If you're someone that likes to add a personal touch to your
BBQ's and weekend soirees, here are a few of my favorite summertime drinks (with a healthy spin) for you to try!
1.
Lynchburg LemonadeLynchburg Lemonade is a great summer drink. Unfortunately, it is also loaded with sugar (standard recipes have up to 40 grams of sugar, between the soda, the sweet and sour mix, and the orange liqueur). This recipe has three grams of carb from the lemon and lime juices. It also has fewer than half the calories of standard recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 jigger (1.5 oz or 3 tablespoons) Jack Daniels whiskey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- a few drops of orange extract
- 1 cup diet lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite or 7up)
Preparation:
Pour ingredients into a glass. Add ice, and stir. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Each serving has 3 grams effective carbohydrate and 107 calories.
2.
MojitoMojitos are very refreshing, which makes them a great summer drink. The trickiest part of making a sugar-free
Mojito is that sugar helps release the flavor from the mint (think of sugared strawberries and the juice that forms -- it's a similar thing). Special attention needs to be given to the "muddling" part -- really smash those mint leaves! Also, sugar alcohols (the best being
erythritol) are much better than other sugar substitutes for releasing the mint. The cooling aspect of
erythritol works really well in a
mojito.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. (2 tablespoons) lime juice or lime wedges from about a third of a lime
- 8 mint leaves
- 1 heaping tablespoon erythritol or other sugar substitute equalling a tablespoon or sugar (see note above)
- 1 jigger (1½ oz.) white rum (nutritional analysis uses 80 proof)
- Club soda
Preparation:
1. Put mint, lime or lime juice, and sweetener into the bottom of a highball glass. "Muddle" by mashing ingredients together. Traditionally, a "
muddler", which looks like a miniature wooden baseball bat, is used to accomplish this. However, the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula works fine.
2. Fill the glass about ¾ of the way with ice. Add the rum and top with club soda. Stir and enjoy.
Each serving has 2 grams effective carbohydrate and 103 calories.
3.
MargaritaMargaritas tend to be very high in sugar. Traditional ones have Triple Sec or Cointreau, both orange liqueurs with 5 grams of carb per tablespoon (16 grams per jigger). Margaritas made with sweet and sour mix are usually worse, as 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of sweet and sour mix has at least 17 grams of sugar, and sometimes more.
Ingredients:
- 1 jigger (1.5 oz) tequila
- 2 Tablespoons (1 oz) lime juice - bottled more convenient, fresh tastes a lot better
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) water
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 Tablespoon's worth artificial sweetener (I like to use liquid, carb-free types)
- Ice - small handful
- Margarita salt or kosher salt
Preparation:
1. Wet the rim of the glass and dip into a small plate of salt.
2. Combine all ingredients. You can either serve it over ice (in Mexico I've usually been served it this way, but I can't say I've had extensive experience), or strained into the glass, or blended in a blender.
2 grams of carbohydrate using bottled lime juice, 2.5 for fresh.
