How to Make “Healthy” Alcoholic Drinks

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healthy alcoholic drinks

Can you make healthy alcoholic drinks? That depends on your definition of what healthy is. While no amount of alcohol is considered “healthy” (sorry!) there are steps you can take to make your drink of choice have less calories and sugar, which could lead to weight loss in the long-term.

When it comes to mixing your choice of liquor with something else, there are hundreds of popular options. With options comes responsibility, however, especially if you’re watching your waistline with that New Year’s resolution. Mixed drinks are usually prepared with industrial juices and soft drinks, which adds calories and raises sugar levels. You can avoid this more easily than you’d think, however, while still having something tasty to sip on. Just follow these tips to enjoy healthier alcoholic drinks.

Tips for Making Healthy Alcoholic Drinks:

1. To avoid added sugar, use only freshly squeezed fruit juice, club soda, or diet soda. To reduce calories even further, you can dilute that fresh juice with water or ice.

2. Replace syrups with honey that, despite being sweet, has properties that your body will thank you for. Among them, it’s an antioxidant. Using honey will also give you better control over the amount of sugar. You can even replace syrups with 1/2 tablespoon of honey mixed with 2/3 tablespoon of warm water.

3. Use fruits instead of flavored syrups. You will benefit from the fiber, natural sugars and vitamins.

4. Choose clear drinks. The dark ones contain more congeners, a compound that can make the hangover worse and dark liquor tends to have higher calories and sugar content than clear liquors.

5. Just mix one shot of alcohol into a given drink. Cocktails that mix different liquors can have a lot of calories. It’s better to choose those that have just one shot (2 oz) of a single liquor.

6. Consider using Vodka or Gin as your liquor of choice because these 2 types are the lowest-calorie liquors. Calorie content can vary by brand, but generally Vodka and Gin have about 65-100 calories per 2 oz shot. 

7. When consuming calories, size matters. Make sure your drinks are no larger than 8 oz.

8. Choose nutritious ingredients such as ginger and lemon, and use more fruit garnishes. Be careful when mixing coffee with alcohol, because if you overdo it, you can end up with a hangover.

9. When at a bar, ask the bartender to substitute any mixers with club soda or diet soda to lower the calorie and sugar content of your drink. For example, if you normally order a Rum & Coke, change it to Rum & Diet. 

10. In general, liquors with more sugar content will be higher in calories. Mixed drinks that have many different mixers in them will have more calories than mixed drinks with a diet or club soda. 

11. Consider drinking liquor straight without a mixer to consume less calories when drinking overall. 

12. If you are able to, take a look at calorie information before you buy liquor. The liquors with the highest calories are Schnapps, Bacardi 151 Rum and Baileys, which all have about 200 calories per 2 oz shot.

10 “Healthy” Alcoholic Drinks

Fruit mojito

At the bottom of a glass, place 12 fresh mint leaves, half-lime juice and a tablespoon of syrup. Add 1/4 cup of fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, mango or kiwi. Then, place the ice on top and pour a shot of rum and 3/4 cup of sparkling water over it. Garnish the glass with a slice of lime.

Screwdriver

In a glass with ice, combine 1 shot of vodka with 2 shots of freshly squeezed orange juice. Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water.

Tequila sunrise

In a glass with ice, mix a shot of tequila and two shots of freshly squeezed orange juice. Add some cranberry juice without added sugar to finish.

Lemonade with vodka and berries

In the bottom of a glass, pour the juice of a lemon, 1/4 cup of blueberries or frozen strawberries and half a shot of syrup. Add a shot of vodka and complete with sparkling water (approximately 3/4 cup).

Grapefruit Margarita

Mix a shot of tequila, the juice of a lime and 1/2 grapefruit, and 3/4 of a shot of orange liquor. Add ice.

Pear Martini

At the bottom of a shaker, place a ripe, peeled pear. Add ice, half a shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a shot of vodka. Shake then pour into a martini glass and garnish with a piece of pear.

Sex on the beach

In a glass with ice, mix a shot of peach-flavored vodka, two shots of cranberry juice and a shot and a half of freshly squeezed orange juice. Add some sparkling water to finish.

Gin with juice

Place the ice in the glass and, on top, pour 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, a shot of gin and half a cup of sparkling water.

Piña colada

Mix half a cup of ice, half a cup of coconut milk, half a cup of sliced ​​pineapple and a shot of white rum.

Mimosa

In a glass of champagne, pour two shots of freshly squeezed orange juice, two shots of sparkling wine and a quarter cup of sparkling water.

Be sure to check out our list of low-calorie alcoholic drinks for more information about how to make low-calorie alcoholic drinks. 

We have all the low-calorie liquor, beer, and wine you need to stick to your New Years resolution at your local Zipps Liquor Store. Chat with one of our helpful staff members and ask for recommendations for low-calorie drinks. They’re happy to point out low-calorie, healthier alcoholic beverages for you to try. Stop by and take a look at our selection of our low-calorie liquor, beer, wine and mixers!

Get all the low-calorie liquor you’ll need to stick to your New Years resolution at your local Zipps Liquor store!

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