Like every delicious thing out there, from red wine to gin to tequila, vodka has calories. If you're watching your weight and engaging in a healthy plan of mindful eating, cutting calories might be one of your first steps down your weight loss journey. Or maybe you just don't want to consume hundreds of calories with each Bloody Mary or vodka soda you consume. Whatever the case is, brands are putting out low-carb and low-calorie alcoholic drinks to appease us all. Ketel One Vodka, in particular, decided to try something new this summer.
The vodka brand is launching their first "diet vodka" at 73 calories per 1.5 ounce. Ketel One Botanical has 25 percent less calories than a shot of the brand's regular vodka, and it even has 40 percent less calories than a glass of white wine. The Botanical line comes in three flavors: Peach & Orange Blossom, Cucumber & Mint, and Grapefruit & Rose. The flavored vodkas contain no sugar, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, or artificial flavors.
There is a catch. Ketel One Botanical isn't necessarily vodka. Technically, it doesn't classify as actual vodka because the US requires distilled spirits to have 40 percent alcohol to qualify as vodka, and 37.5 percent if it's flavored vodka. Ketel One Botanical, according to Forbes, has only 30 percent of alcoholic strength by volume in addition to its fewer calories. It's made by distilling Ketel One Vodka, adding in fruit and herbal essential oils at the end of the second distillation. As Jim Ruane told Forbes, "There actually doesn't exist a classification for this product. It's not a flavored vodka because of our two-tier production process, with the second distillation and the flavor infusion at the end."
Whether it's officially vodka or not, it's good enough to us to pair with tonic water, diet soda, or anything else your heart desires this summer. A good fit for a low-carb diet, this new "vodka" isn't so terrible for your body. Head on over to KetelOne.com to find out where you can buy this new vodka style.