A Piña Colada followed by a Mai Tai and then a Margarita. These popular summertime cocktails are easy consolation for those of us stuck in a humid river town as we daydream of blue oceans and sandy white beaches. Ah, but those extra calories are sure to get that muffin top popping!
The folks over at Morton’s The Steakhouse have the skinny for the skin-baring, health conscious among us. The restaurant’s new line of low-cal cocktails, called Spa-Tinis, are packed with flavor, yet each drink totals less than 200 calories. How’d they do it? Freshly squeezed juices replace commercially processed, sugar-laden ones; sour mixes are tossed aside; and base spirits are dialed down just a bit to lower the calorie count. Of the five mixed drinks, one standout is the Lean and Green, made from soju (a Korean spirit that’s similar to vodka, only a tad sweeter), agave nectar, lime juice, soda water, fresh mint and a cucumber garnish. It’s the kind of tart, light-tasting tippler that begs for a stroll in the garden. Another excellent pick is The Red Velvet, a berry-centric combination of Lindemans Framboise Lambic (a Belgian lambic beer fermented using raspberries), Chambord raspberry liqueur and 4 ounces of Prosecco. The Red Velvet is a stunning ruby red elixir with a half-inch foam cap and raspberry garnish.
The folks at Morton’s have shared with us the recipes for a couple of these flavor-packed summer sippers, but we prefer to belly up to the bar at the Clayton restaurant and let the pros do the mixing. Plus, banking up all those drink calories means we might just indulge in Morton’s mini crab cake BLTs during happy hour.
Lean and Green Serves 1
Courtesy of Morton’s The Steakhouse’s Tylor Field III, Sara Fasolino and Francesco LaFranconi
1½ oz. Ty Ku Soju
½ oz. Monin Agave Nectar
1½ oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 oz. soda water
10 mint leaves
• Shake ingredients 25 times with ice.
• Double strain into a Champagne flute.
• Garnish rim with a small cucumber wheel.
The Red Velvet Serves 1
Courtesy of Morton’s The Steakhouse’s Tylor Field III, Sara Fasolino and Francesco LaFranconi
2 oz. Lindemans Framboise Lambic
4 oz. Lunetta Prosecco
½ oz. Chambord
• Roll ingredients in a Boston shaker with ice and strain into a Champagne flute.
• Thread a raspberry on a toothpick and set atop the glass.
• Twist a lemon twist over the drink and discard twist.
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2011.