The whole concept of alcohol being ‘empty calories’ has never sat well with us. Some days, there is nothing that fills you up (with happiness, warmth and relaxation) quite like a cocktail or glass of wine.
That said, we’re also not averse to a little help in the diet department – so if we can have our vodka and drink it too (so to speak) then that just seems like a win-win, really.
Ketel One is coming to the party with the launch of its Ketel One Botanical range. With an alcohol content of 30 per cent and just 73 calories per serve, the infused vodka has 40 per cent fewer calories than a glass of white wine. And let’s not forget that a standard 100ml ‘glass’ of wine is often substantially smaller than the goblet we pour ourselves on a Friday evening.
The Ketel One Botanical collection has just launched in the US in three delicious-sounding flavours: Grapefruit & Rose, Cucumber & Mint, and Peach & Orange Blossom. And unlike other flavoured vodkas, the Botanical range contains no artificial flavours, sweeteners or added sugars. They’re also carb-free, which is a bonus if you’re curbing your carb intake. (Don’t mind us as we dust the breadcrumbs off our chins.)
The vodkas are made in a similar fashion to our favourite spirit, gin, by distilling the spirit with pure botanicals and infusing it with natural fruit and botanical essences. The main difference between gin and these top-shelf vodkas is that the latter is a juniper-free zone (the tiny purple-black berry is a must in gin production).
Ketel One suggests keeping things simple (and low-calorie) by serving the Botanical vodkas over ice and topping up with soda water, but we think they’d also work a treat in cocktails. Try the Peach & Orange Blossom vodka in this peachy guava crush recipe or add the Cucumber & Mint version to our cucumber martinis. With fruit, vegetables and herbs, they’re practically healthy!
This article originally appeared on Foodiful.