Low syn summer cocktails

If you’re following Slimming World but still want to enjoy a summery cocktail, we’ve got you covered. These 5 drinks are refreshing, super quick to make, and low in syns – so you can stay on plan and still raise a glass in the sunshine.

1. Cucumber & Mint Gin Cooler – 3 syns per serving

Ingredients:

• 25ml gin (3 syns)

• Diet tonic water or soda water (0 syns)

• Cucumber ribbons

• Fresh mint (optional)

• Ice

Method:
Add cucumber and mint to a tall glass with ice. Pour in the gin and top with diet tonic. Stir gently and enjoy.

Why it works: Crisp and cooling with minimal syns – perfect for garden lounging.

2. Strawberry Spritzer – 3.5 syns per glass

Ingredients:

• 75ml dry rosé wine (3 syns)

• Sparkling water (0 syns)

• A few fresh strawberries, sliced (½ syn max if blended)

• Ice

Method:
Add strawberries to a glass, top with ice, pour in rosé, and top with sparkling water.

Why it works: Light, fruity, and feels like a treat without blowing your syns.

3. Peach Iced Tea Refresher – 2.5 syns per glass

Ingredients:

• 25ml vodka (2.5 syns)

• No added sugar peach iced tea (0 syns)

• Lemon slice and mint

• Ice

Method:
Fill a glass with ice, pour over vodka and peach tea. Add lemon and mint to garnish.

Why it works: Feels sweet and summery, but super low on syns.

4. Basil Lime Mojito (Without the Sugar) – 3 syns per glass

Ingredients:

• 25ml white rum (3 syns)

• Fresh lime juice

• Basil or mint leaves

• Soda water (0 syns)

• Ice

Method:
Muddle basil/mint with lime juice, add rum and ice, top with soda water and stir.

Why it works: A zingy, herbaceous drink without the syrupy extras.

5. Watermelon Gin Fizz – 3 syns per glass

Ingredients:

• 25ml gin (3 syns)

• Fresh watermelon chunks

• Soda water (0 syns)

• Lime wedge

• Ice

Method:
Muddle watermelon in a shaker or glass, add gin and lime juice, shake or stir with ice, top with soda water.

Why it works: Sweetness from fresh fruit with no need for sugary mixers.

Slimming World Tip:
Always measure your alcohol as it’s easy to over-pour. Stick to 25ml for spirits and use diet or sugar-free mixers wherever possible.

Want more low-syn treat ideas? Check out our other posts on guilt-free snacks, fakeaway recipes, and sweet treats that won’t sabotage your goals.

Couscous Cake - Lemon and Blueberry

There is never a dull moment with Slimming World, and the variety of food we can eat while staying on plan always inspires me. I saw a couscous cake while browsing on Pinterest recently and thought - this is a free food on slimming world, there must be a way to make this low syn! So, I've made a fresh and tasty version adding Lemon, Blueberry and Poppy Seeds and using low syn and free ingredients. Enjoy enjoy a few with a cuppa and still have syns left over for the day.
If you are dubious, worry not - sweet couscous is not what we are used to in the UK and Ireland but it's quite normal for some cultures. You'll soon be won over by the gorgeous aromas filling your house, it smells exactly like a blueberry muffin.

In terms of texture, I was pleasantly surprised - there is no graininess to it so long as it is cooked to the instructions and mixxed well with other ingredients. Definitely something I'll do again.

Note: Since this is not the intended use of couscous, it is considered a "tweak". To account for this we add a further syn per slice, bringing the syn value to 1.5 syns per slice.

8 Servings

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 30 Min
Ready In: 40Min

Ingredients:

• 100g couscous, cooked as per instructions
• 3 medium eggs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Half tbsp poppy seeds (1 syn)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp sweetener (1.5 syns)
• 2-3 tbsp Fat Free Greek Yoghurt/Quark
• 100g Frozen Blueberries (2 syns)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C.
2. Cook the couscous as per instructions. Add lemon juice and leave to cool
3. Whisk the eggs, and add the cinnamon, yoghurt and sweetener
4. Add the poppy seeds and cooled cous cous and mix well
5. Line a cake tray with parchment paper or spray with a non-fat cooking spray
6. Pour gently into the tray, and place blueberries evenly into the mixture
7. Cook for 25-30 minutes
8. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into 8

A couple of tips:

• Make sure the fruit is well frozen to retain its shape. Fresh fruit will spread a lot more!

• You can mess around with flavourings, such as vanilla essence or nutmeg if you’re not a fan of cinnamon and lemon.

• This mix works very well for muffins too.

• The seeds are completely optional.

Have you tried any variation of the couscous cake? What should we try next? Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or on Instagram!