Summertime – the sun is hot, the pool is refreshing, and the drinks are cold!  I don’t know about y’all, but I LOVE summer.  Life is good and even though I still have responsibilities, feeling the sun on my face tends to cheers me up right away.  To make things even better, there are so many delicious cold drinks to try and enjoy.  However, something I struggle with is the pure amount of SUGAR in all the yummy summer cocktails!  I love a good margarita as much as the next gal, and they should be enjoyed guilt-free.  BUT, your weight loss goals do not have be compromised for a fruity little drink!  To help you with this, I rounded up some low-calorie, low-sugar summer sips that y’all can enjoy AND feel good about – in moderation, of course!

1.) Ranch Water

Ranch-WHAT?  Trust me, it’s good – and no sugar/low-calorie. If you love the taste of Lime La Croix, this is the drink for you!

• 2 shots of tequila
• 1/2 cup of Topo Chico (the recipe calls for original flavor but I like to use Twist of Lime!)
• Lime wedge
• Ice

1. Place two shots of tequila in a glass.
2. Fill glass with ice.
3. Top off with Topo Chico and a lime wedge.  Enjoy!

2.) Frosé

With this drink, you can “rosé all day” (hopefully not all day) with no regrets.  Frosé packs a no refined sugar/low calorie punch and tastes just like your favorite rosé!  Here’s a hint: make the recipe the night before you want to enjoy it, then blend and serve the next day.  If rosé is kept in the freezer, it becomes less sweet.

Yield: 6

• 1 bottle of your favorite rosé
• 8 strawberries
• 1 T honey

1. Pour 2/3 cup of rosé and set aside.
2. Cut strawberries into halves.
3. Blend the remaining bottle of rosé, strawberries, and honey until texture is smooth.
4. Pour mixture through a strainer into a baking dish and freeze overnight (or at least 6 hours).
5. When you’re ready to enjoy it, pour mixture back into blender until texture gets fluffy!
6. Pour into glass.  Add a splash of rosé that you set aside and garnish with strawberries. Voilà!

3.) Raspberry Mint Mojito

Nothing says “refreshing” like a fruit and mint combination!  No refined sugar and less than 130 calories…yes, please!

Yield: 1

• 6-7 fresh raspberries
• 4 mint leaves
• 1 T lime juice
• Ice cubes
• 3 T rum
• 2/3 cup sparkling water
• 1 T honey + 1 tsp warm water

1. Put raspberries, mint, and lime juice in bottom of glass and mash together.
2. Top with ice and pour in rum, sparkling water, and honey + warm water mixture
3. Garnish with lime peel or additional mint leaves and raspberries.  Drink up!

4.) Watermelon Gin Fizz

What could be better than a cold slice of watermelon?  How about a cold watermelon DRINK?  Skip those pesky seeds and enjoy some sweet summer sips of gin, watermelon, and ginger ale.  This drink only has 7 grams of added sugar and is only 180 calories – bottoms up, ladies!

Yield: 4

• 5 cups diced watermelon
• 6 oz. gin
• 8 T lime juice
• 1 1/3 cup ginger ale
• Lime wedges for garnish

1. Freeze 1 C watermelon for garnish.  Puree the rest of the watermelon and strain.  Divide between 4 glasses.
2. Top with 1.5 oz gin, 2 T lime juice, and 1/3 cup of ginger ale.
3. Garnish with frozen watermelon and lime.

Your weight loss goals do not have to be thrown into detour to enjoy a delicious drink!  Now that you have a handful of healthier summer sips to choose from, try one out!  I have linked the recipes below for your convenience – get out there, get some sunshine, and enjoy (responsibly)!  

Recipe Links:

Ranch Water – acouplecooks.com

Frosé – acouplecooks.com

Raspberry Mint Mojito – eatyourselfskinny.com

Watermelon Gin Fizz – eatingwell.com