‘Tis the season for holiday cheers, fusion fruit blends, and culinary cocktails. It’s also the season for unexpected visitors, impromptu gatherings, and happier hours.
When we think of the holidays, many of us dread those unwanted pounds from sinful and sugary sabotage. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can (and should) make healthy choices a lifestyle, not a trend you adopt in preparation for swimsuit season. So, get into the holiday spirit with a few natural adult beverage recipes that will put you on Santa’s nice list this year.
Organic and Sparkling
Meet your new mixer, Sipp Sparkling Organics. This sparkling line of layered fruits and herbs is USDA certified organic, all natural, lightly sweetened, and contains no artificial ingredients. You can enjoy these bubbly beverages chilled with a meal, mixed into a mocktail, or crafted into a fresh and clean cocktail. Find a Sipp store location near you.
Ruby Rose Gimlet
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- 4 ounces Sipp Ruby Rose
Directions
- Pour gin and Sipp Ruby Rose into a glass filled with ice.
- Stir.
- Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and a sprig of rosemary (optional).
Ginger Pineapple Moscow Mule
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup crushed pineapple
- 1/2 ounce lime juice
- 1.5 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces Sipp Ginger Blossom
- pineapple (or lime) wedge for garnish
Directions
- Crush the pineapple in the bottom of a copper mug.
- Add ice, vodka, lime juice, and Sipp Ginger Blossom.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with a wedge of pineapple or lime (optional).
Fixin’s for Mix-ins
Don’t forget, when you’re looking for juice to add to any cocktail recipe, don’t resort to concoctions containing artificial sweeteners, high-fructose syrup, artificial flavors, or artificial colors. One good option is a brand of nonalcoholic cocktail mixers, rimmer garnishes, and bar ingredients called Stirrings. Stirrings uses real juice that contains no preservatives. The vibrant colors of the mixers are derived from fruits and vegetables.
Pomegranate Martini
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces vodka
- 3 ounces Stirrings Simple Pomegranate Martini Cocktail Mixer
- Stirrings Pomegranate Rimmer
- lemon slice (garnish)
Directions
- Run a lemon slice around the rim of a martini glass. Dip into Stirrings Pomegranate Rimmer, set aside.
- In a shaker filled with ice, add vodka and pomegranate martini mixer.
- Shake well. Strain into rimmed martini glass.
- Garnish with lemon slice (optional).
Under the Mistletoe
Ingredients
1 ounce Stirrings Simple Lemon Drop Martini
1 ounce Stirrings Simple Cosmopolitan
1/2 ounce coconut rum
1/2 ounce dark rum
1.5 ounce fresh lime juice
Stirrings Lemon Drop Martini Rimmer
Directions
- Rim the glass with lemon juice and dip into the Lemon Drop Martini Rimmer.
- Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice.
- Shake well! Strain into rimmed glass.
- Garnish with cranberries and a lime wedge (optional).
Sip & Get Skinny
If the above recipes don’t tempt your palate, perhaps the zero-calorie Skinnies Cocktail Mixers will! These cool little packs are 100 percent sugar-free and 100 percent natural. Skinnies is sweetened with a pinch of stevia leaf extract and erythritol from melons. Plus, it’s made with plant-based ingredients and contain zero preservatives. How do they do it? They use dehydrated fruits and plants. With everything from a Baja Margarita to a Mojito Twist to a Maui Mai Tai, Skinnies has you covered on the cocktail front.
Skinnies Margarita on the Rocks
They even recommend Silver Patron tequila for the above recipe. I can’t argue with that since Patron reduces, reuses, and recycles as part of their environmental stewardship.
I hope you enjoy these above recipes and that they bring a little extra shake to your holiday merriment. Cheers to good health!
Editor’s note: Originally published on December 22, 2017, this article was updated in December 2019. This post contains affiliate links, which helps fund our Recycling Directory, the most comprehensive in North America.