Skinny Cocktails Become Summer Craze

LAS VEGAS (TheStreet) -- It's summer, and what better time to have mixologists concocting new, unique creations? The creativity is happening at a fevered pace, with ingredients such as vegetables and liquid nitrogen topping the list as the latest crazes -- along with skinny cocktails, otherwise known as libations without guilt. They're less than 200 calories, but certainly heavy in flavor.

More From TravelsinTaste

CUT: A Cut Above the Rest

SHO Shaun Hergatt: The Financial District Finally Gets Fine Dining Right

New York's Best Seafood, Courtesy of New York's Best Chef: James Beard Award Winner Eric Ripert

TravelsinTaste sought out some of the more unique creations for your imbibing pleasure:

The Cosmopolitan Flaca was inspired by asking what Carrie Bradshaw, Heidi Montag or Bethenny Frankel would drink if they visited The Petrossian Lounge in Las Vegas' Bellagio.

Bellagio's renowned Petrossian Lounge created the Cosmopolitan Flaca, a combination of Absolut Citron, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, white cranberry juice and a splash of lime. What is the inspiration for this amazing cocktail? "My wife grew up in Mexico, and my inspiration for the Cosmopolitan Flaca is from observing her take on American pop culture," Bellagio's assistant director of beverages, mixologist Matt Myers. "We met in Mexico City, and her moving to Las Vegas was a very big transition. She adapted to pop culture by watching such programs as Sex in the City and The Hills in addition to reading books by reality TV stars."

"She would constantly give me a play-by-play of what happened with every episode and chapter, and this information got engraved somewhere in the temporal lobe of my brain. So when I was asked to think of a skinny cocktail, it was easy. I thought OK, if Carrie Bradshaw, Heidi Montag or Bethenny Frankel come to Petrossian Lounge and ask for a skinny cocktail, what would I make? It would be something sophisticated yet easy to identify," Myers says. "The Cosmopolitan Flaca is both accessible and classy at the same time. It was a perfect fit."

The Bellagio can accommodate a guest request for a beverage from Petrossian Lounge at any restaurant within the property -- whether you dine at Picasso, Sensi, Michael Mina Bellagio or Todd English's Olives.