Naturally, the summer season makes you thirsty. Those cravings often translate into margaritas and daiquiris. But if you intend to maintain your healthy lifestyle, then you MUST avoid at all costs. The drinks each carry hefty calorie and carb counts. Now having cocktails are great — and even healthy as it is reported to help heart health (at moderate consumption) — but you will need to find your summer healthy drinks.
There are more healthy cocktails that you think and should be ingesting. Moreover, these cocktails are easy to prepare on your own and don’t cost $14. Here are five great skinny cocktails that will guarantee relaxation and provide nutrient necessities.
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Mango Iced Tea with Gin
This drink has no calories, and it remains refreshing and delectable. The cocktail is very easy to build. You just need one quart of freshly brewed and chilled tea.
Then take two cups of mango juice that is also chilled. Of course, you need in (Plymouth Gin is best). Then pour the three ingredients together into a pitcher, finishing with a quarter cup of simple syrup and stir for a few minutes. The biggest punch is adding fresh mangoes and some mint into the pitcher for fresh flavors.
Cucumber Cocktail
The most popular healthy summer drink is a cucumber-based one. And this cocktail was created by famed chef Bobby Flay and requires very little prep. The first thing is obtaining cucumber vodka. You are going to pour the vodka into a shaker with tonic water, cucumber juice (1/2 cup), fresh lime juice (1/4 cup) and simple syrup (1/4 cup) with mint. Then shake vigorously before pouring over ice. The most important ingredient is the freshly-cut cucumber slices.
The Green Tea Martini
First off, green tea has endless benefits from being a fantastic antioxidant. Now turning that into alcoholic drink will maintain health benefits while you relax. The creation of the drink is quite easy to prepare. You will need to combine equal parts green tea (brewed and chilled) with vodka (or gin). Then finish the drink with fresh lime juice and a tablespoon of agave nectar. Finally, you will stir for a few seconds and then pour into a martini glass.
The Raspberry Mojito
The difference between this mojito and other flavored ones is that you are using fresh raspberries, not the super sugary puree. The fresh raspberry offers plenty of vitamins and is refreshing flavor. In this drink, you will need to take your shaker and muddle six raspberries with 12 spearmint leaves, lime juice and a tablespoon of agave nectar. Next, you will need to add ice and shaker rapidly to crush the fruit further. Now comes the alcohol and that will be white rum (definitely not dark becomes the sugars are way high). You stir gently to mix the ingredients. Then pour the drink into a Collins glass and finish with a splash of club soda (that will cut the potentness).
Cucumber Ginger Lemonade
Again, the cucumber element comes into play. The vegetable is a popular one when it comes to healthy cocktails and it offers so many great drink variations. This one will have you combine vodka, agave nectar, lemon juice and cucumber slices. Then you are adding a cup of water before shaving fresh ginger root into the shaker. You will simply stir the ingredients for a minute before stopping and pouring over ice into a Collins glass. Don’t forget to garnish with a lemon twist.
Cherry Blackberry Smash
Forget the cranberry cocktail juice this summer because there’s triple sugar than the normal raw fruit — without the true nutrients. So this is an alternative with major antioxidant benefits. It’s time to take out the blender and throw in a cup of pitted cherries, blackberries and a half cup of lemon juice. Before blending, you will need to throw in two tablespoons of agave nectar. Then blend and pour your mix into a Collins glass. Lastly, you will take that Tito’s Homemade Vodka out and put a shot into the mixture. The blend is a bit thick so it’s best to finish the cocktail with some seltzer water.
The MOST important thing to summer drinking is to be responsible. It’s hot out and that means dehydration.
That’s the number one rule when letting loose during the sunny days. Of course, the sun encourages fun, but don’t go overboard. You may feel healthy but your liver won’t.
Image credit: Pooja Chaudhary [Unsplash]
