Cheers: This Season's Sultry, Satisfying and Somewhat Beneficial Cocktails

Sipping some of the summer-inspired cocktails being served in Troy is a bit like strolling through a vegetable garden, fruit orchard or herb patch.

Consider the Skinny Blood Orange Cosmo offered at : Blood Orange Vodka, Monin sugar free Triple Sec, lime and cranberry juices combine for a smooth and citrusy outcome, or the Skinny Rita, which is made with Patron Silver, Monin agave nectar and fresh lime.

“They’re high-flavor, low-calorie drinks for the health conscious,” Steve Salmon, general manager at Morton’s, said about the restaurant's new Spa-tinis.

Featuring everything from mint leaves and agave nectar to orange slices and cucumber, Morton's line up combines natural ingredients to minimize sugar and calories without compromising taste.

All the skinny, no fat

Salmon said using spirits such as Ty Ku Soju, a Japanese liquor crafted with 100 percent premium barley and pure spring water, offers fewer calories and more versatility than vodka. Morton's Lean and Green uses Ty Ku Soju, Monin agave nectar, lime juice and mint leaves, and is especially cool with its cucumber garnish. 

All of them are flavor-packed and low in calories.

“Hey, it’s bathing suit season," Salmon said. "People want to cut down on calories but don’t want to give up all of their indulgences.”

The pretty concoctions with “tastes of summer” are also flowing at other establishments along Troy’s Golden Corridor.

Three of ’s best-kept secrets are the “Skinny Cocktails” served at the NM Café at :

At 175 calories, the Margarita Royal combines tequila with Chambord, lime, blackberry syrup and more, while the 120-calorie Lemon Drop De-lite has Grey Goose Le Citron and lemon and orange juices.

Café manager Collette Geck said the restaurant also has a Weightless Mojito, which mixes rum, lime, mint, soda and more for a mere 130 calories per serving.

“Shoppers can come in any time and enjoy these skinny cocktails,” Geck says. 

If your tastes lean toward something a bit more bubbly, Berries and Bubbles, is available at . Made with Belvedere citrus vodka, Creme de Cassis and house made sour mix, the drink is topped with a float of Domain Chandon sparkling wine.

“The acidity in the sparkling wine gives the cocktail great balance and makes it a great summertime cocktail,” said Ryan Valentine, beverage director for Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, which owns Ocean Prime.

Summer classics

Seafood Restaurant features the Summer Rum Cooler, guaranteed to make even Jack Sparrow smile. A blend of light rum, pineapple and lime juices, peach puree and a dark-rum topper puts you on island time in a snap.

Voted the “Best Happy Hour in Detroit” by Hour Detroit Magazine in 2009, 
McCormick and Schmick’s bar serves up discount food and drinks every late afternoon.

Bahama Breeze, one of Troy’s quintessential summer spots, features a treasure chest of citrus delights, indoors and out. Company spokesman Mike Bernstein notes that the bar's “perennial favorite” is the signature BahamaRita, which blends tequila and real kiwi, strawberry and mango ice as well as a clip-on shot of margarita schnapps.

Three recently introduced cocktails popular with guests include the Ultimate Margarita, the Pom Paloma and the Rumba. The names alone evoke summer beats and cha-cha-style fun.

Look for premium tequila, sugar cane juice, Cointreau, Grand Marnier and freshly squeezed lime juice in the The Ultimate Margarita.

The Pom Paloma is a twist on Mexico’s legendary Paloma: a blend of Cabo Wabo Reposado tequila, Skyy passion fruit-infused vodka, grapefruit juice and a hint of pomegranate topped with Fresca.

Meanwhile, the Rumba, swirls with Bacardi Limon that’s been infused for about four days with pineapple, fresh ginger, watermelon and cinnamon.

If you can’t shake your passion for pina coladas, there is Bahama Breeze's Ultimate Pina Colada. It joins a “secret” pina colada mix with frozen Captain Morgan spiced rum, strawberry ice and Myer’s dark rum -- if that's not a summertime spirit, what is?

Try It At Home

Neiman Marcus’ NM Café Weightless Mojito   

• 1.5 oz Bacardi rum
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. Monin O'free syrup
• 5 mint leaves
• splash of soda

Shake first four ingredients over ice in cocktail shaker, pour into glass, top with soda

Neiman Marcus’ NM Café Lemon Drop De-lite

• 1.5 oz. Grey Goose Le Citron
• 10 oz. lemon juice
• .25 oz. orange juice 

Morton’s The Steakhouse’s Lean and Green

• 1.5 oz Ty Ku Soju
• .5 oz. Monin Agave Nectar
• 1.5 oz. limejuice, freshly squeezed
• 1 oz. soda water
• 10 mint leaves

Shake ingredients 25 times with ice. Double strain into a Champagne flute. Garnish with a small cucumber wheel (1/4” thick) on rim.