Even the fastest and fittest like to let their hair down (and so do we!), but we might as well get some nutrients out of our cocktails, right? These low-calorie cocktails pack a punch and are nutritionally dense, too. Each low-calorie cocktail contains fruits and veg that deliver nutritional benefits beyond the buzz you’ll feel while sipping away. Let Happy Hour begin!
Cocktail Essentials
Get your cocktail on with these essential tools – and consider yourself the bartender aficionado of the party.
With this kit, you’ll find all the essentials you need to create any cocktail. You’ll find a strainer, stirrer and multiple other tools.
These are so pretty to drink from and are the correct size for cocktails, including margaritas and zingers. Pour away.
These won’t dilute your drinks and keep them cool while you shake up your infusion. Plus, they’re neutral-coloured and can complement any drink.
Beat-The-Bloat Zinger
Big up the beet – the plant pigment betacyanin, which gives the veg its rich colour, has been found to ward off cancer. Beetroot also stimulates the liver’s detoxifying function, making it the ultimate damage-minimising mixer for a boozy blend.
Ingredients
- 5 cm ginger
- 4 beetroot
- 50 ml vodka or gin
- ice to taste
- splash soda water
- rosemary sprigs to garnish
Instructions
- Peel the ginger, then juice with the beetroot.
- Pour into a shaker with vodka or gin (not both) and shake well.
- Pour over ice, add a splash of soda and garnish.
READ MORE: Make These 4 Low-Calorie Cocktails If You’re Watching Your Weight
Kickstarter Kiwi Margarita
With 12 kiwis, this is only three short of a rugby team. Packed with vitamin C, antioxidants and potassium, the kiwi is the rugged forward of fruits, tackling the fat in your blood and kicking sleep problems into touch.
Ingredients
- 1 lime
- 12 kiwis peeled
- 50 ml tequila
- ice
- 2 tsp Himalayan salt
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- pinch Cayenne pepper
- 30 ml organic rice syrup
Instructions
- Juice the lime and kiwis; blend with tequila and ice.
- In a saucer, mix the salt, coconut sugar and cayenne; set aside.
- Put the syrup into a second saucer.
- Dip the glass rims in the syrup, then the salt concoction. Pour in the cocktail and serve.
READ MORE: 5 Healthier ‘Adult’ Ice Lollies To Eat If You’re Watching Your Weight
Vodka Sour
Put the sweet in this sour with rice syrup – a fructose- free alternative to the traditional cocktail syrup. Like the rice it’s made from, the syrup contains energy- enhancing B vitamins.
Ingredients
- 5 cm ginger
- 70 ml vodka
- 20 ml organic rice syrup
- 20 ml lemon juice
- 2 egg whites
- ice
- pinch cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel and juice the ginger, then add to a cocktail shaker along with the vodka, rice syrup, lemon juice and egg whites.
- Mix first without ice, then add ice and shake.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Cucumber Spritz
Glugging your cucumber is just as good for your skin as donning two slices monocle-style – its inflammation-busting antioxidants soothe puffiness. The fruit is also rich in elasticity-boosting silica. Bottoms up!
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- 50 ml gin
- 50 ml sparkling water
- mint handful
- cucumber slices to garnish
Instructions
- Chuck cucumber into juicer
- Stir with gin and sparkling water, then pour into highballs and garnish with mint and cucumber.
READ MORE: The 2 Hangover-Curing Recipes You’ll Need This Weekend
Pear Sipper
To keep your diet from going pear-shaped, load up on, well, pears. A Brazilian study found those who ate them daily consumed fewer overall kilojoules thanks to satiety-boosting fibre.
Ingredients
- 2 pears, peeled
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 50 ml spiced rum
- pinch of nutmeg
- pear slices, to serve
Instructions
- Toss the pears into a juicer, then mix the juice with the cinnamon in a shallow pan and warm gently over a low heat.
- Stir in the spiced rum and serve in glasses garnished with nutmeg and pear slices.
Hail Mary
Deadlines doing your face no favours? Lycopene, found in tomatoes, can boost levels of procollagen to help keep your skin elastic and youthful. Sip those eye bags away.
Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes
- 1/2 beetroot
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1/4 lemon
- pinch ground Cayenne pepper
- 50 ml vodka
- ice
- celery sticks and cherry tomatoes to garnish
Instructions
- Juice the tomatoes, beetroot, cucumber and lemon, then add a pinch of cayenne.
- Mix in a shaker with vodka and ice, and showcase your third-base wrist action.
- Serve in highballs with celery and a cherry tomato, then knock ’em back!
READ MORE: How To Add More Vegetables To Your Diet, Even If You’re Busy
Power Daiquiri
This packs a potassium one-two punch, thanks to the bananas and spinach. A trial of cyclists found that the humble banana powered them through intensive exercise as effectively as a sports drink. It’s recovery fuel and a party starter.
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1/4 lime, plus wedges to serve
- 15 g baby spinach
- 30 ml organic rice syrup
- 50 ml light rum
Instructions
- Pre-party prep: cut the banana into six pieces and freeze.
- Juice the lime and add to a blender with the banana.
- Juice the spinach and whizz with the rice syrup, then the rum and serve with lime wedges.
Berry and Basil Bellini
Studies have shown basil to be antifungal and antibacterial, bolstering your immunity as you rack up countless bar tabs on the party circuit. And strawberries can reduce the risk of heart disease in women by 32 percent if consumed three times a week. Cheers!
Ingredients
- 50 g fresh basil, finely chopped plus extra to serve
- 400 g strawberries
- 200 ml sparkling white wine
Instructions
- Purée the basil and strawberries.
- Divide between two Champagne flutes, top up with sparkling wine and decorate with extra basil.
READ MORE: The 27 Best Wines For Any Occasion You Can Imagine
Mocha Martini
Being caffeine-free, the buzz in this Martini comes from its theobromine, a compound in raw cacao that triggers mood- lifting “happy hormone” serotonin. It gets better: polyphenols in coffee (even decaf) sharpen cognitive function!
Ingredients
- 120 ml decaffeinated espresso
- 30 ml organic rice syrup
- 4 tsp raw cacao powder
- 70 ml vodka
- ice
Instructions
- Brew four shots of decaf espresso and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, create a paste by mixing rice syrup and raw cacao powder.
- Combine everything with ice cubes and shake.
- Pour from a height into two Martini glasses. Dust with cacao powder to serve.
Piña Colada
Coconut oil’s lauric acid wards off infections and boosts collagen for healthy skin.
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple, chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 50 ml golden rum
- 32 ice cubes
- pinch unsweetened desiccated coconut
- pineapple wedges, to serve
Instructions
- Freeze half your pineapple in advance.
- Come cocktail hour, juice the fresh pieces, then blitz in a blender with the frozen chunks and coconut oil.
- Add the rum and ice and blend for 30 seconds.
- Serve with a sprinkle of coconut and a pineapple wedge.
This story was written by Julia Scirrotto; Photograph by Helena Yankovsk/Unsplash
