Feeling those extra summer pounds from too much patioing? Yeah, so am I. So I am cleansing. I am on Day 3 and ready to slash someone’s throat – for a glass of wine. OK, so maybe that’s slightly exaggerated (and violent) but wine is my weakness and I miss it like fat kids miss cake… Still, I am committed and was prepping for this cleanse for one week. I kept thinking, I need to lower my wine consumption so it’s not a shock to my system when I cut it out for 7 days straight. So this got me to thinking of creative ways on how to still drink wine socially, yet consume less while drinking as much (liquid). I know this may sound mystifying… but it’s not. Here are some recipes I came up with that lowered my daily wine consumption from almost a bottle to 6 to 9oz per day. I also threw in my lighter version of everyone’s favourite cocktail: the mojito. Happy drinking!
The Classic Spritzer
3oz White Wine
3oz Soda Water
Lime (if desired)
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I had a couple of meetings with some wine loving friends last week (ahem Miss @ValTorontoGal) where I knew I would be drinking closer to a bottle than a glass. So I ordered the spritzer – a 3oz glass of wine with a side of soda. So while my friends drank their 6oz glasses, I had only consumed 3!
Pink Sparkler
3oz Pink Prosecco
2oz Lemonade
1oz Soda Water
Splash sugar-free cranberry juice
Fresh Mint
This cocktail is so yummy and so fresh it’s ideal for Saturday afternoon lounging with a good book. You can use homemade lemonade for less sugar or lower the ratio of lemonade to soda.
Red Wine Spritzer
3oz Red Wine
6oz Club Soda
Orange slice
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Not gonna lie – this is isn’t one of my favourites. But what’s a girl to do if she only drinks red wine? This is my suggestion… if you squeeze the orange into it, you may have visions of sangria!
Miss Nicki’s Mojito
1oz White Rum
5oz Soda Water
½ Pack of Stevia
1oz freshly squeezed lime juice
2 strawberries, muddled
A ton of mint
It’s no secret that Ms. Sam Millar and I enjoy a mojito every so often (or more often than not…). So I adapted the recipe Sam usually makes to lower the sugar levels. Yes, it’s slightly more tart and definitely less alcoholic, but my body says thank you whenever I make this version.