Don't let a happy hour wreck your healthy diet. These low-alcohol drinks taste just as good as their stronger counterparts.
Take It Down a Notch
There are serious perks to swapping your regular drink for one with lower alcohol-by-volume (ABV). Alcohol can derail your fitness goals: Drinking too much can lead to muscle cramps, poor sleep, and extra calories—both from the alcohol and those drunk munchies, according to Sara Haas, R.D.N. and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
But that doesn’t mean you have to skip happy hour—that’s where cocktails like these come in! Also called session, shim, or suppressor cocktails, these low-alcohol drinks often include ingredients like port, sherry, vermouth, and liqueurs that are traditionally lower in alcohol than spirits, says Andy Seymour of Liquid Productions. (You could also give these beertails a try too!) “You can enjoy these low-alcohol blends with friends and still feel good enough to go to the gym the next morning,” says Dan Oskey, a co-founder of Tattersall Distilling in Minneapolis, which makes all-natural craft spirits and liqueurs.
A strong stirred drink can have a total ABV of 22 to 25 percent by the time you add in other ingredients, says Seymour. Other drinks with strong spirits will come in anywhere from 16 to 18, and low-ABV cocktails have even less (for example, the First Wind cocktail below has about seven percent ABV).
"While there isn't a specific demarcation point, the idea is to keep the alcohol low so you can enjoy the cocktail over a longer period or try multiple drinks," says Seymour—meaning, you can drink a little more without the hangover or the health concern. Cheers to that!
Strawberry Thyme Lillet Spritzer
Dill & Snap Pea Shim
Ingredients:
2 oz Fonseca Siroco
3/4 oz fresh cucumber juice
1/4 oz agave nectar
1 1/2 oz tonic water
Cilantro leaves
Directions:
1. Muddle cilantro leaves with agave nectar. Add cucumber juice and Fronseca Siroco and shake.
2. Strain in a Collins glass over ice. Top with tonic and garnish with a fresh stalk of cucumber.
Recipe courtesy of Andy Seymour of Liquid Productions.
Red Wine Berry Spritzer
Low-Fashioned
Think of the Low-Fashioned like the fruity, less overwhelming cousin of the Old Fashioned. And thanks to the apple brandy, the low-alcohol drink tastes like autumn in a cup. Cider donuts, anyone?
