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When the sun comes out and the air warms up, people want to get out on their deck. They want to be poolside if they have a pool. And everyone wants something tasty to drink.

Some people call them their summer sippers. Some call it a tasty beverage.  Some just pop open a beer. Not all these drinks contain alcohol, but it sure would be nice if we could have options that don’t add a lot of weight gain.

I have some ideas.

Let’s start with tradition. Lemonade.

Now there’s a scary drink.

An 8 oz glass of lemonade made the old-fashioned way with sugar is 38 grams of carbs. That’s the equivalent of a half day of carbs in one glass. Not happening. Not in my lifestyle.

For today’s drinks, I decided to focus on the lemonade for a few drinks and sort of riff on it.

So try this recipe made with stevia drops.

Second up is a cucumber lemonade. This one is for people who like to try new things and want to feel fancy and different.

My husband and I used to enjoy a traditional Whiskey Sour in the summer. Or another version is referred to as a Lynchburg Lemonade.

A whiskey sour will come in at 13.6 grams of carbs. The reason is you’re taking out a ton of the lemonade and inserting straight alcohol. Canadian Rye Whiskey or Bourbon. This packs a wallop, but one or two spread over hours won’t hurt most folks. And if you make it using the lemonade recipe I just gave you, it’s almost innocent from a carbohydrate perspective. Just skip the traditional maraschino cherry in most recipes. Those things are just evil little sugar devils. And you can make a frozen version, too.

Next, I am diverting and giving you a recipe for a big ole pitcher of sangria.

Now, don’t think this stuff is innocent either. Just because it starts off with wine doesn’t make it okay to guzzle. I can remember back to when I was about 19 years old. I had sangria at lunch with a pizza, accompanied by my boyfriend. No one was paying any attention to what was happening in downing a pitcher of sangria. It looked all innocent with all that beautiful fruit in it. Little did I know there was a cup of vodka lurking in there.

You can take either of these drinks and give yourself a half-serving and then top it off with sparkling water. That will take down the alcohol content so you can sip more, longer, without ill effects.

Speaking of sparkling water, the last year or two has seen a boom in the number of no-calorie, all-natural sparkling water options available. My favorite is still La Croix and they have come out with a ton of new flavors. This stuff is really catching on! Perrier has come out with some new ones and I even saw a new one put out by Pepsi. Leave it to the giants to get into the game, too.

So for a no-alcohol option mash up some fruit of your choice; a few ripe strawberries or some ripe peach bits and top it all off with sparkling water. Plain or flavored.

My favorite LaCroix flavor is the grapefruit. I have to tell you I won’t even eat a grapefruit. I dislike them immensely, but this water flavor is wonderful. Not too sweet. Refreshing.

For an alcoholic sipper, take your favorite sparkling water and add your choice of clear liquor. Vodka and gin come to mind first. That way you’re getting your flavoring from the flavored water; which is natural – unlike some of those flavored liquors and liqueurs that are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Oh, and for you beer drinkers… try to find a low carb version you like.  The breweries are coming out with more every year. Even craft breweries are getting into the game. I try to advise people to find one under 5 grams per serving. Would you rather have 3 beers at 5 grams each over the course of a party or just one at 15? Keep the grams of carbs down and chase the beer belly away. Here’s a link to a list or while you are at the party you can always google whatever one you’re considering. The data is easy to find.

Enjoy your summer beverages in moderation.

Cheers,