A Fit Girl's Guide to the Bar

You can have abs and eat cake.

But TBH I don't care about cake, I care about tequila and beer. So keep your cake, I choose the abs and booze. 



BECAUSE I CAN, HONEY!

I have had tons of requests to write a post on "healthy cocktails." First of all, there is no such thing. There are just cocktails that are less calories, no alcohol is healthy in any form, not even red wine.

Good News: When it comes to fat loss, a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter if that calorie comes kale or Corona. 

To lose fat, you need to be in a caloric deficit, PERIOD. We aren't talking about health here guys, we are talking about fat-loss. Clearly we all know there is nothing healthy about alcohol, but gone is the belief that you have to cut out drinking completely to lose weight.

For a more in-depth look at to find balance in achieving fat loss without giving up your favorite indulgences,  go read my recent post

 "How to Get Fit & Still Have a Social Life."

• FUN FACT: There are 7 calories per gram of alcohol. Those 7 calories are not from fat, carbs, or protein. It is just in its own little category!

With that being said, here is my list of low calorie(ish) cocktails!

 A REAL Margarita

159 cals in a double 

7.5 carbs

At the Bar:
Ask for a margarita with just lime juice and agave (simple sugar is fine too if they only have that available) 

Make sure you let them know that you do NOT want them to use a pre-made margarita mix. Margarita mix is packed full of sugar. Tequila alone has NO carbs.This is my go-to drink! Plus, there is nothing more refreshing than a good margarita.

Recipe for Home:

• 2 shots Tequila
• 1-2 fresh squeezed lime(s) depending on how sweet or tart you like your margs (save the left over lime for muddling if you prefer a more tart margarita)
• Teaspoon (or more, to taste) Agave Nectar (light or dark, doesn't make a difference to me)
• Optional: 1/4 cup water or soda water to dilute to taste

Throw all of this and some ice into a shaker and go crazy! Pour over ice. Taste your creation. If it is too strong for you; dilute it with some water/soda water and/or add a little more agave.

If you are like me and love a salted rim, use the left over lime and rub it around the edges of your glass. Pour some salt onto a plate and rub the rim of your glass around in the salt to coat it. 

Pro-Tip: Try salting the rim with Himalayan Pink Salt, so good.

I prefer my margs to be strong, because I am psycho and love the taste of tequila. But I like them sour to cut out the burn, so I take the left over lime and muddle it in the bottom of my glass before pouring my drink. Muddling is a fancy word for using a blunt object to mash the lime and all of its pulp into your drink.

Coconut Rum Cocktail

102 Cals 

10g Carbs

At the Bar:

Ask for Malibu and water (or just over ice).

Recipe for Home:

2 ounces Malibu Coconut Rum

Water (still or sparkling) to taste

Pro-Tip: Use coconut water, it's divine. 
OR try this with Coconut La Croix

Pour one or two shots of Malibu over ice.

Sip on the rocks, or add water!

Perfect little sip-sip for a beach day!

Mother's Milk (Everclear, Water, Crystal Light)

190 Calories 

At the Bar:
For your own sake, please don't ask for this at the bar. This is a special drink recipe that is only acceptable(ish) for pregames and tailgates only. 

Recipe for Disaster:

• 1 Gallon Water Jug
• 1 Pint Everclear (or vodka)
• 2.5-3 Crystal Light Pitcher Packs (or another brand of 0 calorie drink mix)

Take your gallon jug of water and pour out 1/4 of the water.
Pour the Everclear (or vodka) in the jug until it is almost full again. 
Pour in the Crystal Light pitcher packs and shake the jug up until the powder has dissolved. 

Taste your creation. If it tastes like gasoline, add another pitcher pack and taste it again (rinse & repeat). Usually, you won't even be able to taste the alcohol, which is why this drink is so awesome/dangerous. 

I use lemonade flavored pitcher packs for this! I recommend that flavor over the others because the sourness of the lemonade makes it easy to mask the taste of the alcohol, plus it won't turn your mouth colors, like a fruit punch flavor might. I've had friends make this drink with MIO too. 

This is by far my favorite drink to bring to tailgates or house parties! You can even put it into a blender with ice and make it into a slushy!

Pro-Tip: Bring this to family Christmas and tell everyone it's just spiked lemonade. Then, maliciously watch the night unfold.

I'm kidding!

(No I'm not).

The Kelsie Bynum

Calories with Cherry Juice: 

114 cals  4.5 carbs

Calories with Grenadine: 

150 cals  13.4 carbs

At the Bar: Ask for a Diet Dirty Shirley 

Most casual bars won't carry diet Sprite, so this is more of a make at home/ hostess drink

Recipe for Home: 

• 4 Ounces Diet Sprite/ Diet 7UP
• 2 Ounce Vodka 
• 1-2 tsp Cherry Juice (preferred) or Grenadine
• Lime Wedge 
• A Few Cherries

Pour in your vodka and cherry juice first. Then fill the rest of your glass with diet Sprite. Toss in a few cherries then squeeze your lime wedge. Use the rest of the lime as a garnish or toss it in the drink. Use a straw or spoon to mix it a little bit, not too much or the carbonation will get flat. Enjoy!!!

Pro-Tip: Wear pink while drinking this.

Vodka Soda/Vodka Water

96 cals 

0 carbs

At the Bar:
Ask for a Vodka Soda or a Vodka Water with a lemon and lime slice. 
Pro-Tip: Ask for Citron Vodka, if they have it.

Mash up that lemon and lime slice as soon as you get your drink and it will cancel out the nasty taste of vodka. (I LOATHE VODKA, but vodka sodas are my jam when I go downtown, partly because if some idiot knocks my drink, it won't stain my clothes.)

Recipe for Home:

• 2 Ounces Vodka 
• Water or Sparkling Water 
• Lemon & Lime (juice is fine, fresh is better)

Pour one or two shots of your vodka over ice. 

Pour your water or sparkling water until the glass is full. 

Squeeze your lemon & lime, drop the wedges in, and stir it all up!

Pro-Tip: Try this drink with your favorite flavor of La Croix.

If you prefer a little carbonation to your drinks, get vodka soda. The carbonation hides the taste of the vodka and when you add a lime and lemon slice, it tastes like a diet-sprite!

Keep in mind that soda water is not the same thing as tonic water. (Tonic water tastes like big foot's bath water.) Soda water is just sparking water and has zero calories. So when you drink this, the only calories you are consuming are coming from the vodka.

Plus, you will be less hungover if you over do it that night because you are still drinking water at the same time.

Dirty Martini

176 cals

At the Bar: 
Ask for a Dirty Martini

Recipe for Home:

• 2 ounces of dry gin or vodka
• 1/2 ounce of vermouth (optional)
• Olives and juice from the olive container to taste

Pour all the ingredients into your glass and sip it slowly with your pinky up.

Now, the only psychopath I've ever seen voluntarily order a dirty martini at a bar where it's serve in a plastic cup is Mckayla (and I love her for that). 
I love an extra dirty martini to sip on at dinner or at a pretty little speak easy. 

Personally, I prefer mine with an absurd amount of olive juice. Last time I got one at the bar the bartender literally said "this has to be the nastiest martini I've ever made." And I loved it. Whoops.

Diet Soft Drinks as Mixers

Cals= However many are in the shot of whatever alcohol you use.

Examples:

• Rum & Diet Coke
• Whiskey & Diet Coke
• Diet Sprite & Vodka
• Diet Dirty Shirley (Diet Sprite, grenadine, vodka)
• Diet Red Bull & Vodka

I am not a soft drink fan, so I don't ever order mix drinks with soft drinks. I have dabbled in a diet Dirty Shirley (s/o to Kelsie Bynum) and they are pretty great!

But if you are a soft drink fan, just swap your go-to drink for its diet option!

Well this has been fun! In summary, when mixing up a cocktail, stick to calorie-free mixers and skip the juice! 

And don't forget to chief down several glasses of water before bed ;)

XOXO Karrah