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Weight watchers beware! If you have sipped two or three cocktails and have had a wonderful evening out with friends at the newly opened pub, then stay away from the weighing scale in your dressing room. Because that weighing scale will not lie and you will be fatter today.
Surprised? Well, you may be one of those who turns a blind eye to the sinful souffl?s at a party, turning happily towards the bar assuming that cocktails will not add to your calorie count. But beware ? one ounce of alcohol on an average contains as much as 80 to 90 calories and that’s when it is neat and not yet mixed with other juices that add to your weight.
“Most cocktails contain refined sugar,” says Rahul Korgaokar, manager, Vetro, The Oberoi, Mumbai. “White and clear spirits are less fatty than dark spirits.” Wherever possible, substitute dark rum with white rum. Nevertheless, rum, as a general rule (white or dark) is fattening and high in calories, since it is made from sugarcane. “Alcohol contains seven calories per gram, and fat as in oil or butter contains nine calories per gram”, says Meeta Shah, a coscientious weight watcher and diet consultant.
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“A pina colada also has more calories than a burger. But we are not here to spoil your happy-hour evenings in Goa. I tell my weight watchers to add lots of ice to their drinks,” says Nitin Tandon, owner of Seijo and Potpourri restaurants. “My advice is sip tonic water,” he says. “Fruit juice and syrups add a lot of calories to your drinks. For example, orange juice contains nearly 60 calories per serving and Thums Up and Coke add nearly 100 calories per eight fluid ounces,” warns Shah.
Gym goers and those who exercise regularly are not as much in danger. They can go ahead and enjoy a few Margeritas on a Saturday night, but anyone who is on a diet with three regular consultations every week can definitely expect a reprimand from his nutritionist. Many pubs and restaurants have started serving cocktails with fewer calories and at times also advise you on alternatives. “For example, a watermelon martini is quite the rage these days,” says Asha Kotian, who makes it a point to ask the bartender what he is mixing for her. “It definitely helps to know what is going into your drink if you want to wear that sexy skirt at my age,” she adds with a smile. But if you still insist on making a stylish statement with a cocktail, soda is the best mixer ? it gives fizz but no fat or calories.
Among juices, it is better to use canned juices to give consistent taste. Besides, these juices usually have ‘zero’ fat. Freshly extracted ones usually have some sugar syrup mixed to give consistent taste, so there is danger. Also, the more acidic mixers you use, the less fat it has; the citric acid in cranberry juice and lime juice (especially in lime juice) cuts the fat in the body.
However, too much of lime juice can also damage the calcium and enamel in your teeth and bones, cautions Korgaokar. “I must also admit that many of my customers exercise an hour or two extra so that they can enjoy their cocktails,” says Tandon adding, “They certainly don’t want to give a heart attack to their fitness trainers, and I certainly do not want to close down the bar!”
A SIP OR TWO
Alternatives for cocktails with calories:
Blue Lagoon ? vodka, blue curacao, lime juice and lemonade (Sprite/7up/Duke’s). By substituting lemonade with soda, you can get rid of the extra sugar from the lemonade.
Long Island Ice Tea ? vodka, white rum, gin, tequila, cointreau, lime juice, topped with cola. An alternative is to substitute the white rum with any other variety of white spirit and opt for Diet Coke
Cuba Libre ? dark rum with lime juice and cola. Substitute the dark rum with white rum, and add Diet Coke.
