Healthier Summer Cocktails

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"Get up and dance, get up and smile, get up and drink to the days that are gone in the shortest while." - Simon Fowler, British Musician

Summer may be coming to an end, but there's a little time left to enjoy a backyard gathering around the grill, pool or handmade bar. Just as certain foods reflect the sights and smells of summer, so too do certain cocktails. Some of these, however, are sure to blow a healthy diet and add unwanted quantities of sugar and calories. For example, a cold pina colada and mai tai contain 332 and 464 calories respectively. Just one of those, therefore, acts as a meal for the day calorie-wise. Mixing alcohol with standard sodas and artificially sweetened fruit juice is an inexpensive and familiar habit, but quickly contributes to the unhealthy side of drinking. Try reinventing old favorites to compliment a healthier lifestyle. To keep health in mind while quench a scorching thirst, use the following helpful hints for delicious summer cocktails.

New Ways to Look at Old Drinks

A light and refreshing drink that has yet to earn its due is the wine spritzer. One of these contains only 88 calories and offers a bubbly finish packed with flavor. To up the ante, spritzers can be enhanced with a little freshly-squeezed juice. Orange, lime, lemon or mandarin all have a citrusy flavor that pairs nicely with wine spritzers. Spruce up a common cocktail with fresh berries and hand-squeezed juice. Both are flavorful alternatives to sugar-laden syrups and juices that will quickly add up in calories. Raspberries and blueberries are examples of healthy fruits packed with antioxidants and essential vitamins. When combining fresh ingredients with a cool beverage, taste and health are both satisfied.

Cucumbers also pose plenty of refreshing hydration on hot summer days. These healthy fruits contain vitamin C and silica, both of which are required for healthy bodies. For cocktails, cucumber works well with lighter liquors. Choices that include white rum and tequila are optimal ways to enjoy cucumber. It also pairs deliciously with fresh herbs like thyme or mint. In addition to mixing well in drinks, fruits, vegetables and herbs make great drink garnishes. They offer visual appeal and turn a common drink into something quite distinctive. Cherries, oranges, celery stalks and olives are festive ways to create a delicious cocktail.

Substitute Healthy Alternatives for Common Ingredients

Sometimes, new and creative ways to enlighten a traditional drink can increase its health value. For example, instead of high-calorie pre-made mixers from the grocery store, opt for flavored water. These come in zero calorie varieties without added sweeteners and preservatives. Strawberry, grape, lemon-lime and berry are just some of the common flavors featured in waters. Such will help create a light and refreshing cocktail minus the unwanted fat and sugar.

Moreover, persons should bypass the sodas in cocktails and use sparkling water instead. One can of regular soda contains 150 calories and 40 grams of sugar. Sparkling water omits such health hazards and still provides a clean and bubbly finish. Diet sodas should also be substituted for with sparkling water. Diet drinks are calorie free but contain any number of harmful chemicals.

Juice is another cocktail mainstay that can be excused in favor of sparkling water. Although people tend to forget this fact, most juices also contain plenty of added sugars. A bubbly alternative means sugars are negated and the drink remains intact. For example, a traditional Seven and Seven can be readily transformed into the following drink: whiskey, sparkling water and a splash of lemon and/or lime juice. A minimal amount of juice provides the same great flavor in a much lighter way.

Delicious and Nutritious Cocktail Recipes

To help with the backyard planning, provided here are two recipes that capture the essence of summer and offer vital refreshment.

Vodka and Mint

Ingredients:

• 3 whole mint leaves
• Lime wedge
• Ice
• 2 ounces of vodka
• 4 ounces sparkling water
• Peppermint sticks

Directions: Crush the mint leaves in a shaker and squeeze the lime. Add ice, vodka, sparkling water and peppermint sticks. Shake to blend, then strain into a chilled glass.

Summer Pear

Ingredients:

• Ice
• 2 ounces vodka
• 3 ounces sparkling water
• 1 ounce pear juice
• Pear slice

Directions: Add ice to a glass. Pour in vodka, sparkling water and pear juice. Stir well and garnish with pear slice. Here's to your health!

Sources: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-ways-to-make-your-favorite-summer-cocktail-healthier-474418/ http://www.sheknows.com/articles/809229/cucumber-mojito-and-other-summer-cocktails http://www.sheknows.com/articles/803808/healthy-summer-cocktail-recipes http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofcucumbers.html