By Kelsey Murray
Everyone knows that a Happy Hour with friends can quickly become a diet-buster. With fried appetizers, sugary mixers, and high-calorie alcohols, you can end up consuming a lot more calories than you had planned on. For example, did you know that a typical mixed drink can contain more than 500 calories in a small 4-ounce serving? That’s a diet buster if I’ve ever heard of one.
So, what can you do to lower your total caloric intake while still enjoying the occasional cocktail? For a long time, people have tried tricks such as using diet soda or sparkling water as their mixers or limiting how many drinks and finger-foods they consume. Recently, Skinny Girl Margaritas and Budweiser’s Select 55 hit the scene and calorie-conscious drinkers rejoiced. However, there still was not a lot of low-calorie alcoholic drinks. Luckily, there is now another option hitting liquor stores for those who want to sip up but not ruin their weight loss goals.
TY KU is a liquor brand that has long been concerned with creating healthier liquors by using all natural ingredients and ancient Japanese distillation and brewing techniques. They have now released a low-calorie line of liquors that contain about half of the calories of other brands and come in several varieties.
The TY KU Soju is an alternative to vodka, but only contains 68 calories per serving, compared with 125 calories per shot of Absolut Citron Vodka. The liquor has a smooth taste and acts as a flavor catalyst, which allows it to absorb the flavors of the mixers it is used with and makes it perfect for creating low-calorie drinks.
The TY KU Citrus Liqueur is created by blending the Soju with various fruit and tea flavors and can be drank straight, on the rocks, or with another liquor. It contains 72 calories per 1.5 ounces, as opposed to Midori with 123 calories and Gran Marnier with 147 calories per serving.
In order to create more of a name for itself, TY KU recently created its signature drink, the Skinny Geisha. The drink was inspired by the 2024 US Open Tennis Championship and was served as the official drink during the tournament at Arther Ashe Stadium. The drink mixes TY KU Citrus Liqueur, Cointreau, mint leaves, and fresh lime to create a tasty, refreshing, and low-calorie drink, perfect for hot summer nights.