If there are two pastimes we wish could coexist, it’s enjoying a fine beverage and keeping the rig in a tidy condition. It’s no secret that alcohol’s caloric qualities make it a killer for the health-conscious man’s dietary plans.
To put things into perspective, pure alcohol contains roughly 7 calories per gram while carbohydrates and protein both contain 4 calories per gram. At the top of the spectrum is fat, boasting roughly 9 calories per gram. In real numbers, you’re looking at 248 calories in a can of rum and coke, 154 calories in a can of beer, and 123 calories in a glass of wine. The real culprit here, however, is the accompanying sugars/carbs found in your drink’s mix: coke with the rum, and residual sugars after fermentation in beer and wine.
Multiply these numbers by a few and we’ve got ourselves a classic caloric surplus, at which point your body begins to store the unburned calories as fat. Herein lies the dilemma for the social man.
We recently ran a piece on How To Drink This Summer and Still Keep Your Six Pack and we’ve found a premixed option to add to that list: Vodka Soda &. I’m not sure what the ‘and’ symbol is doing out of place but the rest of this drink knows exactly what is up. Coming in at only 73 calories per can, it presents itself as the obvious suitor for your weekend without the guilt on Monday. The ingredients include only vodka and soda water, with no sugar or sweeteners to be found.
When the concept popped across my desk I admittedly thought two things: (1) it’s going to taste pretty average and (2) why can’t I just buy vodka and soda water and mix them myself? To answer myself in hindsight: (1) it does taste rather flavourless but is designed to have fruit added for taste – the whole top of the can comes off and (2) there’s value-add in the premixed convenience; it’s the same reason why punters still buy rum and coke cans as opposed mixing from bottles themselves.
BH Tip: we found it best with mint leaves and a dash of cut lime for flavour. Vodka Soda & is worth a shot for those looking to shake things up a bit without the fat tax and is available at selected BWS and Dan Murphy’s stores across the East Coast.
