Rushe Fitness owner Emmet Rushe shares 5 recipes to shave the calories off our favourite summer drinks.

Sunshine!

Every time we get a burst of sunshine, 2 things happen.

  1. The barbecues are dusted off
  2. People like to enjoy a few drinks in the sunshine.

The combination of these 2 can add up to a load of calories in a short space of time, so I started thinking about how you could save some calories and still enjoy a few summery drinks while the weather allows it.

Cocktails are a favourite for many people when they are relaxing in the sunshine.

The problem with standard cocktails, is usually the sugar content or that they have syrups added to them which bump up the calorie count.

The recipes below will show you how to enjoy your favourites while shaving off some calories and hopefully saving your waistline in the process.

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The Summer Shape Up Mojito


Ingredients;

  • 1.5 cut limes
  • 20 mint leaves
  • 56ml white rum
  • Swap the 2.5 tsp of sugar for 2.5 tsp of stevia
  • Add a splash of soda water or more if you want less alcohol and calories.

Method;

  • Mash the limes, mint and stevia in a bowl with the end of a rolling pin.

  • Add this to the glass and then add the ice and pour in the rum.

  • Add soda water to taste and stir well.

  • Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve.

    This gives you 128 calories per drink and no sugar as there is less alcohol than a standard Mojito and the sugar has been swapped for Stevia.
    Standard Mojito has 215 cals per drink and 25g of sugar.

Gin and Tonic

Ingredients;

  • 35ml Gin
  • 100ml slimline tonic water

A standard Gin and Tonic has 171 calories and 10-15g of sugar depending on how much tonic water you use and if it is one of the new flavoured ones.

Swapping your tonic water for a slimline tonic will cut this down to 97 calories per serving and this will cut out all of the sugar.

This is a simple way to save calories without changing this classic drink.

Vodka Watermelon Slushie

Image: shewearsmanyhats.com

This is a creation of my own and has a great summery taste to it.

The slushies that you are getting at the bars at the moment are loaded with sugary syrups and hundreds of calories.

You just need a similar way to get your slush in without all of the syrups and sugars.

Ingredients;

Method;

  • Cut the watermelon into cubes
  • Put into a freezer bag and freeze for a few hours.
  • Take out enough frozen cubes to 3/4 fill your glass and blend into your slush mix.
  • Add vodka to the glass and spoon the watermelon slush over the mix
  • Add 100ml of the sparkling Ice Strawberry watermelon to top up the glass
  • Stir and serve
    Calories = 110cals

Yuzu’s Dragon Champagne

Another invention of my own, again we are trying to add some flavour to standard drinks in order to give them a summery feel without all of the excess calories that come from fruit juices

Ingredients;

I don’t think that I need to explain the method here, as it’s pretty self-explanatory.
But this drink only comes in at 95 calories per flute and has a great summery flavour.

You can garnish this with a few beads of pomegranate to add even more flavour.

Skinny Margarita

The standard Margarita comes in at around 170 calories per serving, a simple way to save some calories is to swap the Cointreau for fresh orange juice.

This will save you 95 calories per glass.

Ingredients;

  • 35ml Tequila
  • 20ml fresh orange juice
  • 35ml fresh lime juice
  • A handful ice cubes

Method;

  • Pour the Tequila, Orange Juice and lime juice into a cocktail shaker.
  • Add a handful of ice cubes and shake for 10-15 seconds.
  • Prep glass by dampening the rim with water, and then dipping in salt.
  • Strain mix into a Martini glass.
  • Add a lime wedge on the rim of the glass and serve.

Calores = 102

There you have it.

5 summery slimline cocktails that will allow you to enjoy the sunshine without having to think about your summer body.
#summershapeup

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Please Drink Responsibly. Visit www.drinkaware.ie