Happy Hour

Happy hours are dear to me and I generally proscribe to the wise adage, "It's happy hour somewhere in the world." I attended the same undergraduate institution that Animal House was based on so my college years were filled with games of beer pong (with a paddle tho - anything else is NOT pong, but beirut) and $2 margaritas any time of the day at Molly's because zoning laws prohibit happy hours in New Hampshire. [Sidebar: if you're ever in Hanover, New Hampshire and not on a diet, please go to Molly's and enjoy the best bread you'll ever have in your life. You might as well have a couple of margaritas too since they're only $2.]

Unfortunately, drinking can make you very fat. The problem is, who doesn't want to drink and have a good time with their friends? If I was the naturally thin type who could eat and drink without any worries, my go to drinks would be Margaritas, Side cars and Jack or Makers and Gingerale, with the occasional vodka tonic/gin and tonic. ( I know I just named five drinks but different occasions call for different drinks!) I'm not a big fan of red wine, but I do like my fair share of riesling and pinot. Since my metabolism was the last one to be picked during a game of kickball, I can't have those sugary/calorie filled drinks and still reach my goal weight. As a result, I've been spending some time trying to figure out lower calorie cocktails that still taste good.

Here are a couple suggestions on how to make what I think are the "classic girl on a diet" drinks BETTER :

The classic "girl on a diet" drinks:

Rum + diet coke

Vodka + Soda

I've ordered these drinks often in an effort to be skinny and fun, but deep down I generally think they taste pretty bad.

Vodka Soda ---

Vodka soda tastes a little better if u squeeze several limes in but generally they're pretty bleh. Crystal light makes these little to-go packets of drink mix that are perfect to take with you to happy hour. I think the pink lemonade one is the best and goes really well with a flavored vodka like ciroc coconut. Mix in one of those packets with your vodka+soda or add some vodka to a glass of water+crystal light and you actually have a d-mn good drink.

Rum + Diet ---

I drink diet coke by itself but drinking it with rum ruins what is already a pretty subpar experience. However, Rum (or your dark liquor of choice) + COKE ZERO is a MUCH better experience. As most people know diet coke, doesn't taste like regular coke at all and it was never supposed to. It was just a diet drink Coke Zero actually tastes almost exactly the same as regular Coke and makes for a much better mixer. I haven't run into any places that have Coke Zero on fountain but who says you can't bring a can with you when you go out? Worse things have been done (like that time my friend brought tequila in a water bottle to the bar).

Here's to having a little fun while losing weight.

Cheers!

-Nash