WATERMELON MARTINI
145 calories per serving
Beautiful to look at and refreshing to drink, this martini may not be masculine enough for James Bond, but it’s fantastic. The lime juice cuts the sweetness just a bit and adds a slight tang. Serves 1
Ice cubes
1½ ounces vodka
3 ounces fresh watermelon juice, homemade (recipe follows) or store bought
Juice of ½ lime
Thin slice of watermelon, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, combine the vodka, watermelon juice, and lime juice. Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the slice of watermelon and serve.
HOMEMADE FRESH WATERMELON JUICE
For 3 ounces of juice, start with ½ pound peeled, seeded, and chopped watermelon. Place it in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a strainer into a bowl. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
FIRE & ICE
135 calories per serving
If you like the combination of spicy and sweet, then you will love this cocktail. If you can’t find pepper-infused vodka or tequila, just muddle half a jalapeño or serrano chile with the cucumber. Serves 1
1-inch piece of cucumber, peeled and chopped
Juice of ½ lime
Juice of ¼ lemon
1½ ounces jalapeño-flavored tequila or pepper-infused vodka
Ice cubes
Splash of lime-flavored club soda
Muddle the cucumber and simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the lime and lemon juices and the tequila and shake for 10 seconds.
Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice cubes, add a splash of club soda, and serve.
CONCORD GRAPE “SODA”
116 calories per serving
Making your own Concord grape simple syrup is the key to incredibly natural grape flavor in this beautifully hued cocktail. If you really want to be fancy, serve in a champagne flute and add a splash of sparkling wine (at only 25 calories an ounce). Freeze a few extra Concord grapes and add them to the cocktail in place of ice cubes. Serves 1
1 ounce gin
1 lime wedge
Crushed ice
3 ounces club soda or champagne
5 Concord grapes, frozen (optional)
Mix together the gin and grape syrup in a rocks glass.
Squeeze the lime and add to the glass. Add crushed ice and fill to top with the soda. Garnish with the frozen grapes, if desired, and serve.
Substitute vodka for the gin.
THE HONEY BEE
139 Calories
When I think of manly drinks, I think whiskey, straight up or with a drop of water. To make whiskey more palatable to feminine tastes, soften it with a touch of sweetness by adding honey and apple cider, as well as a bit of freshness with lemon juice. This cocktail is so good that the men may ask you to prepare one for them, too. Serves 1
1½ ounces whiskey
2 ounces apple cider
1 teaspoon honey
Juice of ½ lemon
Ice cubes
Splash of lemon-flavored seltzer or club soda
Lemon wedge, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, combine the whiskey, apple cider, honey, lemon juice, and a few ice cubes and shake for 10 seconds.
Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice cubes and top with seltzer. Garnish with the lemon wedge and serve.
CHOCOLATE MARTINI
148 calories per serving
This is a perfect cocktail to serve to chocolate lovers or as an aperitif before a romantic meal with your significant other. Serves 1
1½ ounces vodka
½ ounce chocolate liqueur (crème de cacao), such as Godiva
Ice cubes
½ teaspoon finely grated bittersweet chocolate, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, combine the vodka, chocolate liqueur, and ice cubes and shake for 20 seconds.
Strain into a martini glass, garnish with the grated chocolate, and serve.
Substitute coffee-flavored vodka for regular vodka and garnish with a chocolate-covered espresso bean instead of the grated chocolate.
Substitute orange-flavored vodka for regular vodka and garnish with grated chocolate and finely grated orange zest.
RUBY RED GRAPEFRUIT–LAVENDER GIN SODA
109 calories per serving
This easy-to-drink beverage is like a lemonade with a floral twist and a kick. Its pink hue and sparkle make it pretty and girly. Serves 8
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
1 small Ruby Red grapefruit, coarsely chopped
6 lavender flowers
8 ounces gin
1 quart grapefruit-flavored sparkling water or club soda
Ice cubes
8 slices Ruby Red grapefruit, for garnish
8 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, water, grapefruit, and lavender and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the grapefruit is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup into a small pitcher or bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Put the syrup into a pitcher and stir in the gin and sparkling water. Serve in tall glasses filled with ice cubes, each garnished with a grapefruit slice and a sprig of mint.
HIBISCUS SANGRIA
127 calories per serving
This hot-pink punch—which gets its lovely hue from the bright-magenta leaves of the hibiscus flower—will steal the show at your next celebration or brunch. Hibiscus tea has a tart cranberry-like flavor. You may find it in your grocery store’s tea aisle under the name Red Zinger. Serves 8
2 cups water
3 hibiscus tea bags
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bottle cold fruity white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
4 ounces gin or vodka
1 cup Ruby Red grapefruit juice
1 orange, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 small Gala apple, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the tea bags and sugar and let steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags and let the tea cool to room temperature.
Transfer the cooled tea to a pitcher and add the wine, gin, grapefruit juice, orange slices, raspberries, and apple slices. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours before serving.
Divide the drink among 8 wine glasses, making sure to get a little fruit in each, and serve.
FROZEN LIMEADE MARGARITA
144 calories per serving
Pale-green, cool, refreshing, tangy limeade is a fantastic drink for a hot summer day. Turn it into an adult slushy with the addition of ice cubes and tequila! Serves 10
1 12-ounce can of good-quality frozen limeade (such as Newman’s Own), partially thawed
4 cups ice cubes
10 ounces silver tequila or lime-flavored tequila
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
1 cup lime-flavored club soda
1 large orange, cut into 10 wedges
In a blender, combine the limeade, ice cubes, tequila, lime zest, and club soda and blend until smooth.
Divide among 10 glasses, squeeze an orange wedge over the top of each, and serve.
Substitute white rum for the tequila, 12 fresh mint leaves for the lime zest, and lime wedges for the orange wedges.
POMEGRANATE SANGRIA GRANITA
117 calories per serving
Just when you thought sangria couldn’t be more refreshing, here it is in an icy iteration. Basically a Spanish-style snow cone, it’s oh-so-craveable on hot summer days! Serves 6
1 cup very cold 100% bottled pomegranate juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 cups very cold fruity red wine, such as merlot
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)
In a medium bowl, combine the pomegranate juice, simple syrup, orange and lemon zests, and wine. Pour the mixture into a 10-inch shallow baking dish. Cover and freeze for about 30 minutes. Scrape the mixture with a fork and freeze for another 30 minutes. Repeat until the sangria is completely frozen, about 5 hours.
Remove the mixture from the freezer and scrape with a fork until the entire mixture is fluffy.
Serve in cups with spoons and garnish with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, if desired.
PEAR-SAGE WINE COOLERS
140 calories per serving
These are not only low-calorie, refreshing cocktails but are also beautiful to look at. The combinations of fruits and herbs are endless, too. Create seasonal flavors using the freshest ingredients you can find. Serves 7
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
1 Bartlett pear, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
6 fresh sage leaves
1 bottle cold fruity white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
Cold club soda
In a medium nonreactive pan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to reduce slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add the pear slices and sage leaves, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Using a slotted spoon, divide the pear slices among 7 wine glasses and add 2 teaspoons of the syrup.
Fill each glass with 3½ ounces of wine, top off with a splash of club soda, and serve.
Substitute 1 halved, pitted, and thinly sliced peach for the pear and 6 fresh basil leaves for the sage.
Substitute 7 quartered strawberries for the pear and 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary for the sage.
Substitute 14 halved blackberries for the pear and 3 sprigs of fresh thyme for the sage.
BLACK RUSSIAN GRANITA
90 calories per serving
A Black Russian cocktail is simply equal parts of coffee liqueur and vodka. This drink first appeared in 1949, at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels, and owes its name to the use of vodka, a typical Russian spirit, and the blackness of the coffee liqueur. Our frozen version is the perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer day or a perfect “cocktail” to serve at brunch. Serves 6
2 cups cold espresso or strong coffee
4 ounces vanilla vodka
2 ounces Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
In a medium bowl, stir together the espresso, simple syrup, vodka, Kahlua, and orange zest. Pour the mixture into a 10-inch baking dish. Cover and freeze for about 45 minutes. Scrape with a fork and freeze for another 45 minutes. Repeat until the mixture is completely frozen, about 5 hours.
Remove the mixture from the freezer and scrape with a fork until the entire mixture is fluffy. Serve in coffee cups with spoons.
BIRTHDAY CAKE
142 calories per serving
Vanilla-flavored vodka paired with the slightly spicy, slightly lemony-lime flavor of ginger ale tastes like a yummy piece of birthday cake! So you can have your cake and drink it for less than 150 calories. Use diet ginger ale and you come in under 100! Serves 1
1½ ounces vanilla-flavored vodka, homemade (recipe follows) or store bought
4 ounces very cold ginger ale (or diet ginger ale)
Crushed ice
Sliced strawberry or raspberries, for garnish
Combine the vodka and ginger ale in a rocks glass.
Add crushed ice, garnish with a strawberry or raspberries, and serve.
HOMEMADE VANILLA VODKA
Split 2 fresh vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a bottle of vodka.
Refrigerate for at least 2 days and up to 1 month.
COTTON CANDY
134 calories per serving
This cocktail is like a favorite carnival treat in a glass! However, our version has all of the flavor but virtually none of the calories and sugar. For more of a slushy consistency, make it with crushed ice. Serves 1
Ice
1½ ounces vanilla-flavored vodka, homemade or store bought
1 ounce canned unsweetened pineapple juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Vanilla club soda
Fresh pineapple wedge, for garnish (optional)
In a cup filled with ice, combine the vodka, pineapple juice, and grenadine.
Top with the club soda, garnish with a pineapple wedge, if desired, and serve.
APPLE, ELDERFLOWER & VODKA COCKTAIL
143 calories per serving
Elderflower liqueur is made from the elderflower, a small, white starry flower that blooms through the spring and summer in Germany and Austria. In Europe, the flower is used to flavor many foods and drinks, but in the United States it’s gaining popularity in the form of a liqueur. The flavor is floral with undertones of citrus and fruit, like peach and pear. Serves 1
3 ounces unfiltered apple juice
1 ounce vodka or raspberry-flavored vodka
2 teaspoons elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain
Ice cubes
Splash of peach-, raspberry-, or orange-flavored club soda
1 thin slice Gala apple, for garnish
5 fresh raspberries, for garnish
Fresh mint sprig, for garnish
Combine the apple juice, vodka, and elderflower liqueur in a tall glass. Add ice cubes and top with club soda. Garnish with the apple slice, raspberries, and mint sprig and serve.
CHAMPAGNE FLOAT
130 calories per serving
What could be more decadent than a champagne float? This can be a perfect “dessert” cocktail, or think of it as a new spin on the mimosa. The variations are endless—try different sorbet flavors, or mixing and matching, too: mango-pineapple, raspberry-lemon, blueberry-pomegranate. Just keep the total amount of sorbet to ¼ cup (2 ounces) and the total amount of sparkling wine to 3 ounces, and you’re good to go. Serves 1
2 ounces (¼ cup) orange sorbet
3 ounces very cold sparkling wine or champagne
Fresh mint sprig, for garnish
Put the sorbet into a white wine glass and pour the sparkling wine over the top. Garnish with the mint sprig and serve.
SPARKLING CHERRY LEMONADE
135 calories per serving
This is not the pink lemonade from your childhood made with lots of sugar and a splash of grenadine. This grown-up version is not only delicious but “pretty in pink” to look at, too. If you can’t find cherry juice or you aren’t a fan, a splash of cranberry juice or pomegranate juice will do nicely. Serves 1
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cherry juice
Crushed ice
3 ounces very cold sparkling wine
Lemon slice, for garnish
Fresh mint sprig, for garnish
Maraschino cherry, for garnish (optional)
Combine the lemon zest and juice, simple syrup, and cherry juice in a rocks glass. Add crushed ice and the sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemon slice, mint sprig, and cherry, if using.
