Cocktail Choices

Ok, I blame Robin for this post. She clued me in to the Hilton Head diet (which is actually working...thanks Robin!) so I have been counting calories. Don't get me wrong, I still plan to have mucho cocktails on this trip, but found this amusing article from Forbes listing the cocktails with the highest calories--and some ridiculous ideas for saving a few. What do you suppose the chances of the bar tenders at the hotel having Splenda on hand to make a lower calorie Mojito? Or, diet cranberry juice to make a Cosmo? Oh well, you can always stick to light beer or, my favorite, wine spritzer...both only about 70 calories. Here is the article, enjoy.....and see you at the bar. I will be the one with the high calorie margarita!!!


Margarita
Calories: 740
Ingredients: 4 ounces limeade, 4 ounces tequila, 1/3 ounce triple sec.
On a hot day, this south-of-the-border favorite may taste great, but you might as well have dinner at Taco Bell with all of the calories it contains. At Level V nightclub in New York City, the calorie conscious are substituting the margarita for the Corazon Blanco tequila on the rocks with a splash of lime.


Pina Colada
Calories: 644
Ingredients: 3 ounces light rum, 3 tbsp. coconut milk, 3 tbsp. crushed pineapples
Some people like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain, but they may have to get over it. This cocktail isn't as much fun when you realize how many calories it has. Don't kill the messenger. Instead, substitute this one with vanilla-flavored vodka and Diet Coke, and you'll save yourself more than 500 calories.

Mai Tai
Calories: 350
Ingredients: 1 ounce light rum, 1/2 ounce dark rum, 1/2 ounce creme de almond, 1/2 ounce triple sec, sweet and sour mix, pineapple juice
The Mai Tai is popular because it has a lot of flavor and tastes like dessert, but it also has plenty of calories. Trade it for a flavored vodka and Diet Coke, then add a maraschino cherry.

Mojito
Calories: 160
Ingredients: 2-3 ounces rum, 1 tsp. lime juice, 2 tsp. sugar, fresh mint, club soda
Mojitos aren't too bad, until you factor in the sugar used to sweeten them. Some bars use a lot, some don't--it's hard to know. If you can't let go of this one, ask the bartender if they can use Splenda instead of sugar.

Cosmopolitan
Calories: 150
Ingredients: 1 ounce vodka, 1/2 ounce triple sec, 1/2 ounce lime juice, 1/2 ounce cranberry juice
The drink of every fashionable woman. It may not have as many calories as the other drinks on our list, but you'll drink this one quicker and find yourself ordering it again...and again. A simple solution is to order vodka with diet cranberry juice (yes, you can get diet cranberry) instead.