Alcohol is bad for our system. Yet, we continue to drink it. In such a situation, there’s only one thing to do – make alcohol healthier. Adding the right mixers, avoiding sugar, and keeping the drink balanced with acidic neutralisers like lemon, are some ways of doing this. So, if you want to get high without your health totally going for a toss, these are some boozy winter cocktails that won’t damage your system like crazy.
Drunk orange tea
A pot of hot water
Freshly squeezed juice of half a big orange
A splash of bourbon
Four whole cloves
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp honey
Drench your body in the TLC of Vitamin C, warm spices, and intoxicating bourbon. Combine all the ingredients, except the hot water, in a jug, and mash the cloves slightly. Allow it to sit for an hour. Strain it into a cup and add hot water. Cure for a cold? We’d say so!
Pumpkin spice rum
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ tbsp pumpkin spice (combine 3 tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 ½ tsp ground allspice and 1 ½ tsp ground cloves for decent amount of spice powder)
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 cup dark rum
3 cups boiling water
Blend pumpkin puree, sugar, butter, and pumpkin spice in a blender. Combine the buttery puree with rum and water. Enjoy your creamy, boozy version of real-life butterbeer (butter rum?), with the benefits of fibre and beta-carotene!
Hot Toddy
2 Earl Grey tea bags
1 1/2 cups boiling water
12 tsp bourbon
4 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tbsp of honey
Nothing calms an itchy throat and banishes a bad cold quite like some hot toddy. Nothing more than a refreshing cup of tea with a bit of alcohol to warm your insides in cold weather, this recipe is as easy as it gets.
Nutcracker
1 cup room temperature coconut water
A dash of lemon Juice
30 ml vodka
A summer drink that is just as good in winter, this one has vodka to keep you warm. Electrolyte-balancing coconut water, of course, keeps your body nice and hydrated. A dash of lemon juice completes the mix by fortifying the drink with some much-needed Vitamin C.
Sour apple margarita
4 lime wedges
Sliced green apples
Sea salt
Jalapeno slivers
1 cup sour green apple juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¾ cup tequila
Not every winter drink has to be a sugary, creamy affair. This unique spicy and sour margarita is proof of that. To make it, soak whole lime wedges, green apples, and jalapeno slivers in the tequila for a few hours. Line a margarita glass with sea salt and add a lime wedge. Strain the soaking tequila into this glass. Add the lime juice and sour green apple juice, and stir the mix. Your antioxidant-rich and relatively sugar-free drink is ready.
Berry sangria
Assorted berries (Strawberries, cherries, cranberries, blackberries, blueberries, mulberries)
1 cup sugar-free pomegranate juice
Sweet red apples, sliced
Oranges, sliced
Sugar to taste
40 ml of your favourite dry red wine
Making sangria is quite easy, so this one is all about minimum effort. Plus, the presence of a smooth liquor like red wine makes sure you won’t have a raging headache the next day. To make it, soak the sparingly sugared berries in the wine and pomegranate juice overnight. Strain the drink the next day, and add some fresh slices of strawberry to the drink, garnishing with a slice of orange. As antioxidant-rich as alcohol gets, this juicy and fruity mix is just perfect for autumn!
