Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Sunday Salon: Review of Skinnygirl Cocktails White Sangria and Margarita








I heard about the Skinnygirl Cocktail line from a friend and decided that I wanted to try them. I liked the idea of a healthier cocktail and liked that Skinnygirl  Cocktails  are lower in calories lightly sweetened and with nothing artificial. I have rosacea, a skin condition that is triggered when I drink white wine and my dermatologist recently suggested that I stick to cocktails or beer and stay away from  wine. I am not a daily drinker but I do enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail.  The Skinnygirl Cocktails are available in Margarita and White Sangria.



The Skinnygirl Margarita has been out for awhile and is easier to find. I found a bottle of Skinnygirl Margarita last month at a local grocery store and it was on sale for $11.99 which was comparable to the other bottled margarita brands. I have to say that I was not fond of the Skinnygirl Margarita. I found it sour and the flavor wasn't palatable for me. I added it to a fruit smoothie I made and thought that it would taste like a frozen margarita. It dominated the flavors and didn't blend with the fruit flavors. I have to say that my husband loves the Skinnygirl Margarita and finished the bottle. He thinks that "Skinnygirl Margarita rules", maybe they should make a Skinnyguy line as many of my friends have shared with me that they weren't fond of the Skinnygirl Margarita either.





Last week, I found a bottle of the Skinnygirl White Sangria and it was the last bottle on the shelf. I was excited that I found a bottle as I thought that I would like this better than the Skinnygirl Margarita. It was a bit pricier and not on sale at $12.99 a bottle. I cut up some fresh fruit (peaches, raspberries, strawberries) and added the fruit to the chilled sangria and garnished it with a strawberry and slice of orange (picture above) for my husband and I. The Skinnygirl Sangria is sweeter than the Skinnygirl Margarita but it has an unusal aftertaste that I didn't care for. When I tasted it without the fruit, It tasted "tinny" as if I was drinking something from an aluminum can. I didn't care for the color and my husband commented that it was an unusual yellow color. It is not an appealing color compared to the margarita which is primarily clear with a white hint of color. I preferred the Skinnygirl White Sangria with the fruit as it gave it a sweeter flavor with less of the tinny aftertaste. Overall, the Sangria was definitely my favorite compared to the margarita flavor. I doubt that I'd buy the Skinnygirl Margarita or Skinnygirl White Sangria again. I'm glad that I tried it but I'd prefer to make it myself. I found these recipes for Skinnygirl Margarita's and Skinnygirl Sangria that you can make from scratch. I plan to try them both...or maybe my husband will make them as he thinks it's easier and more cost effective. These are both nice summer drinks, you can sit on your deck or patio and enjoy them with a group of friends. These would be great drinks for a book club gathering as well.


Here are some Skinnygirl cocktail recipes:


How To Make a Skinnygirl Sangria

Make Skinnygirl Sangria (doesn’t need to be made in advance) using freshly cut fruit, reasonably priced sparkling wine served in large pitchers so you don’t have to play bartender.
  • 8 peaches, pitted and sliced
  • 4 white plums, pitted and sliced
  • 1 pound green grapes, cut in half
  • 3 bottles Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine)
  • One 12-ounce can Fresca or diet lemon/lime soda (I would think that you can use regular lemon/lime soda also)
  • One 12-ounce can club soda
Combine all the ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve over ice.


 * Other fruit that would work could be strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, oranges etc.






Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Margarita


For a delicious Margarita on the rocks (that will not blow your diet), try Bethenny's easy recipe:


What you'll need: 
  • 2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
  • Tiny splash of Orange Liquor
  • Juice of four Fresh Lime Wedges
  • A splash of Grand Marnier or BOLS Triple Sec



Combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge.

Makes one serving   (Recipe from Health.com)

There are more cocktail recipes here:  5 fabulous Cocktails under 220 calories 




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6 comments:

  1. It's too bad those were both disappointments. To be honest, though, I don't drink enough to worry about the calories.

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  2. I love margaritas -- they are so perfect for the summer (well, I wouldn't turn one down in winter either!). I've never seen the Skinnygirl Cocktails. I wonder if we can get them in Pennsylvania.

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  3. I love margaritas. I saw the SkinnyGirl stuff in the store the other day and it was terribly expensive! I think it was mismarked because it was like $27 or something.

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  4. I like my margarita's frozen...I'm not much of a cocktail drinker. Give me a cold beer any day! Too bad they didn't go over better with you!

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  5. That's a good margarita recipe -- my favorite way to make them. So it looks like you are better off making a good cocktail from scratch than going with the pre-made mix. Not much of a surprise.

    Rose City Reader

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  6. How disappointing! I've been looking to try these for a long time because of watching Frankel on Bravo. I suppose I'll still have to try them for myself.

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