When you think of holiday treats, a cocktail may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But between more dinners with family or friends and other holiday celebrations, chances are you’ll run into a cocktail or two. Whether you’re hosting Christmas brunch or having a cozy snow day at home, here are some of our favorite winter cocktails.

ALCOHOL & YOUR MACROS

First, let’s talk a little bit here about tracking alcohol as part of your macro tracking. The calories from alcohol are not classified as protein, carbs, or fats. This means that you can’t log a drink accurately by just scanning the barcode; however, it does mean that you get to decide how you want to account for your drink. You can choose whether you want to track it as carbohydrates, fat, or a mix of the two. 

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO TRACK ALCOHOL ACCURATELY

A 5oz glass of red wine is listed as 129 calories in MFP (0P/0F/4C). If you log this red wine as is, you are only accounting for 4 grams of carbohydrates, or about 16 calories. This leaves you with 113 calories that are simply not accounted for, but have indeed been consumed. Here is an example of how to track that glass of wine. 

If tracking using carbohydrates: 129 calories divided by 4 cal/g = 32g carbs

If tracking using fat: 129 calories divided by 9 cal/g = 14g fat

If tracking using a combination: 64.5 calories divided by 4 cal/g = 16g carbs PLUS 64.5 calories divided by 9 cal/g = 7g fat

Tracking alcohol accurately can seem burdensome, but it is an important aspect of tracking (or if not tracking; just being aware of the calories in alcohol). You don’t have to always do a ton of math to make sure you are accounting for alcohol correctly. If you have a go-to drink, you can use the alcohol calculator below and create a “New Food” in MFP (or another tracking app) and use that as your standard food journal entry.

Now, for some of our favorite holiday drinks this season!

WINTER CRANBERRY BRAMBLE

PREP TIME:  5 minutes || Makes 1 serving

I love cranberry and citrus in the winter. Somehow these crisp drinks always seem incredibly refreshing, even when there is snow outside.  

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1.5 oz gin (Tracked here as 25C)

• 35g cranberry sauce 

• .75 oz lemon juice 

• .5 oz orange juice 

• Ice

WHAT TO DO:

• Place your ingredients in a tin with ice. Shake and strain into a glass with ice.

MACROS PER SERVING: 0P/0F/43C

MAPLE IRISH COFFEE

PREP TIME:  10 minutes || Makes 1 serving

There is something about coffee in the evenings when snow is on the ground or the air is frigid. As much as I love my iced coffee, there is something I especially love about warm coffee, especially when it comes with a kick. 

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1.5 oz of Jameson Irish whiskey (Tracked here as 11F)

• 2 teaspoons maple syrup 

• 6 ounces hot freshly brewed coffee 

• 10g Topping of Reddi-whip whipped cream

WHAT TO DO:

Pour the whiskey and two teaspoons of maple syrup into a heat-safe mug. Add coffee and stir with a spoon until the maple syrup dissolves. Top with whipped cream.

MACROS PER SERVING: 0P/13F/11C

WHIPPED CREAM VODKA SODA

PREP TIME:  3 minutes || Makes 1 serving

I love seasonal zero-calorie sodas. This pairing came from a dear friend, Dr. Laura, who iterated it’s the perfect pairing. 

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1.5 oz of Smirnoff Whipped Cream Vodka (Tracked here as 5F/13C)

• 6 oz Sprite Zero Sugar Winter Spiced Cranberry

• 10g Topping of Reddi-wip whipped cream

WHAT TO DO

Pour the whipped cream vodka and Sprite Zero Sugar Winter Spiced Cranberry into a glass with ice. Top with Reddi–Wip. 

MACROS PER SERVING: 0P/13F/15C

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