Frankel - Skinnygirl cocktails: 100 fun & flirty guilt-free recipes

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I f you know me, you know that whether Im at a fancy Hollywood party, at a happy hour with friends, or just relaxing after a long day, I love a cocktail. But what I dont love is that the usual drinks are packed with needless calories. Take frozen margaritasthey usually have between 500 and 1,000 calories! Thats why I first invented my now-famous Skinnygirl Margarita, which only has 100 calories per serving. Its also why Ive created all the recipes in this book. I make cocktails that will satisfy you with their flavor, but theyre cocktails you can trust. They all have far fewer calories than most regular drinksmany of them are under 150 caloriesbut they still taste so delicious that youll want another one... and maybe even another one after that!

Heres the thing: drinking like a Skinnygirl does not mean depriving yourself of the cocktails you loveit just means being smart about what you put in them. Using a lot of sugary mixers can make drinks fattening, but as Ive shown with my hugely successful line of Ready-to-Drink cocktails, they dont have to be that way! I love taking a drink that would normally be loaded down with sugar and calories and making it so you can enjoy it guilt-free. The recipes in this book will show you how to get the full flavor that you crave without all the extra calories. You can have your cocktail and drink it, too.

The secret to drinking my way is the Skinnygirl Fixologist Formula. Its a quick and easy way to make any drink with just a fraction of the calories. Once you know it, you can go wild and create a Skinnygirl version of any cocktail you want. So memorize it, and use it.

1. Fill a rocks glass with ice. As the ice melts, the extra water will help keep you hydrated, and youll be able to sip the drink for longerevery little bit counts!

2. Add a shot of clear liquor. Measure with a shot glass or just pour while counting one... two. I always try to drink clear liquor because its cleaner and lighter than dark liquor. I swear by vodka and white tequila, since its so easy to make a vodka or tequila version of almost any drink. Gin also works, and so does light rum. All liquors that dont have added sugar have the same amount of calories.

3. Fill the rocks glass almost the rest of the way up with club soda or seltzer. This is a good zero-calorie filler that doesnt bring an overly strong flavor. Plus, it reduces the strength of the drink and helps keep you hydrated. Be careful, though, you dont want to shake soda. So if youre making a cocktail that gets mixed in a cocktail shaker, add the bubbles after youve shaken the rest of the drink and strained it into the glass.

4. Add just a splash of the sweet or fruity component that gives the drink its character. Typically this will be a sweet liqueur, sugary mixer, or fruit juice, but whatever it is go very light. You just want to give enough flavor to accent the drink. Instead of ordering a regular vodka cranberry, order a vodka and soda with just a splash of cranberry and add a lime to make it interesting. I always like to add fresh fruit as a garnish whenever possible.

And thats it. Its so simple. Youll thank yourself when you wake up clear-eyed in the morning and can still button your jeans!

Of course, its not just about what youre drinking. Its about how you drink it, too. As I always say, you can have it all, just not all at onceand thats how I approach going out. If you follow a few simple rules, youll avoid the overindulgences that can lead to late-night regrets and nasty hangovers.

Lets be clear. Dark liquor has more impurities than clear, and thats a one-way ticket to hangover city. So stick to the clear stuffand be careful not to end up with flavored vodkas and rums that are secretly sugary. Obviously, I recommend using products from my Skinnygirl line since we dont add extra sugar. My drinks are always naturally sweetened and low-calorie, but of course you can use any liquor brand you trust.

Know how much you can drink and give yourself a maximum number of drinks. I generally try to have no more than two drinks a night. I obviously bend this rule from time to time, but for me its a good goal to shoot for.

Stay hydrated. Drink a glass of water or club soda for every alcoholic drink you consume. Make alternating between water and booze your unbreakable personal policy! I dont manage to do this every time, but I always try. It also helps to order things on a lot of rocks because as the ice melts you can drink it, too.

Watch out for those sneaky wine refills. Wine is delicious (especially my Skinnygirl wine collection), but it can go down more quickly than a mixed drink. Be extra careful when youre at a dinner party or wedding and someone is constantly topping off your wineglassits a recipe for drinking too much without realizing it. A cocktail will give you more control, because you can sip and you wont get more unless you order another one. But if you do want wine, simply ask your host or server not to refill your glass until its empty. That way you can keep track of how many glasses youve had.

Beware of super sweet mixers. Frozen cocktails are a trap! Theyre nothing but colored sugar. Stay away from them if you can. But if youre at a party and you end up with an entire glass full of pia colada from a machine, treat it like you would a decadent dessert: take a few sips and then put it down. Or better yet, ask the bartender to follow the Fixologist Formula. So youd modify a margarita by asking for a tequila and soda and then asking the bartender to top off the drink with just a splash of the frozen margarita mix.

The same goes for super sweet dessert liqueurs. If you want to enjoy a glass of one after dinner, by all means dobut reduce its caloric punch by mixing it with vodka and soda over ice. Make it more of a splash on top than the whole drink, and use it in place of one of your cocktail hour drinks or as a replacement for dessert. Or you could pour it over a lot of ice, sip it slowly, and not finish it all. Theres no hard-and-fast rule; you just want to be sure youre not overdoing it on the sugar.

Avoid late-night snacking. Drinking is fun, but whats not so fun is when you get home and end up eating everything in sight. Your judgment is one of the first things to go when you drink, and that makes it tough to stick to your plan when you get home. The key is to eat well all day long so youre not starvingand be careful not to skip dinner! But if you do still feel like a snack, remember to check yourself before you wreck yourself. Make a smart, balanced choice. Edamame is better than pizza or cookies. Though if youve avoided sweets all day and kept a lid on your alcohol consumption, its fine to have a bit of dessert.

Nobodys perfect! Dont beat yourself up if you dont follow every rule every time, but use these as your partying guidelines, and youll be having tons of fun without waking up sorry the next day.

Okay, youve got the basics down. Now youre ready to get your drink on! I have gathered my best cocktail recipes and party tips in this book. It is packed with drinks that will help you throw the ultimate Skinnygirl party. Whether youre just having your BFF over for some one-on-one time or youre having the whole neighborhood over, Ive got you covered.