The Best Drinks for Dieters

What You Want: A Gin and Tonic (120 to 166 Calories)

A better choice: Equal parts gin and soda water and a splash of tonic (100 to 140 calories)
Tonic water—that bitter-tasting bubbly mixer whose key ingredient, quinine, was once used as an antimalarial medicine—has almost as many calories and sugar as soda. "Most people think they're making a better choice by ordering a gin and tonic over a rum and Coke or a vodka and Sprite," says Jarosh, "but it's not true." She recommends cutting the quinine beverage with soda water rather than ordering diet tonic (or diet anything) because research suggests zero-calorie artificial sweeteners can throw off the body's natural response to intense sweetness, which can lead to weight gain.