arts & life dining in Good Spirits Kick off New Year’s Eve with gorgeous cocktails that are good for you. Stacy Goldberg Special to the Jewish News Brett Mountain Photography ABOVE: Matt Carter mixes at Townhouse Birmingham T he holiday season is upon us, which means family celebra- tions, office parties, tropical vacations and ski trips. For some, however, this equates to indulgent meals, deli- cious desserts and festive cocktails. When the social calendar gets busy or we take time off for extended vacations, we often fail to recog- nize the number of alcoholic beverages we actually consume in a given week. While drinking alcohol in moderation is not detrimental to your waistline, consuming excess calories from sweetened, creamy and sugary drinks can pack on the pounds. The 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that if alcohol is consumed, it should be in moderation — up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. A standard drink size is 12 ounces beer, 5 ounces wine and ½ ounce liquor. Keeping the size of your drink in check is critical for both your diet and your safety. In fact, your festive spirits may be more caloric than your lunch and dinner combined. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on average: ■ a 12-ounce regular beer has 153 calories and a light beer has 103 calories ■ 5 ounces red wine has 125 calories and 5 oz. of white wine has 121 calories ■ ½ ounce distilled spirits (gin, vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila) has 97 calories ■ 9 ounces pina colada has 490 calories ■ 8 ounces fruit daiquiri has 448 calories So how can you keep your calories in check while still enjoying your favorite spirits? Here are some of my tips on how to make healthier choices at the bar: CREAMY COMFORT Sitting on a cruise ship enjoying a cool ice cream-filled cocktail or Hummer is refreshing to the palate but can add up to well over 500 calories. If you crave a creamy alcoholic beverage, consider the follow- ing swaps: If your cocktail calls for ice cream, heavy cream, Baileys or whipped cream, ask for an alternative non-dairy ice cream or beverage such as almond, coconut, soy or rice milk. Substituting with a non-dairy bev- erage decreases alcohol content — and provides nutrition. Try frozen Greek yogurt, which provides a boost of protein, or coco- nut milk ice cream, which provides healthy fats. Limit the serving of whipped-cream topping to no more than 1-2 tablespoons (about the size of a ping-pong ball). continued on page 40 December 22 • 2016 39