12 Skinny Cocktails Under 100 Calories

Best Low-Calorie Cocktails

Vodka soda is by far one of the easiest low-calorie drinks to prepare. It’s one of our go-to cocktails because we always have the ingredients on hand to make it! Grab your favorite vodka, lime juice, and club soda to start crafting a refreshing drink that’s 100% guilt-free. 

Take this pro tip from our experience – purchase a pack of canned club soda rather than one large bottle. This small change in how you shop can seriously enhance the quality of your vodka and soda because the club soda will always have the perfect amount of carbonation! 

This keto mojito recipe calls for a sugar-free sweetener, but you can choose what type. We’ve found that using sugar-free liquid simple syrup yields the best flavor, but any type of sugar-free sweetener can work in a pinch. We can’t stress this enough; don’t skimp on the mint!!!! The difference between a good mojito and a great mojito is super fresh mint leaves.

Beware: granulated sugar-free sweetener may not dissolve, leaving a gritty texture in your drink.

When we’re being conscious of our calorie intake, a gin & tonic is one of our go-to cocktails. We love this timeless, refreshing cocktail because you can order it at almost any bar or make it at home and get a similar result. Making cocktails at home to stick to your calorie limit sounds good in theory, but let’s face it, having a cocktail you can safely order at a bar is a must for long-term success.

If you want to add some tart flavor to your gin and tonic, order it with a lemon twist. Trust us. The simple garnish takes the drink from ordinary to mouth-wateringly good.

Moscow mules might just become your favorite drink with this low-calorie recipe. If you don’t have copper mugs for servings, it’s a purchase you won’t regret!

Make a Moscow mule by combining vodka and lime juice in a copper mug with ice. Fill the rest of the glass with light ginger beer. It’s impossible to find ginger beer with zero calories, but multiple brands have ginger beer with no sugar for a lower calorie count. Garnish with a lime wedge and start sipping.

If you think you have to give up beautiful cocktails like the espresso martini just because you’re counting calories, think again! This espresso martini recipe tastes delicious without being overly sweet or complex to prepare. 

Freshly brewed espresso, sugar-free simple syrup, coffee liqueur, and espresso-flavored vodka are shaken over ice until chilled before being strained into a martini glass. Traditionally, the cocktail is garnished with three coffee beans on top.

A long island iced tea is the perfect cocktail to enjoy on a hot summer’s day. You’ll definitely get your fill of booze with vodka, rum, gin, and tequila in the same cocktail! Lemon juice, orange extract, sugar-free simple syrup, and diet Coke bring it all together for a classic long island iced tea flavor.

The biggest change in this recipe that lowers the calorie count is the use of diet soda. Another notable switch is using calorie-free orange extract instead of triple-sec orange liqueur.

You can’t go wrong with a tasty 3-ingredient martini that highlights the sweet taste of fresh watermelon. Fresh basil and unflavored vodka are the other two low-calorie ingredients used to bring this skinny cocktail to life. 

The key to a good martini is simple – shake it vigorously when you’re combining ingredients in a cocktail shaker before pouring it into glasses! This is a beautiful drink with no garnish, thanks to the pink watermelon color, but you can top it with fresh basil for added visual appeal.

Making a pina colada for less than 100 calories is not easy. The cocktail is usually creamy, indulgent, and calorie-heavy. This innovative twist makes a skinny piña colada with all the pina colada flavors you love in a slightly different, much lower-calorie recipe.

One shot of clear rum (not coconut rum!) mixed with coconut LaCroix over ice tastes surprisingly similar to a pina colada! The LaCroix has a strong coconut flavor, the most well-known flavor in a pina colada. 

Pineapple juice can be added if you want additional sweetness, but it will increase the calorie count.

If you’re anything like us, margaritas and summer go hand-in-hand. Just because we’re trying to watch our intake doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy margaritas all summer long!

This skinny Paloma margarita recipe uses tequila, grapefruit soda, and fresh lime juice. Some grapefruit soda is sweetened and contains more calories, but grapefruit-flavored sparkling water is our favorite alternative. Choosing high-quality tequila can make or break your margarita. 

Everyone has a different preference when it comes to tequila. Casamigos is the family favorite in our house, but Teremana is a close second. 

A gimlet is one of the most basic cocktails to prepare. It’s made with gin, lime juice, and sweetener. The sweetener you choose will determine how many calories are in your Gimlet. The sugar-free simple syrup adds zero calories, but agave nectar is a more natural alternative that’s still pretty low-cal. 

We recommend serving gimlets in a chilled coupe to get the best flavor. 

A Negroni spritz is a cocktail with a feeling of class and elegance, but don’t be fooled; it’s strong! 

If your home bar isn’t already stocked with gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, it’s time to go shopping! The simple ingredients are paired with club soda to make a bubbly Negroni spritz. The cocktail is traditionally garnished with an orange slice or twist, but we can’t pretend we’ve never started sipping without taking the time to add a garnish.

Ranch water is one of the most popular low-calorie tequila cocktails. If we can teach you one thing, let it be this – good Blanco tequila is the key to great-tasting ranch water. Stick to top-shelf brands like Patron, Don Julio, and Casamigos. Casamigos will offer the smoothest mouth feel, but any top-shelf brand will do.

Topo Chico sparkling mineral water is the most important ingredient in ranch water. (besides the tequila, duh!) You can find it in most major grocery stores or order it online if you’re a bit lazy like us.

Substitutions for Low-Calorie Cocktails

One of the most obvious ways to lower the calories in a cocktail is to get rid of the sugar. Maintain sweetness without calories by using sugar-free syrups. Sugar-free syrups can be found in any flavor you need, and the artificial sugar taste isn’t as noticeable as expected. 

If cocktail recipes call for sour mix, you can substitute fresh lime juice for a similar pucker at a fraction of the calories. Other mixers, such as soda or juice, can be replaced with low-sugar alternatives that have fewer calories. Diet cola, flavored sparkling water, and zero-sugar orange juice are a few easy, low-calorie cocktail mixers. 

Luckily, low-calorie options are easier to find now than ever before! Most major juice and soda brands at the grocery store offer low or no-calorie options. 

FAQs

• Most cocktails can be made low-calorie by swapping a few ingredients.
• Cocktail sweeteners and mixers are what make recipes high-calorie.
• Orange extract makes a great substitute for orange liqueur.
• There are skinny cocktail recipes for all your favorite cocktails; you just have to know where to look!