Low-calorie cocktail recipes
Whether it is ready-made cocktails, freshly made cocktails at the bar or mixers to make your own at home, there are more choices than you think. Here are some cocktails to try:
Citrus Sparkle : 85 calories
45ml Tequila
20ml Lime juice
30ml fresh grapefruit juice
Top-up with tonic
Recipe courtesy : Autumn Leaf Bistro, Goa
Into The Barrel : 116.75 calories
30 ml bourbon - approx 65 cal
30 ml vermouth - approx 42 cal
5 ml Amaro Montenegro - approx 9.7 cal
This cocktail is aged in a barrel for 12 days at the restaurant.
Recipe courtesy: PCO Cocktail Bar, Mumbai
T-Sour : 120 calories
45 ml Bourbon whiskey
5ml lime juice
1 sachet Stevia powder
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Recipe courtesy: Toast-Bistro & Bar, Mumbai
New York Sour : 133 calories
45ml Bourbon whiskey
15ml Lemon juice
Sugar-free sweetener
Dash of Angostura Bitters
20ml Claret Red Wine
Recipe courtesy: St Regis, Mumbai
Recycled Kappi Martini: 134 Calories
A caffeinated drink that is surprisingly balanced with just the right ratio of alcohol, coffee vanilla essence and jaggery.
60ml Vodka
30ml cold brew coffee
2 drops vanilla essence
10ml jaggery
Recipe courtesy : Hopshaus, Bengaluru
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