Nutra-suh-weet

Ah, summer. Time for sun, surf and fruity cocktails with umbrellas in them. But if you’re anything like me, umbrellas and fruit do not an effective drink make. Liquor with a splash of flavor is the quickest way to leave the 50-plus-hour workweek behind, and any information that helps me get to my “happy place” faster is always welcome. So I was thrilled to learn, just a few days before the start of summer, of a recent finding regarding artificial sweeteners. Australian researchers have discovered that mixing alcohol with low-calorie sweeteners causes the stomach to empty as much as 5.8 minutes faster than it would if you were drinking full-sugar mixers. This means that my signature drink, Captain and Coke, will have me walking the plank a bit quicker when I put the Captain on a Diet. During Digestive Disease Week 2006 (a party I want to be invited to next year!), researchers also announced that reducing the calories in your drink raises blood alcohol significantly. So, as always, don’t drink and drive…especially if you’ve been drinking diet soda. But it’s nice to know there’s a way to make those $8 cocktails stretch a little further. Readers, if you have any lo-cal drink recipes you’d like to share, we’re all ears. —Matt Cokeley

Comments

[PA Jim]

I feed my wife what I cal l "diet lighhtning," diet 7Up and PA-native everclear. That stuff gets you more twisted than a rollercoaster on a acid trip.

[John Mahoney]

I live for Fresca and I’m always watching my figure, so my drink of choice is FRESKA (with a backwards ‘K’). It’s Fresca and Vodka, and the only problem with this nearly-perfect drink is that a lot of bartenders laugh at me when I order it. The rest just don’t stock Fresca behind the bar.

[John Mahoney - PopSci]

Whoever posted the above is definitely on to something (I must jump on the next case of Fresca I see at the bodega. And the backwards K...yes!) but their co-opting of my identity is quite mysterious. Reveal yourself, shadowy poster!

[John Mahoney]

Who are you, guy who is pretending to be me? I am John Mahoney, and I love FRESKA.

[Mitch]

For your entertainment:

It's very easy to make a great Kahlua equivalent. You can even make it diet if you use splenda rather than suger.

In a pot over med-high heat add:

1. 1 cup of water

2. 1/4 cup of instant coffee, store brand is fine. Stir and mix well.

3. 1 cup of sugar (you can use splenda or splenda sugar mix). Stir and mix well.

4. 2 cups Vodka (as long as it's American vodka you can use the cheap stuff. American law states that American made Vodka has to be filtered at least once, plus you can filter Vodka in your Brita!). Stir and mix well.

5. 1 Tbs of Vanilla. Stir and mix well.

That's makes a skosh more than 750ml, so your old Kahlua bottle works great. It's okay to use immediately, better to let it blend overnight.

Enjoy!

[Tony]

For all those fresca lovers out there I recommend the Frisky, fresca and whisky, similar in taste to a 7 and 7 or a whisky sour but I think the name says it all on this one.

[turbulence training]

Mitch..

tried the drink last nite...not bad.

[John Bon]

Oh yes I’ve been drinking Fresca and Vodka for years now. I tried all the newer flavors and was less than impressed, but the original is still awesome. The drink is fresh and crisp with a little bight. I also recommend the 12 oz. can over the two-liter; something about the super fizzy freshly opened can that makes the drink top notch. To avoid confusion at the bars I usually just settle for vodka and tonic with extra lemons but that doesn’t compare to my home favorite Fresca and Vodka!