Sounds terrible.

Additional Drinks from the newsletter

A fizzy, pretty drink.  It incorporates good nutrition with fun, and easily lends itself to the addition of a shot of vodka or gin to make an alcoholic version... continue reading

Classic Cuban Mojito - this is the real thing.  Fresh mint and lime with club soda and rum make for a sparkling refresher... continue reading

A wonderful and different frozen, fruity party drink.  It's a little higher in calories, but substituting diet lemonade would bring that down a bit... continue reading

Maybe I am biased since it is my aqua vitae of choice, but I was always told that if one must drink, drink scotch -- though it would seem after perusing the database that just about all the simple distillates (e.g., gin, brandy, vodka) are about the same.  Scotch was supposedly the easiest on the liver, but I cannot confirm this.

In terms of calories, the mixed drinks, the wine, and the beer seem to be most able to get us in trouble.  I know women tend to eschew the harder liquors served neat, but consuming them only is a good way to meter things.  Anything that is otherwise refreshing seems to go down too easily! ;)

Call me obvious, but I would assume drinks with the least additions would be the least caloric. If I am out, and everyone else is drinking, I'm going to have a drink, not a diet soda. So why not have a gin and tonic, and like said above a Mojito isn't all that criminal. Or a diet soda with a spirit of choice wouldn't send anyone over the edge. Or even a cranberry and vodka (cape cod) in a small size would be a decent choice. And it has cranberry juice, so you can justify it as healthy (kidding!).

I think the best choice is to avoid the blended drinks, anything opaque, and larger than your face.

A white Zin is usually only 79 to 110 calories a glass - I usually work this in for my evening out.

Since I haven't had a drink in 19 years, the alcohol thing isn't an issue for me. What IS an issue is that well-meaning hosts and hostesses assume that a non-drinker like me wants something sweet and cloying at a party. They stock things like sugary soda pop, fruit "juice," commercially sweetened iced tea. Or mix up virgin cocktails - again loaded with calories & sugar. 

When asked, I always say  - and this is true - I am VERY content with water or sparkling water & a slice of lemon or lime or unsweetened iced tea. 

Two principles I abide by for parties: I attend for the company & conversation, not for the food & drink. AND, if I'm going to consume a few hundred silly calories, they had better be wrapped in a brownie! 

I was always a chardonnay drinker prior to coming to "grips" with my caloric intake, but when I found that a mere 4 oz was 70 calories I wanted to find something else.  I found that vodka with Crystal Light (lemonade or raspberry ice) is a nice alternative and stretches a long way.

God bless Michelob Ultra!  Not only are they not too high off the charts in calories, they also come in yummy flavors like pomegranate raspberry, orange, and lime.  There is also a new Miller Light 64 which has, you guessed it, 64 calories a beer!  I can't vouch for the taste since I've never had it, but I'm definitely willing to give it a whirl. 

Hey, Obvious,  that's actually a really good assumption.  Instead of a margarita, I'm all for a double shot of Cuervo! 

i love vodka with crystal light....yummy and low cal!!!!

In the book Eat This Not That the beer with the least calories (and maybe the least taste) is MGD which is Miller's Genuine Draught Light.  And like PDay notes is only 64 calories. It is only 2.8 % alcohol so that also makes it lower calorie. Personally I like Guiness Draught with 126 calories at 4% alcohol and better taste, I was happy to see it is rated the best beer. Beer is probably used at picnics more than any other alcoholic drink except maybe wine or wine coolers. I like a ful bodied red with meat and light wines with poultry and fish.

highest? With 330 calories a bottle and 9.6 % alcohol, 32 g carbs is Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale.

highest resvertolis in Pinot Noir from the great state of California followed by Beaujolais from France.

I'm going to have to check out the vodka/Crystal Light combo.  I'm not a huge drinker but do like a drink from time to time, maybe once a week/every other week, the most.  I've never been a big fan of vodka although I do like vanilla vodka and Coke.  Hmmm, I wonder how caloric vanilla vodka and Coke Zero would be? 

My fave is coconut rum (preferably Malibu) and diet Pepsi. Diet coke will do in a pinch.

Coconut rum and pineapple Jell-O!  Now that's a party...   Calories be damned!

Congratulations, PATSYKB, on being sober for 19 years! My mom's been in AA for 11 years and I know how hard you guys work for that!

For the drinkers out there, though, I figure the least caloric way to go is shots! Being a college student, it gets the job done and with a diet chaser, it's probably the lowest-cal way to get you that buzz...am I right about this?

Cheers, ahkeigwin!

I have a couple of insights about drinking and calories.  Red wine seems to be less calorie dense.  Vodka soda/tonics are pretty low, same thing with diet coke and rum.  Try not to eat a lot while you're drinking, or the late night fast food/bar food binging.  If you do eat, try to eat healthy.  They say you're supposed to have a water in between drinks(spacer).  Take vitamin b when you're drinking.  For women 1-2 drinks is fine men 3-4. 

I know it all sounds good, but much of its not realistic.  I drink a lot less than I used to and have always worked out and dieted fairly consistently.  I'm in the 9-12% body fat range.  I think 1-2 times a week and you'll be fine, but if you want to get to 8% or lower, you may want to avoid alchohol all together. 

My personal favorite, after a long day at work, Captain and Coke Zero. Does it every time for me. The only calories are in the Captain which I believe are 60 calories per ounce, works for me!

Alas for being a beer girl. Natural Light (Think tap-water with a hint of beer flavour) (But cheap and honestly what I drink at home) only has 95 cals per 12 ounces, but when I get my drink on once every other week or so it seems that I can't just have one or two... Usually more like 5 or 7. And I've really fallen in love with Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap... At my local it's served by the pint, so 200 calories per.

I WISH I could develop a taste for liqour, but I just don't like it.

Try diet tonic with bitters and lime juice; you'll forget about the gin........

Yea, I drink hawiian punch singles (sugar free) with my vodka!

I'm with patsykb. Twenty-one years for me, and I don't miss alcohol, or its effects, at all.  If more people would concentrate on enjoying the conversation at parties, there would be more scintilating conversation to enjoy.
 
I think most people watching their calorie intake don't realize the sugar/carb content of alcohol.  After a couple of drinks, most of them don't really care. Anyone drinking alcohol with diet soda or the like may be fooling themselves mentally, but the scale isn't taken in so easily.  There's more than one reason to have a nice sparkling water with a twist.

Alcohol may loosen inhibitions, but so does weighing less.

Can someone please explain to me why these drinks got the grades they did?

Mojito got a C- yet is the largest and has the least amount of sugar and is mid-range for calories...  319.4g; 155 calories; 0 fat; 15mg sodium; 3.4g sugar; 1g protein; .2g fiber; vitamin C 28%

Vodka/Apricot got an A- yet it has a LOT of sugar and more calories than the Mojito...  194.5g; 235 calories; .1g fat; 4mg sodium; 25.6g sugar; .8g protein; .3g fiber; vitamin C 69%

Pomegranate got a C yet it also looks healthier than the Vodka/Apricot... 280.6g; 110 calories; 0 fat; 12mg sodium; 7.7g sugar; .3g protein; .8g fiber; vitamin C 48%

Personally if I'm going to have an alcoholic drink, I would be more concerned about too much sugar than which has the most vitamin C.  They all basically have the same good points (high versus very high in Vit. C), but the two with the higher grades have the bad points for high and very high in sugar.

Makes me question your grading methods.

Face it all alcoholic drinks are empty calories. The booze makes one feel good. The sweetness and other stuff mixed in are just icing on a cake. Moderate alcoholic consumption can help with lipids but that is about all.

Explanation of the Grading System.

When you look up a food using the search engine, or when filling out our log, if you look near the large letter grade, you will see a ? in a box.  This is the help key.  It takes you to a complete explanation of grades.

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/help.php?id=66

Recipe Grades are based only on the nutrients in the individual ingredients.  If a recipe has a large amount of alcohol and no nutrients (gin & tonic for instance), it will receive a lower grade.  If there are ingredients that are higher grade, such as orange juice, the grade will be higher.

I hope this helps everyone understand that the Grading System is just a computer program, not a judgement of how good something is for you.  It provides a guide so that we can make our own decisions.

that's not so bad seeing as though i am a teen i don't drink apart from under adult supervision but even then i don't drink any any way i just drink shloer and i was wondering if that was any better in calories also could you tell me some drinks that i can have that are very low calorie or no calories at all ??? thanx also could you send it me in a message plzxxx

Drink enough and you don't care about calories any more...

There is an old saying. "I drink to forget my problems but when I wake up they are still here and now I have a new problem- I'm a drunk!" Don't let this happen to you.

I consider myself a connoisseur of mojitos and that was a great recipe--thanks!!

The problem isn't the calories in my drinks; the problem is the calories in my Krystal's combo after a long night of drinking! 

sed1949, I don't drink to forget my problems.  I drink because I like the taste of certain drinks, enjoy the social aspect of it, and occasionally like a buzz.  There are tons of people that drink that aren't "drunks" and tons of people that don't use alcohol as a means of therapy.  One drink doesn't necessarily lead to a lifetime of alcoholism.  Sure, it happens but I'm not going to live life hiding under a bush worried about any and everything becoming an addiction. 

My dad at age 60 had surgery to remove his gallbladder.  He stayed in pain for weeks because he was afraid of becoming "addicted" to painkillers.  It's ridiculous and silly.

My favorite "non calorie" drink is club soda or mineral water with lemon.  It's fizzy, so it looks like I'm having a gin & tonic, so it blends right in when I'm out at a bar.  I too like to have a drink occasionally - Capirihanas are my favorite - but I find the club soda is helpful for when I crave something fizzy and not sweet.  I used to have a beer every night, but club soda makes a good substitute, believe it or not.

pday5579 ~ Good for your Dad.  I applaud him for being cautious.  I'm sure he had his reasons.

I agree, not everyone has the physiological/psychological makeup that leads to alcohol addiction, or any addiction for that matter.  I just know that I had the same problem with alcohol that I have with food.  I like the taste, enjoy the social aspect of it, and it makes me feel good.... at least for the moment.  I've had one monkey off my back for 21 years.  I'm working on the other one.

Anyone out there who can put the glass down after one drink, enjoy.

A good nonalcoholic drink is frozen fruit ( such as strawberries, blueberries, or watermelon) add sprite zero to a blender and blend well. yummy dessert too! very low cal. Or add vodka if you need a kick. My fav is vodka, sprite zero, and splash of light cran/pomegranate with an orange slice.

It's all very well planning which low calorie drinks you're going to have on a night out but after a few of them who actually cares how many calories you're consuming? When I've had a few drinks I certainly don't care anymore. Also cost is important, it would be impossible to drink something tasty, low calorie and not spend my whole weeks wages in one night. I tend to go for what drinks offers are on.

 Then when you're drunk, you've GOT to have chips and cheese on the way home, and then there's hangover day... fry up.

So this article pretty much is recommending that you don't drink...

With that not being very realistic for me, I need some options for drinks when I'm out.  I can make vodka and crystal light at home but that's not something you can order when you're out.  Tonic actually has a lot of carbs and sugars.  What alcohol has the least amount of calories?  Then I can stay with that alcohol and try different low-cal mixers with that.

If you can develop a taste for Scotch, it is relatively low in calories and can be mixed with soda water (o calories) to fizz it up and a lemon wedge for zing. Personally, I like to mix it with plain H2O over ice, very nice. I drink slowly and limit myself to one drink an hour. That way, the alcohol can metablize with little stress on the liver.

I love Marguritas!  A couple of years ago I saw an article about a lady who had created a recipe for Marguritas made with Crystal Lite.  I sure wish I could find it now.  Does anyone have it?