Healthy cocktail recipes to get you through the summer.

It hasn’t even hit Christmas, and yet I bet you’ve already consumed enough alcohol throughout December to leave you feeling… shall we say… sluggish in the lead-up to the festive season. I know that I have personally already drunk all the mojitos in the world this month, so sorry if you wanted any over summer. There’s none left.

It goes without saying that there is not a lot of nutritional value in the great majority of drinkies available on a cocktail menu. Particularly if you’re ordering Long Island Iced Teas which are good for nothing but putting you under a table in t-minus 20 minutes.

So lots of drinks = empty calories and not a lot of benefits besides making conversation flow much easier at the dinner table. Which is a real shame, because they are so tasty.

The solution? Healthy cocktails. By combining your fresh fruit and your veggies with your alcohol, and attempting to lower the sugar intake,  you won’t feel nearly as hideous when it’s time to wake up and get on with the next day.

Extra bonus? These are delicious.

Here are 9 of my favourite recipes…

1. Berry daquiri

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
15ml freshly squeezed lime juice
2 shots of light rum
1/2 cup ice cubes

In a blender toss all ingredients, puree until smooth. Pour into glass and serve.

Recipe here.

2. Avocado dacquiri

1/4 medium avocado
Juice of 3/4 lime
1 cup crushed ice
45ml light rum
1 lime wedge

Crush ice in blender. Add rum, lime juice, and 1/4 medium avocado in blender. Blend until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Pour into glass and garnish with lime wedge.

Recipe here.

3. Apricot Royale

45ml apricot brandy
15ml lemon juice
30ml (or one shot glass full of) orange juice
Champagne or Prosecco to top
Apricot slices to garnish

In a cocktail shaker mix all ingredients except champagne. Pour into ice-filled glass, top with champagne. Garnish with apricot slices and serve.

Recipe here.

4. Blueberry amaretto

2 shots amaretto
10 blueberries
1 shot limoncello
Soda water to top
1 shot freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon slices and blueberries for garnish

In a large glass, muddle blueberries with lemon juice. Strain into glass. Add amaretto, limoncello, ice and soda water to top. Garnish with blueberries and serve.

Recipe here.

5. Skinny pina colada

8. Iced Mint Green Tea

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
3 green tea bags
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups boiling water
2 cups sake, divided
4 stalks lemongrass, for garnish

Combine mint leaves, tea bags, honey and boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes; remove tea bags. Refrigerate until chilled. Divide among 4 large ice-filled glasses. Add 1/2 cup sake to each glass. Garnish with a stalk of lemongrass.

Recipe here.

9. Pink Grapefruit and Lychee Cocktail

1 can lychees in syrup, undrained
Crushed ice
1 cup pink grapefruit juice
1/2 cup vodka
5 pink grapefruit sections

Drain lychees in a colander over a bowl; reserve 1 cup syrup. Discard remaining liquid. Drop 1 lychee in the bottom of each of 5 glasses; fill each glass halfway with crushed ice. Reserve remaining lychees for another use. Combine reserved 1 cup lychee syrup, juice, and vodka in a large martini shaker filled halfway with ice; shake until well chilled. Strain 1/2 cup syrup mixture into each prepared glass; garnish each serving with 1 grapefruit section. Serve immediately.

Recipe here.

Any delicious cocktail recipes you’d like to share? Sharing is caring…