Arguably, alcohol and weight loss mix like ice cream and pickles. It’s not so bad that one ounce of 80-proof liquor contains about 65 calories, but maybe you like that liquor mixed with other liquors plus mixers and a salted rim on your glass and, hey presto! You have a 500-calorie margarita. What’s a dieter to do?
Well, you might try Bare Mixers. Chris and Natalie, the creators of Bare Mixers, sent me a sample of their low-calorie concoction. With just four all-natural ingredients – real lemon and lime juice, water, and organic agave nectar – a three-ounce serving is a mere 50 calories.
Four of us gathered for the tasting and began with the mix alone. A touch of sweetness, a hint of lime rather than lemon, no unpleasant after-taste and as light as Belinda Carlisle singing Summer Rain.
An ounce of Patron silver tequila plus three ounces of Bare Mixers gave us a Bare margarita and about 115 calories for easy-sipping over ice by the pool on a hot day. We all agreed, however, that more than an ounce of tequila, or use of a lesser-quality (rougher-tasting) tequila would begin to overpower the mixer. Also, we hard-drinking margarita-lovers missed the more substantive blend of tequila with triple sec and that biting taste of lime. So… time to experiment a little.
To keep things natural as well as low calorie, 1 oz of fresh orange juice was added to the Bare margarita with an additional ½ oz of Patron and a squeeze of lime. The extra tartness was balanced out with a touch of stevia. This brought the cocktail to a little over 160 calories and added the depth of flavor we were seeking.
Bare Pomerita
Time to step things up another notch. One ounce of Patron, ½ ounce of Grand Marnier, two ounces of Bare Mixers, a generous splash of pomegranate juice and a squeeze of lime; sweetened up just a touch with stevia. Oh, yeah! And still only around 150 calories.
Some of you will know that I have created many low-calorie cocktails, and you might also be aware that my preference is for natural ingredients, so I rarely use commercial mixing products. But Chris and Natalie are definitely on to something here. I was pleasantly surprised by the versatility of the product and, in fact, I like the Bare Pomerita (I just thought of that name) so much, I’m going to include it in my upcoming book (Skinny Jean Cocktails).
Bare Mixers is available in some stores or you can order it online for just $6.99 a liter. With a shelf life of 1 year, it will keep refrigerated for up to 60 days. I know the rest of my sample won’t be around anywhere near that long!
