Mojito cocktail

I'll let you in on a secret: If just stopped drinking, I would probably drop 10 pounds immediately. But what's life without the occasional glass of wine during dinner or summer without mojitos? Not worth living! So tonight before I meet my friends for happy hour, I'm following these drink smart tips...

Drinks don't come with a warning sign saying, "Calories ahead!" But these two signs are dead giveaways:

  1. It's huge. If your mai tai comes in a bowl, not a glass, you're probably consuming an entire dinner's worth of calories. For example, a 16-ounce margarita weighs in at a whopping 680 calories! I'd rather spend those calories on chips and salsa. Instead, you can order a small mojito for 180 calories.

  2. The main ingredient is sour mix. This stuff contains 27 calories per ounce. Gulp. That's more than regular soda! Step away from the amaretto sour.

For more healthy (but fun!) cocktail swaps, check out our Best and Worst Drinks slideshow.

__How do you save calories at happy hour? What's your go-to drink when you're dieting? (I prefer a glass of red wine or scotch on the rocks.) __


Photo: iStock