How to Make Healthy Cocktails (including Recipes!)

Healthy cocktails might seem like an oxymoron, but even those of us passionate about health and wellness choose to enjoy happy hour from time to time! And for those choosing to indulge, finding healthier, organic cocktails is equally important as choosing healthy, organic foods.

For a cocktail to qualify as healthy means that it’s made with quality mixers, real ingredients and natural spirits, which makes cocktail hour so much healthier– and probably more delicious too! We were recently sent some Prairie Organic Gin and Vodka for review (#ilovemyjob) and all summer we made delicious, organic cocktails with these fantastic spirits. In this post we’ll share our tips for how to make healthy cocktails and share two recipes for simple happy hour beverages.

How to Make Happy Hour Healthier

1. Skip the soda: Avoid soda, diet soda and all those flavored mixes or pre-mixed beverages (it’s nasty stuff!). Not only is the excess of sugar not good for your body, it can give you a terrible hangover. Natural sodas sweetened with stevia are a better option. But even better…
2. Choose natural mixers: Naturally flavored sparkling water is my choice for my mixers. Choose waters that have no sugar and no additives. Whole Foods 365 brand sparkling waters are good, and so are Crystal Geyser flavored sparkling waters. Canada Dry brand club soda and tonic water both contain corn syrup and a mess of other nasty ingredients.
3. Flavor with natural juices: Skip all those plastic bottles of mixers, which are loaded with sugar. Fresh fruit juices or purees or natural extracts make the best tasting cocktails.
4. Choose fresh extras: lemon zest, grated ginger, fresh mint, and fresh herbs might seem unnecessary, but a little goes a long way towards making your cocktails really delicious and super fancy.
5. For a lighter buzz, try mixing with wine and sake: Both wine and sake are considered raw, and are another great cocktail option. See our recipe for Organic Sangria below.

Healthy Cocktail Recipes

Blackberry-Rosemary Gin Fizz

10 fresh or frozen blackberries
1/2 cup organic gin
1 spring rosemary + more for garnish
Sparkling water

1. Blend blackberries with gin in blender or processor. Chop rosemary roughly and stir into blackberry mixture. Let infuse for at least an hour, but can also be kept in the fridge for a week (you can also freeze, if the need arises).
2. After infusing, fill two cocktail glasses with ice. Strain blackberry mixture into cups, and finish with plain sparkling water. Garnish with rosemary and serve immediately. Makes 2-4 servings.

Organic Sangria

1 liter organic red wine (a great way to use up the cheaper stuff)
1 liter unflavored sparkling water (flavored or plain)
2 cups sliced fresh fruit (apples, lemons, oranges, berries, etc.)

1. In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together all ingredients. Let flavors meld for at least an hour, and serve very cold with extra fruit for garnish. Can be sweetened with a few teaspoons of agave if you like. Keep leftovers in fridge for a few days. Makes 4-6 servings.

And for more healthy cocktails including a Lemon Ginger Gin Spritzer and an Herbal Vodka Tonic, check out this post on Green Living Ideas. You can also find a few more healthy cocktail recipes from Becky on Green UPGRADER (click here for recipes for a Lavender Grapefruit Gin & Juice and a Sweet Green Tea Cocktail.)

Vibrant Wellness Journal would like to thank Prairie Organics for generous samples of gin and vodka for review. Cheers!