Health-ier Cocktails to Celebrate the Season

by Ruth Ungerer

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Ahhhhhh Christmas....the lights, the presents, the ugly christmas sweaters, festive decorations, the family gatherings and the weight gain. Whaaaaat??? Yep, with the Holiday Season in full Swing, there is bound to be a party or 2 or 3 on your calendar. I mean, who doesn't want to celebrate with friends and family?  However, with lots of celebrations can also come mindless eating and drinking which undoubtedly contributes to the extra 7-10 pounds the average American gains between Thanksgiving and Christmas. While it's great to get together for cocktails, undoubtedly, alcoholic beverages are one of the ways the extra calories and pounds creep on during the holidays.   So, What's a girl gotta do to maintain her figure? If you don't want to live in leggings and bulky sweaters or be mistaken for Santa, it's time to up-level your cocktail, and by up-level, I mean eliminate some of the sugar. These 11 health(ier)cocktail recipes below are full of Christmas spirit, without all of the added sugar and additives often found in pre-made mixes and drinks.   Remember, these are better, but still have calories, so drink responsibly and in moderation. 

Cheers! 

Ruth

Rosemary Grapefruit Fizz (makes 2 cocktails)  

Ingredients

  • 1 large grapefruit
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary (plus more for garnish)
  • 1/2 cup grapefruit La Croix
  • 2 shots of vodka
  • 2 splashes grapefruit bitters

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Halve your grapefruit and, if desired, cut off thin slivers to use later as garnish.

  2. Squeeze the grapefruit juice into a bowl. You'll get about 2/3 cup from one large fruit.

  3. Add the rosemary leaves from one sprig of rosemary to the grapefruit juice. Muddle with a muddler or back of a spoon.

  4. Evenly pour the fresh juice between two glasses.

  5. Add in 1/4 cup La Croix and one shot of vodka to each glass.

  6. Garnish and sip smart!

Holiday Moscow Mule (serves 1) 

Kick off your next party with this Holiday Moscow Mule with fresh mint and ginger! We love this drink because it is low in calorie, but loaded with fresh mint and bright holiday flavors. The fun garnishes on this beverage take this cocktail from special to spectacular, and we promise this is the perfect signature cocktail to share with friends.

Ingredients

  • 1 shot of vodka
  • 1/2 can of Ginger beer (We used Q Ginger Beer)
  • 1 shot of cranberry juice
  • 4 fresh mint leaves and 1 slice of fresh ginger peeled and muddled
  • Copper Moscow mule cup
  • Ice
  • Optional Garnishes
  • Lime wedge
  • Orange peel curl
  • Cinnamon stick
  • Sugar dusted cranberries
  1. Muddle the fresh mint and ginger or chop very fine.
  2. Add ice to your copper mug.
  3. Pour in the vodka, ginger beer, and cranberry juice.
  4. Add in garnishes
  5. To make the sugar dusted cranberries rinse cranberries with water and just sprinkle with sugar.

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Serving Size: 1 cocktail

Calories: 128

Carbohydrates: 15 gram(s)

Sugar: 18 gram(s)

 

Pear and Sage Sparkler

174 calories per serving

Try this crisp Pear And Sage Sparkler for a tasty non-alcoholic drink to celebrate the holiday’s with. This healthier beverage infused with sage is perfect for all of your guests from young to old. Sage is not only tasty, but known to aid in digestion and reduce inflammation as well. I've kept this sparkler non-alcoholic but if you are inclined; bourbon, or gin would pair well with the steeped sage and pear notes. 

 

 Pomegranate Mojito

Ingredients
1/3 cup light pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 ounce rum
1/4 teaspoon Stevia or organic sugar
1/2 cup champagne
Pomegranate seeds

Directions: In a glass, add pomegranate juice, lime juice, rum, and sugar. Mix well. Fill the glass with ice cubes and top it off with champagne and pomegranate seeds.

Cranberry Mojito

Make merry and drink Mojitos! This cranberry infused classic has much less sugar than classic mojito recipes and cranberries are a delicious source of vitamin C 

Ingredients

  • 3-5 large mint leaves
  • 2 teaspoons coconut sugar 
  • A wedge of lime, squeezed (2 teaspoons)
  • A handful of ice
  • 1/4 cup cranberry juice
  • 1/4 cup plain sparkling water
  • 1 ounce white rum

Directions

  1. Place coconut sugar at the bottom of your glass. Then, add in rum. Using a spoon, stir for about a minute or so, dissolving as much of the coconut sugar as possible. Next, add in mint leaves and lime juice. Muddle with your spoon. Add ice, cranberry juice, and sparkling water and mix.

Rosemary Gin Fizz (serves 1) 

Whip up this yummy Rosemary Gin Fizz cocktail for a simple, low-calorie and absolutely refreshing cocktail your guests will love. We love this combination of fresh rosemary and lemon together. Rosemary is often used to help alleviate muscle pain, improve memory and boost the immune system, so it’s perfect during cold & flu season.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 one-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1 small lemon, juiced
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • 1 ½ ounces gin
  • 3 ounces club soda

Directions

  1. In a small drinking glass, muddle the fresh rosemary, lemon juice and honey.
  2. Fill the glass with ice, then pour in the gin and top with club soda.
  3. Give it a little swirl with a spoon. That’s it!

Christmas Sangria (Makes 5 Servings) 

115 calories per glass

This delicious Christmas Sangria recipe is easy to make, and tastes incredible! We used an inexpensive bottle of  Pinot Grigio and infused it with fresh apples, rosemary, and cranberries for  a holiday flavored Sangria that looks as good as it tastes. We suggest that you make this at least 4 hours ahead of time and chill before serving to let the flavors really come through.

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle Pinot Grigio 
  • 1/4 cup of apple cider
  • 6 whole cranberries
  • 6 cranberries cut in half
  • 1/2 a golden delicious apple cut into chunks
  • 8 sprigs of Rosemary

Directions

  1. Cut 6 cranberries in half, and chop 1/2 half of a golden delicious apple into chunks.
  2. Pour Pinot Grigio into a pitcher or your desired serving container, and add in all the cranberries, rosemary, and apple.
  3. Let the Sangria chill for at least four hours before serving, and garnish each glass with a sprig of fresh Rosemary.

 Pomegranate Ginger Smash (makes 4 drinks)

One of my favorite things about this yummy cocktail is that it’s made with 100% real fruit juice. I love using fruit juice in my cocktails because it’s naturally sweet so you don’t need added sugar, and it’s full of nutrients found in whole fruit – vitamin C, potassium, folate and magnesium, to name a few.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 2/3 cup vodka
  • 2/3 cup ginger beer
  • Ice
  • For garnish: pomegranate arils, ginger rosemary sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a pitcher, combine pomegranate juice, vodka and ginger beer.
  2. To make ginger rosemary sugar, finely chop a few rosemary leaves. Grate about 1/4 tsp from a knob of frozen ginger. Mix ginger and rosemary with a few tablespoons of sugar. Put on a small plate for rimming glasses.
  3. Wet rims of 4 glasses and rim with ginger rosemary sugar (optional). Fill glasses with ice. Pour cocktail mixture into each glass and garnish with pomegranate arils. Serve immediately. Cheers!

Kombucha Cosmopolitan

Drink a cosmo and get your probiotics too! That’s right,  this refreshing Kombucha Cosmopolitan is perfect for the holidays and celebrations all year long! The festive combo of cranberry and lime is refreshing and has a little kick from the Kombucha tea. Probiotics help maintain GI and gut health which is especially important if you tend to indulge this time of year.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces gluten free vodka
  • 1 ounce orange liqueur
  • 1/2 large lime, juiced
  • 3 ounces cranberry kombucha tea
  • ice
  • lime twist for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a cocktail shaker or large mason jar, combine all ingredients over a generous amount of ice. Place lid on and shake vigorously.
  2. Strain into a chilled glass and serve immediately with a lime twist.

Boozy Skinny Hot Chocolate (serves 2) 

232 calories per serving 

This Boozy Skinny Hot Chocolate is our latest favorite thing! This dairy-free creamy mug of hot chocolate goodness tastes like your favorite coffee shop indulgence, but is guilt-free and only 80 calories!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 5 teaspoons raw cacao powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon maple syrup (or to taste)
  • 1 ounce Amaretto

Instructions

  1. Place almond milk, cocoa powder, and maple syrup in a small sauce pan. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Place 1 oz. amaretto at the bottom of two mugs, then pour in hot chocolate.
  4. Enjoy with some frothed almond milk on top.

Homemade Skinny Egg Nog (Serves 2) non alcoholic

This is without a doubt one of my favorite holiday treats. It's low in calories, high in protein and hits all the feels with the familiar flavor of egg nog. This version is non-acoholic, but if you want to add a splash of rum, feel free. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.  Add to a saucepan and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Serve in you favorite holiday mug and Enjoy!

 

Ok, so there ya go......some healthier cocktails/ drinks to keep the holidays merry and bright.  

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 

Ruth :) 

 

 

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