Diluting the sparkling Italian wine Prosecco with calorie-free soda water takes nothing away from this cocktail, thanks to the herbaceous and citrusy notes in the sugar syrup. This drink, created by New York City nutritionist Marissa Lippert, RD, author of The Cheater’s Diet, comes in at 33 fewer calories than a six-ounce glass of Prosecco.

Calories: 87

1 cup sugar
½ cup mint leaves, loosely packed
¾ teaspoon dried lavender
3 strips lemon peel, removed with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces Prosecco, chilled
Club soda, chilled
Lemon twist and mint sprig, for garnish

Make simple syrup: In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water, the sugar, mint, lavender and lemon peel to a simmer until all the sugar is dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool, then strain through a sieve, discarding the solids. You can refrigerate the syrup for up to two weeks and use in other drinks or desserts. For this drink: Place Prosecco in a wineglass. Add 1½ teaspoons simple syrup. Top off with club soda.

For this cocktail, Floyd Cardoz of North End Grill in New York City uses cucumbers, reputed to reduce water retention, a useful counter to the puffy faces some of us get after drinking.

Calories: 148

3 ¼-inch slices English cucumber

3 ¼-inch slices slender green chile (for added heat and spice, don’t remove the seeds)

4 sprigs fresh cilantro

1¾ ounces Plymouth Gin

½ ounce fresh lime juice

½ ounce simple syrup (dissolve
1 cup sugar in 1 cup water)

Slice of cucumber, mild green pepper cut lengthwise and  cilantro sprig, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, combine the cucumber, chile and cilantro; muddle well. Add ice, the gin, lime juice and syrup, then shake vigorously until shaker is frosted on the outside. Strain mixture into an ice-filled rocks glass.

This drink was concocted by Trace Conway, bartender at New York City’s The Red Cat restaurant. With some no-cal ingredients and slimmed-down vodka, it contains 60 fewer calories than a five-ounce Long Island iced tea.

Calories: 107

2 sprigs fresh mint

1 packet Splenda

2 ounces Voli Lyte (reduced-calorie vodka)

2½ ounces brewed and chilled tea (we used Darjeeling, but you can use your favorite)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Muddle the mint and Splenda, then add the vodka, tea and lemon juice. Pour over ice in a tumbler.

One of this drink’s liqueurs is made from antioxidant-packed açaí, and the other from ginger, which has anti-inflammatory properties. The cocktail was created by Mary Edes, beverage director and general manager at Coppa in Boston.

Calories: 211

1 ounce Veev açaí liqueur

1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur

1 ounce grapefruit juice

1 teaspoon blueberry preserves

2 mint leaves

Mint sprig, for garnish

Combine all ingredients except the mint sprig in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously; serve on the rocks in a short glass.

Photo courtesy of KSM photography / Shutterstock.com

This refreshing drink was cocreated by Naren Young, bar manager, and Linden Pride, general manager, of Saxon + Parole in New York City.

Calories: 135

1½ ounces Absolut vodka, infused with garlic (see below)

5 ounces V8 juice (or make your own with tomatoes, carrots and celery)

½ teaspoon tomato paste

½ ounce lemon juice

4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 dashes green Tabasco

2 dashes red Tabasco

 Good pinch of salt and celery salt

Grind of black pepper

½ teaspoon horseradish

To make the infused vodka: Steep 1 garlic clove in 2 cups vodka overnight. Strain, and pour 1½ ounces of the mixture into a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients; shake very well. Pour into an ice-filled highball glass. 

A cup of OJ equals about 110 calories and 22 grams of sugar. The juice of one lemon, by contrast, yields roughly 12 calories and is so intense in flavor, you don’t need very much to make an impact. Dilute the juice with water to fill the glass, then add some stevia to make up for the lost sweetness.

Photo courtesy of Palmer Kane LLC/Shutterstock.com

In lieu of Coca-Cola, add seltzer water or lightly sweetened iced tea to Jack Daniel’s whiskey.

Next: More Low-Cal Cocktails You'll Love

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