acute how-to: summer cocktails

I am a big fruity cocktail fan – especially in the summer. There’s nothing better than lounging in the sun with a tasty drink in hand. The one thing that often turns me off fruity drinks, though, is the excessive syrupy sweetness.

To cure this little issue, I created three simple and naturally sweetened fruity drinks. Each of these drinks clocks in at just about 150 calories and would be the perfect accompaniment for a warm summer evening.

Pineapple-Mango Frozen Margarita

{makes four drinks}

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of frozen, chopped pineapple
• 1 cup of frozen, chopped mango
• 6 ounces of pineapple juice {no sugar added}
• 4 shots of tequila
• 2 cups of lime flavored {unsweetened} sparkling water
• lime slices and/or maraschino cherries as a garnish

Put pineapple, mango, tequila, and pineapple juice in a blender. Add a splash of tap water if this is too thick for your blender. If you cannot find frozen mango or pineapple, use fresh and add a handful of ice to the blender.

Once mixture is completely blended, add sparkling water and stir. Serve each drink with a garnish of lime slices or maraschino cherries.

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Whipped Pear Cocktail

{makes one drink}

Ingredients:

• a flew pear “ice cubes” {aka – frozen pear pieces}
• a shot of whipped cream flavored vodka
• 4 ounces of pear juice {no sugar added}
• 4 ounces of sparkling water
• ground cinnamon

In order to make the pear ice cubes, just freeze peeled slices of pears on a plate lined with waxed paper. I used canned pears {the kind packed in juice, not syrup} but fresh would work, too.

Fill the bottom of your glass with a few frozen pear slices.  Pour in the whipped cream vodka, pear juice, and sparkling water. Garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon. This drink tastes like a dessert -it is so rich, yet refreshing, and so, so delicious!

- – -

Sparkling Mixed Berry Wine

{makes one drink}

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of white wine {whatever you have on hand – I used pinot grigio}
• 4 ounces of berry flavored sparkling water {unsweetened}
• a few tablespoons of frozen, mixed berries

Fill the bottom of your glass with the frozen mixed berries and pour in the wine and sparkling water. This is such a refreshing, simple, and very low calorie option.

Cheers!