We’ve all overindulged these past weeks, but just because Christmas is over doesn’t mean the splurging is. With everything to fit in for the holidays, the festivities always overflow well into the New Year.
And we all know what else is flowing. Drinks.
We all get our fair share during the holidays. With wine at the family dinner, cocktails at the office party, beers and regrettable shots with old friends, spiked hot chocolate to keep away the cold and the dozen other times we’re coerced into having a drink, alcohol and its many calories are seemingly unavoidable this time of year.
They say if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Well from here on out, let’s join the festivities with a few alternatives. Check out these cocktail recipes for tasty, low-calorie ways to still enjoy the season.
1. Sparkling Greyhound
Skip the calorie-packed sugary drinks with this tart, refreshing grapefruit cocktail. Not only does this drink not call for sugar, but it actually includes sea salt for a nice change of pace. If sea salt can make caramel even more scrumptious, why not a cocktail?
Calories are also kept down with vodka as the alcohol, bringing one half-cup serving of this drink to just 87 calories. At that rate, you might even be able to have two.
Get the recipe from Health here.
2. Sparkling Cranberry Lime Cocktail
Continuing the sparkling, vodka-based theme, this cocktail is a step above the standard vodka cranberry. The blogger gives this drink festive flair with whole cranberries and lime slices for garnishes. The result is a simple, bubbly, not-too-sweet cocktail that’s super simple to mix up for guests – or yourself! And the calorie count? Under 100.
Get the recipe from Oh She Glows.
3. Whispering Wreath
For this recipe, we join forces with the dark side with a dark-rum-based take on the classic hot buttered rum. Talk about calories, standard recipes for a batch of this warm delight can include more than an entire stick of butter and two cups of sugar! Eating Well trims the butter to just a couple tablespoons and halves the sugar.
But don’t think those modifications will leave you with a bland disappointment. The Whispering Wreath packs a unique, refreshing punch with fresh mint and sage. And with a few leaves for garnish, this drink looks gourmet.
With about 178 calories, this recipe is a little heavier than others on this list. But consider this – some classic buttered rum recipes can pack more than 300 calories!
Get the recipe here.
4. Gingerbread Toddy
You might not be able to catch the gingerbread man, but you can sip him out of a nice, warm mug for just 155 calories. Third on Jade Fitness’s list of eight low-calorie holiday cocktails, this drink combines equal parts brandy and gingerbread liqueur for a hot toddy that gives you the pleasures of having a cookie.
Get the recipe – and a few others – here.
5. My Darling Clementhyme
From the magazine that helped me start on my vegetarian journey, this cocktail has so many things I love.
First and foremost, its name is a pun – and I LOVE puns. Secondly, it features fresh clementine juice and zest for the great citrus flavors of winter. Next, it calls for Prosecco or another sparkling wine, which is perfect for the New Year. And as a girl who would get Moscato juice boxes to pack in her lunch if 1) they made such a thing, and 2) it was acceptable to have a mini box of wine with lunch, this recipe knows my style.
This darling drink also gets depth from savory notes of thyme simple syrup and garnishes. And my second love after sweet, fruity white wine is fresh herbs.
Best of all, a one-cup serving is just 129 calories.
Get the full recipe here.
6. Boozy Skinny Hot Chocolate
There’s no denying it – winter just wouldn’t be bearable without hot chocolate. There’s simply nothing better than stepping in from the cold, snow-covered landscape and wrapping your hands around a warm mug of chocolaty goodness. Unless of course you give it some extra heat from a little shot of alcohol. Yup, that’s better.
But everyone knows hot chocolate doesn’t exactly fit in the healthy category. So do we dare indulge?
Presenting the Boozy Skinny Hot Chocolate from Fit Foodie Finds. Skeptical? Don’t worry. This blogger is living in Minnesota – she has to know the importance of good hot chocolate.
With unsweetened almond milk for low-calorie creaminess, cocoa powder and a drop of delicious amaretto, this miracle of a drink weighs in at less than 100 calories.
Garnish with a bit of whipped cream, chocolate sauce or a candy cane for optimal festivity.
Get her recipe here.
So don’t be afraid to drink and be merry as you celebrate the season. Give these recipes a try and let us know what you think. Or better yet, share your favorite healthy options with us!
Woo Woo – Stuart Webster
Gingerbread – Trey Ratcliff
