As a former bartender, I often had a hard time drinking mindfully. After a long shift of being on your feet all day and observing people enjoying the fruits of your labor, it’s natural to feel inclined to end the night with a drink… or two… or more.
Perhaps your story is different. Maybe after a long day of Zoom meetings, you simply reach for the bottle as a way to unwind. And usually after that second or third pour, you find yourself losing the desire to stop drinking.
Now, I’m not suggesting it’s necessary to entirely reject those after work cocktails, but instead consider the benefits of low-alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks as a way to balance out your consumption. So, to help you on your health journey, I want to suggest some modifications on some popular recipes that will help you drink a bit more mindfully, or that you might share with customers.
What exactly does drinking mindfully entail?
Simply stated, mindful drinking is the idea of thinking more deliberately about what alcohol you are consuming and how much alcohol you are consuming. Keeping track and planning when and how much you drink is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and feeling energized.
In fact, it becomes harder to be mindful about your drinking habits with cocktails specifically, since they generally contain more alcohol than what the CDC considers to be a standard drink.
Six Recipes
Here are six low-alcohol cocktail recipes that you can try today, or you can use them as inspiration for your own menu. They've all been adjusted so that you can still enjoy a cocktail or two after a long day, while still feeling refreshed the next day.
1. MOJITO
The Mojito is a perfect refreshing, light and crisp summer cocktail, but still packs a strong punch. Don’t worry, this low-alcohol version of this minty cocktail will give you the same nice fuzzy feeling, without the hangover the next day.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 6-8 mint leaves
- 1 oz of white rum (or Cuban aguardiente if you want the classic Havana experience)
- 1 oz of Ritual Zero Proof Rum Alternative
- 1 oz of fresh lime juice
- ½ oz of simple syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part water)
- Sparkling water
- Ice
Directions:
- In a highball glass, muddle six of your eight mint leaves to release the aroma from the mint.
- Combine the rum, rum alternative, lime juice and simple syrup and stir well.
- Then, fill the glass with ice, and top off with sparkling water.
- Use the remaining mint to garnish.
This cocktail contains 0.75 standard drinks which is half of the regular alcohol content from the classic version of this cocktail. So when you’re keeping track of your consumption, make sure to take that into account.
2. MARGARITA
Margaritas are one of the most popular summer drinks in the United States. In fact, Florida is known to be the highest consumer of margaritas in the country. It’s also one of those cocktails that you can easily modify without losing the taste quality. This low-alcohol version of the citrusy drink tastes great and has much of that agave flavor as the classic, even though it contains less tequila.
Here’s what you need:
- 1.25 oz of gold tequila
- 0.5 oz of Cointreau or triple sec
- 0.5 oz-1oz of agave (depending on how sweet you want it)
- 2 oz of fresh lime juice
- Ice
- Salt to rim
Directions:
- To make this cocktail, start by taking a lime wedge around the rim of a margarita glass, or any glass of choice.
- In a small saucer, add some salt and twist the rim of the glass in the salt. The lime will help the salt stick to the rim.
- Then in a shaker, add ice and the remaining ingredients.
- Give it a good shake and strain into your salted glass. You can add more ice if you choose but it’s entirely optional.
This margarita variation contains only one standard drink as opposed to two, which is common in the classic version.
3. SANGRIA
Sangria is a cocktail that has origins from Spain and Portugal. The typical Sangria recipe can contain around two and in some cases three servings of alcohol per glass. But the low-alcohol recipe will cut the average ABV down by almost half!
You will require:
- ¼ cup of fresh mixed berries, or your favorite fruits of choice
- 5 oz of dry red wine
- 3 dashes of brandy extract (you can find this at most grocery stores)
- 1 oz of orange syrup (to 1oz of simple syrup, add 3 dashes of orange extract)
- 1.5 oz of orange juice
- 1.5 oz of cranberry juice cocktail
- A spritz of lime
- Ice
Directions:
- To make this cocktail, first fill a wine glass with ice.
- Add all of your ingredients together in your glass.
- Finish off your cocktail by giving it a good stir.
This low-alcohol version of sangria saves you on some of the alcohol by replacing the brandy and Cointreau with non-alcoholic alternatives. But you won’t forsake the taste, and you’ll be getting half the alcohol quantity than the standard sangria recipe includes.
4. NEGRONI
You might think it’s absurd to actually make a low-alcohol version of a Negroni, afterall, it is known to be a remarkably boozy cocktail. But don’t worry, with some subtle modifications, this version of the Italian cocktail has less alcohol, and all the flavor.
Here’s what you will need:
- 1 oz of Gin
- 1 oz of Sweet Vermouth
- 1 oz of Giffard Non-Alcoholic Aperitif Syrup
- Orange zest
- Ice
- Bitters
In a rocks glass, add your ice, gin, sweet vermouth and non-alcoholic aperitif syrup. Take a flame to your orange zest to unleash some of the aromatics and rim the glass with the peel before adding it into the cocktail. Give it a stir and enjoy.
By replacing the Campari with an aperitif syrup, you get all the amazing complexity of the Negroni, without the added hangover. This modified version brings the alcohol content down from two standard drinks to just one!
5. MOSCOW MULE
A Moscow Mule is one of those dangerous cocktails that doesn’t always taste too strongly of alcohol, and goes down easily. So, it’s not hard to drink a few too many, a little too quickly. This version will tone down the alcohol content so you wake up feeling refreshed and energized.
All you need is:
- 1 oz of vodka
- 1 oz of tonic water
- ½ oz of lime juice
- Ginger beer
- Ice
Directions:
- In a copper mug or standard rocks glass, add crushed ice.
- Combine all ingredients and enjoy.
This version substitutes some of the vodka content with a bit of tonic water instead. It adds some bite, without the headache. This version contains 0.75 standard drinks instead of 1.5.
6. COSMOPOLITAN
The classic “Sex and the City” staple is an easier drinking take on a martini. It originated as a twist on a Kamikaze, by adding a splash of cranberry to the shooter.
You’ll need:
- 1.5 oz of vodka
- ½ oz of orange syrup (½ oz of simple syrup with a couple dashes of orange extract)
- ½ oz of lime juice
- ½ oz of orange juice
- 1 oz of cranberry juice cocktail
- Lemon peel twist
- Ice
Directions:
- In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, your orange syrup (which replaces the triple sec from the classic version of this cocktail), lime juice, orange juice and cranberry juice
- Shake with ice.
- Strain into a martini glass
- Garnish with a lemon peel twist.
This recipe contains only one standard drink instead of two!
Final Notes
Drinking mindfully can do great things for your overall health, including: better focus, improved liver health, more energy and better sleep. By modifying your cocktails, even if it’s only to cut back half the alcohol, you can start to shift your drinking habits and improve your general wellness and lifestyle overall.
Nadya Khoja is the head of content at Sunnyside. Sunnyside is a judgment-free drink tracking app that helps people cut back on their drinking, without the pressure to stop. Sunnyside believes there's power in finding balance and helps you ease into mindful drinking at your own pace. Khoja has been featured on Forbes, CBC, Wall Street Journal, and many other notable publications. She has presented around the world, educating various business leaders about building and executing scalable marketing strategies.
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