8 Delicious Low Calorie Gin Drinks

How Many Calories In Gin?

Known for its herbaceousness and botanical flavors, gin is a spirit that hasn’t always appealed to the palates of so many. Most people we know have “love it” or “hate it” feelings toward gin.  

What makes the flavor profile of gin so interesting? The clear spirit, flavored by juniper berries, was historically used to mask the bitter flavor of quinine, an antimalarial, in tropical corners of the British Empire. Sounds pretty serious and medicinal, right?

It turns out that Winston Churchill agreed. He once declared that “the gin and tonic have saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.” But, what he didn’t mention was if all these gin and tonics resulted in needing a larger waistband.

While there’s a significantly lower amount of quinine in tonic water nowadays, gin is still one of the world’s best-loved spirits and features in many classic cocktail recipes. But if you’re watching your calorie intake and still fancy a gin cocktail or two, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of low-calorie cocktail recipes based on gin that you can enjoy guilt-free.

Typically, the gin contains around 100 calories per 1.5 fluid ounces serving, yet there will be some slight differences from one brand to another. 

While choosing a low-calorie gin as the base for your cocktails and mixed drinks, you can reduce your calorie intake a little, but you can also make further reductions in your intake by carefully choosing healthier versions of the sugary mixers you use in your gin cocktails.

How To Reduce Calories In Your Gin Cocktails

Using sugar-free sweeteners instead of the sugar-rich simple syrup in your drinks and opting for diet tonic water instead of the regular version can have a big impact and ensure you’re taking in fewer calories.

An example would be using diet tonic in a gin & tonic or opting for fresh lime juice instead of lime simple syrup in a cocktail like a gin gimlet. 

8 Easy Low-Calorie Gin Cocktails

If you’re on a diet but love gin, here’s our roundup of the best traditional gin cocktail recipes that have been tweaked to reduce the overall calorie content for the next time you fancy a cheeky gin-infused drink or two.

Cocktail recipe Trying to lose weight is no excuse for missing out on a classic gin and tonic, with this recipe coming in at a paltry 55 calories. Using Hendrick’s gin as its base, the recipe also calls for lemon juice, organic rose water, a few slices of cucumber as a garnish, and a low-calorie version of tonic water, such as the refreshingly light Indian tonic water from Fever Tree.

It’s a slightly different take on the classic gin tonic recipe, and with such a low-calorie count, you can treat yourself to one more without feeling guilty.

If you fancy a gin and tonic but don’t have any slimline tonic water on hand, you could try a traditional gin rickey instead. The easy combination of just three simple ingredients – your favorite gin, lime, and soda water – naturally creates a low-calorie gin cocktail without the need to switch out any ingredients.

You can, however, reduce the amount of calories further by using unsweetened lime juice.

This low-carb keto-friendly pink gin fizz recipe is perfect for a refreshing drink with fewer calories than the traditional recipe. By reducing the amount of sugary grenadine and switching the simple syrup for a sugar-free version, you can easily shave off a few calories from the classic gin fizz recipe.

Add the gin, simple sugar-free syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with a few drops of grenadine, shake, and serve over ice cubes in a tall glass.

The gimlet is a gin cocktail traditionally made from gin and lime cordial. The problem for those watching their weight here is the lime cordial, which can contain a lot of sugar. By replacing the lime cordial with fresh lime juice, you can remove some of the calories and also add in some extra vitamin C.

You could also turn your gimlet cocktail into a “Schumann’s Gimlet” by also adding lemon juice to the lime and gin.

While a traditional mojito is based on rum, this low-calorie version uses gin instead and a diet or sugar-free lemon-lime soda to help reduce the calories. Molly’s recipe uses Empress 1908 gin as the secret ingredient, which gives the final drink a unique purplish hue.

To prepare these delightful, funky cocktails, in addition to the gin, you’ll need fresh lime juice, a bunch of mint leaves, and the diet lemon-lime soda. Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake vigorously, and serve over ice in a highball glass garnished with a lemon wedge.

A gin margarita is also sometimes called a “Margatini” and is similar to a standard margarita but with gin instead of tequila. It might sound a little strange at first, but when you think about it, all the flavors in a traditional margarita are also known to play well with gin. 

To prepare this delicious drink, you will need gin, orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or triple sec), and freshly-squeezed lime juice.

Add gin and the other ingredients to a shaker to combine, and serve over ice cubes in a chilled glass with a salted rim. It’s really that easy. Add a lime or lemon slice as a garnish, and voilà – you have a delicious and refreshing cocktail that’s low in calories.

English playwright, composer, actor, and singer Sir Noël Coward once declared, “A perfect martini should be made by filling a glass with gin and waving it in the general direction of Italy.” While that’s one way to make a low-calorie martini, it’s debatable whether it still qualifies as a martini without the Italian vermouth.

The traditional martini recipe calls for London dry gin and dry vermouth to be combined at a ratio of 2:1 and then garnished with an olive. A ‘dry martini’ is made with little to no vermouth and will therefore be less calorific. Ordering a martini “extra dry” will result in even less vermouth added and can help you reduce the number of calories consumed. 

Whether you prefer it shaken or stirred, serve in a martini glass and garnish with an olive or, if you prefer, a twist of lemon peel.

FAQs

Key Takeaways

• Gin contains a lot of alcohol and, as such, will contain calories.
• You can mix low-calorie drinks by using diet and low-calorie versions of your mixers alongside your favorite brand of gin.
• Opt for sugar-free simple syrup, and choose unsweetened over sweetened lime juice.
• If you’re looking to drop a little body fat, switching to low-calorie cocktails means you can still enjoy a night out without feeling guilty the next day.
• Drinking low-calorie gin cocktails alone won’t help you shed pounds, but it can help as part of a balanced diet.