If you’re out for the night and stuck counting calories, you usually only have a couple options: A watery light beer, Diet Coke and clear rum, or a vodka soda. (Wait — Pellegrino and lime? Who invited you?)
Which is why I was super psyched to get a peek at Valanni’s (1229 Spruce St.) new “skinny” cocktail menu. Ringing in at under 170 calories — and usually considerably less — there’s a little something for every lush who has a pencil skirt to squeeze into on Monday morning.
(For anyone who doesn’t think that’s a cocktail calorie bargain, I almost don’t want to interrupt your beautiful little world. So I’ll let the jerks who wrote “Drink This, Not That” do the honors.)
On the complicated fruity side, I’m loving the “Fresh and Frisky” (vodka, blackberries, lime and basil at 156 calories) and the “What a Teas” (Sweet Tea vodka and lemongrass-infused lemonade for 166). Even the dreaded margarita manages to slim down here: The “Hot For Herra” packs a modest 139 calories, which is less than the garnish on the Mai Tais you were throwing back on the beach over the weekend.
But, if I can squeeze one last drinking confession into the holiday weekend, it’s the “Make a Splash” that stole my Northeast girl heart. Pinot Grigio on the rocks, topped with club soda. Yes, that’s right: A white wine spritzer over ice with a much less “oh-no-she-didn’t” name.
