Calorie Conscious Alcohol Drinks: How to Imbibe Without Breaking Your Caloric Limitations

To get technical: The higher the alcohol content, the less calories you’ll end up taking in since you’ll get drunk much much faster.  So beer is the worst option, and Everclear or pure alcohol is the best.  Vodka is just as good as Everclear because it’s basically grain alcohol diluted with water.

Alcohol has 7 calories per gram.  So 100 mL of something with more alcohol content in it will have more calories.   If you’re drinking beer over liquor, you’ll end up consuming more calories. If we’re strictly talking pure liquor (no mixers, etc), then it’s not going to make a difference what you drink really. Clear alcohols like Vodka, Gin, and Everclear will have less calories than, say, Rum, but even then you’re talking the difference of maybe 30-40 calories a shot?  However 40% ABV rum has pretty much the same amount of calories per shot as 40% ABV vodka or gin (maybe +/- 3 calories per shot). The % ABV is the main determiner of how many calories will be in a shot of hard alcohol – see here. This isn’t true if you are drinking something like Malibu or some sort of liqueur which has a lot of added sugars and stuff, but for things like Captain Morgan or Maker’s Mark, it will be.

You’re reading it in his voice, aren’t you?

Keep in mind to make sure you have enough to eat beforehand within your caloric limits or something to snack on during. You can try to cut calories all you want with your choice of drink, but what’s stopping piss-drunk you from grabbing fast food at 3 AM – undoing all that calorie-cutting effort?

The Best Way to Bake Your Pies Isn’t With Vodka—It’s Like This

We’ve entered pie season—and with that also comes the season of people telling you their secret pie crust ingredient. For most people, that secret ingredient means one thing: vodka. I know because I used to be one of them. Until I found something much, much better.

Source: The Best Way to Bake Your Pies Isn’t With Vodka—It’s Like This

One of the store I shop at sells vanilla vodka, so I use that in the crusts. It adds that extra bit. But it seems to me that the best crusts have a long flake to them that you get from hand-mixing. The vodka crust is flaky but crumbly, like cheesecake crust. Still, I’m glad the vodka crust is so reliable.

I have a pie crust recipe that doesn’t use any alcohol, including vanilla extract.  It’s served me well.

How to Make Your Own Bitters for a Signature Stamp on Every Cocktail

Any bar worth its rimming salt should be stocked with at least a couple of bottles of bitters. Sure, you can make a cocktail without them, but you can also roast a chicken without salt or pepper. Like these everyday seasonings, cocktail bitters add flavor and depth to almost any beverage, and making your own allows you to put a unique stamp on every cocktail you serve.

I urge you to think of bitters as a sort of “cocktail spice rack”, and to think of every cocktail as a choose-your-own-adventure type of situation. Homemade bitters are so easy to make (you just throw stuff in jars) that there’s no reason not to have a bottle to suit each and every one of your whims. Plus, they make great, super thoughtful gifts. (It’s September, everyone, which means it is just about time to start stressing about the holidays.)

Source: How to Make Your Own Bitters for a Signature Stamp on Every Cocktail

No matter how good you think they would be, never try to eat the fruit soaked for bitters. 😉

If you find yourself at a bar unable to afford decent bourbon (or the well sludge is on happy hour) ask for a splash of aromatic bitters with your drink. Turns a really crappy bourbon into a mediocre-to-poor bourbon, and they’ll never upcharge you for it.

Our Taste for Alcohol Goes Back Millions of Years

Alcohol has been part of human existence for millennia. Alcoholic beverages are an integral part of human culture. Like the wines consumed in Jewish and Christian rituals, these drinks have ceremonial and religious uses. Until the nineteenth century, beer, brandy, rum or grog was the drink of choice for sailors in lieu of stagnant water during long voyages. Alcohol is a social lubricant, an anesthetic and an antiseptic. It is one of the most widely used drugs in the world and has been manufactured since the advent of agriculture nearly 9000 years ago.  How is it that this drug — an intoxicating poison — has become such a part of human existence?

Source: Our Taste for Alcohol Goes Back Millions of Years

The majority of the article talks about the enzyme details…

While we started making alcohol when we figured out agriculture some 9,000 years ago, the research suggests that we’ve had exposure as far back as 10 million years ago.  Now consider that the Y-chromosomal Adam is believed to be ~208,300 years old (vs 200,000 years for Mitochondrial Eve).  Some posit that alcohol is what prompted agriculture – what a sobering thought.  Agriculture almost destroyed civilization…

Alcohol is Paleo!

Recipe: Rum Caramel Eggnog Bubble Tea

Because why not?  You can omit the tapioca/boba for a standard eggnog – here’s the recipe.

• Tapioca/boba is a plant starch – it’s both vegetarian and gluten free
• Eggs are not technically animal flesh, but substitutes are covered here.
• Dear lactose intolerant and vegans: The recipe calls for dairy milk, substitute appropriately because not everyone tolerates soy/almond/etc
• Refined sugar: I will update accordingly when I have a vegan caramel recipe

Cooking: Non-Alcoholic Substitutes for Alcohol in Recipes

[The] following is a general list of non-alcoholic substitutes that can be used when cooking with alcohol is simply not an option. Choose the option that best matches the flavor of the dish you are making

Source: Alcohol Substitutions in Cooking

Worth taking a look at if you or someone you know needs to avoid alcohol but retain the flavour and enjoyment.  That doesn’t mean just alcoholics – expecting mothers?