Twice the wine for half the calories!

Just in time for Thirsty Thursday, a smart trick to let yourself enjoy two glasses of wine for the caloric price of one! Whether at home with your girls or sweetie, or out on the prowl at happy hour, this is a sneaky trick to help manage your weight without putting a damper on your social life. 

Disclaimer

Now, before I tell you the trick, let me say this is in no way an endorsement for drinking. I am not giving anyone permission to over-indulge or anything like that. There is much mixed information in the news about how red wine contains antioxidants and resveretrol, so it has to be healthy; or alcohol causes lowered inhibition, weight gain, and loose morals, so it's the devil. There is some truth to both sides, and my life motto is all things in moderation.  Women are recommended to drink no more than one beverage per day, and men two. An alcoholic beverage means:

• 5 ounces of wine
• 12 ounces of beer
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits, such as vodka (a shot)

While it is true that some studies show various mental and physical health benefits of moderate amounts of alcohol (specifically wine), alcohol also contains "empty" calories. This means that you are getting calories from the drink, but no health benefits from vitamins or nutrients. So you need to take into account the calories that you will be adding on top of all your food calories for the day, or you will gain weight over time. This also goes for other "empty" beverages like soda pop or sugary coffee drinks. 

Calories in Wine

Depending on the type of wine, one 5 ounce glass can contain between 100 and 300 calories. That is the typical size of a midday snack or breakfast. The range is large because it depends upon the type of wine and the sugar content. Sweeter wines tend to have more sugar, and thus more calories, than dry wines. Which is unfortunate, because I can kill a whole bottle of moscato in one sitting, but take two hours to force down a dry red. I guess that's the idea...

The website GetDrunkNotFat is aptly named, and specializes in exactly the type of information you would think. They have a great chart here that summarizes many types of beverages (including things other than wine) broken down by calories per serving, serving size, even grams of carbohydrates per serving. You should also check out this amazing infographic on "Wine for Beginners" by Madeline Puckette from WineFolly.com: 

The part you've been waiting for!

Anyways, there is a way you can have you wine and drink it too. (Nonsensical metaphor, check). Simply ask the bartender or yourself to mix half wine with half soda water. Carbonated water or seltzer water have as many calories as regular water: Zero. Therefore, you can have 2.5 oz of wine plus 2.5 oz of sparkling water, twice! That's nicer than having one glass of wine, and one glass of water, don't you think? 

Carbonated water gets its fizzy property from dissolved carbon dioxide. Many names are basically synonymous, including: soda water, seltzer, carbonated water, club soda, sparkling water, and mineral water, with small distinctions. The exception, which is not synonymous, is tonic water. This is definitely not water-flavored; if ever you have tried it you are aware of its bitter taste. This bitter property comes from the organic compound quinine.  

What quinine looks like. In case you ever need to
organic chemistry your way out of a situation at a bar.

While bitter compounds are typically rejected by your taste buds (from an evolutionary mechanism which protected early people from ingesting poisons, see the comic below), quinine has been used in medicine for centuries. In fact, quinine has been and is still used occasionally to treat malaria. Interestingly, it is also naturally fluorescent. So if you're at a club with black lights, you could always order a gin & tonic and amaze your friends with your glowing beverage. 

The same logic applies to foods and drinks. If it was bitter, it might be poison. At least nowadays we know better.

So now that you know, choose your fizzy calorie-free mixer, and your wine of choice. May I recommend not diluting a very expensive fine wine, but going for something like (now) three-buck-chuck? Simply because, if you can afford a $200-bottle of wine, I assume you want to enjoy the wine for itself. In that case, please proceed, and maybe email me so we can be friends?

You can even use flavored soda water so that you don't notice a taste difference, or improve the taste of a wine you aren't terribly fond of, but are tired of that 1/3 full bottle in the fridge.

It makes a bubbly beverage that feels even more special. And good news, there is no scientific evidence that carbonated water harms bone health, in case that was a concern.
Enjoy responsibly!


For more health effects of alcohol, check out:

• Interactive website DrinkAware from the UK
• Alcohol Health & Research World article "Alcohol and Neurotransmitter Interactions" by C. Fernando Valenzuela, M.D., Ph.D.
• The fantastically amusing and educational website WineFolly

Do you have any healthy or frugal drinking tips?

Quick & Easy Blueberry-tini

This simple cocktail is super fast to whip up, for a house party or to relax in the evening after a long week. Sugary enough to mask the alcohol, be careful to count how many you make! Dangerously delicious.

Ingredients:
1 oz vodka (can use flavored if you prefer)
1 oz blueberry martini mixer (can use juice & club soda instead)
Handful frozen berries
Rimming sugar (cute if it's colored but you can use plain)

Step 1: On a flat plate, squeeze a lemon or lime. Or drizzle a tbsp of juice. Rub the rim of a martini glass in the juice to get the rim wet.

Step 2: On a separate flat plate, spread a circle of sugar. Take the wet-rimmed glass and rub it in the sugar so that it sticks.

Step 3: If you have a mixer, add ice, 1 oz vodka and 1 oz mixer and shake well. If not, just mix in a normal cup. Pour into the rimmed glass, and add a few frozen berries. You can get fancy and put more berries on toothpicks as a garnish. 

Step 4: Relax & enjoy!

What is your favorite drink?

Grapefruitcello

History of Limoncello

Limoncello is a traditional liquor of Italy, with competing areas laying claim to its origin, including Sorrentini, Amalfitani, and Capresi. Production began sometime in the 1900s, but the businessman Massimo Canale first trademarked the name "Limoncello" in 1988 (source: Taste of Sorrento). There are many other competing stories, such as limoncello being used in coastal towns to fight the morning chill, or its use among monks in monasteries to keep them cheerful between prayers. 

Limoncello has been growing in popularity as people begin trying their hands at home-brewing all types of alcohols, from wine and beer to whiskey and kahlua. The beauty of this type is that there are only four ingredients: citrus peels, alcohol, sugar, and water. It does not depend on a specific type of alcohol, rum will work just as well as vodka. It also can vary between which type of citrus peel you use. The steeping time is typically at minimum one month, but I've read up to a year. 

By soaking the peels in the alcohol, you are sucking out all the depth of flavor and aroma from the peel's essential oils into the liquid. This infusion is what can then bring flavor to other beverages. It is claimed that limoncello as an aperitif before or after a meal is a great digestive aid, and it is also sometimes enjoyed when mixed with champagne.

Typical Recipes

Limoncello is made by soaking the peel only of citrus fruits, most often lemons, in liquor for an amount of time. It is then strained and to it is added sugar dissolved in water. The liquid is then cured a little longer. It is ready to be drunk as an aperitif or added to cocktails. According to Discover Italian Foods, the traditional recipe calls for: 13 Sorrento or Amalfi lemons, 2 L good quality alcohol (type not specified), 650 g sugar (2 & 3/4 cups), and 1 L pure water. Soak the peels in the alcohol in a cool, dark place for one month. Filter, then make the syrup by boiling the sugar and water. Mix and store in the freezer.

Keep in mind that all of these recipes calling for limoncello can also use any steeped liquor using citrus peels. You can make this with oranges, lemons, limes, tangelos, or grapefruit. As long as you make sure to only take the peel and not the pithy white inside, you're good to go! I decided to start small, and as I only had one gigantic grapefruit, that is what I started with. I scaled back the average recipe and made just one bottle of grapefruitcello.

My Grapefruitcello Ingredients:

1 large grapefruit
1 cup plain vodka
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
~time~

Step 1: Peel 1 large grapefruit and place in a glass jar. Pour the vodka over it and cover. Let sit in a cool, dark place. Mine only sat for 2 weeks rather than the traditional month or longer.

Step 2: Prepare the simple syrup by mixing the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Let cool, then add to the filtered infusion.

Step 3: I'm storing this is the refrigerator for now. It probably won't last too long!

This made about 150 mL of grapefruitcello. The taster shots were darn good, I can't wait to mix up some tangy cocktails using this!

Limoncello cocktails

Limoncello can be drunk cold by itself between courses or after meals, you can use it in baking, or it can be added into cocktails for depth of flavor. This post from The Vintage Mixer is right up my alley in determining how to mix a cocktail. Simply take 1 ounce limoncello, add 2-3 oz any complimentary liquid (juices, club soda, tea), add an additional liquor if you desire (1 oz gin, whiskey, rum), and garnish with something pretty! The website Limoncello Quest also has a massive list of creative drinks which use limoncello. 

I'm going to try a variation on a vodka cranberry and a lemon drop martini. Since I used grapefruit, I don't need grapefruit juice. 

Ingredients:
1 oz grapefruitcello
1 oz vanilla vodka
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup cran-cherry juice (or whatever kind you like & have)
Top off with sparkling water

Step 1: I had frozen lime juice cubes so I threw one of those in, as well as some re-freezable ice cubes so it didn't get watered down. Add 1 shot (1 oz) of the grapefruitcello and 1 shot of vanilla vodka (bought pre-flavored or make your own by adding vanilla beans to plain vodka). Add in about 1/2 cup juice, and top it off with sparkling water.

I added a slice of lime wedge and a pretty stir stick, and my new signature cocktail is complete! Pretty and delicious. And with under 200 calories, about 15 g of sugar, and no fat, you can justify another one!
  

Have you made any homemade liquors?