Now that Dry January is over, it can be difficult to ease your way back into having a drink every once in a while. It’s often accompanied with guilt of the calories or the sugar that you know you probably shouldn’t have so much of so frequently. Ideally, you’d be able to cut back anytime you wanted and drink as often as you’d want, but we don’t function that way. Luckily enough, there are ways to go around this.

One way is to be more aware of the ingredients we drink. Instead of intaking a large amount of sugary drinks filled with sweet mixers and simple syrup, here are some alternatives.

• Drink your cocktails with a small splash of all-natural juice and opt out of the pre-made mixers that are full of outrageous amounts of sugar.

• If you’re looking for something even lighter, think of mixing your liquor with club soda – tonic water- and add some lemon. Another recently growing combination is implementing kombucha into your liquor.

• Choosing an extra bit of citrus to make up for the lack of sweetness is a perfect option especially when you’re first trying to make the switch, when it can be a bit more difficult.

One of our go to drinks in the city is the Nuevo Comienzo aka Fresh Start that's currently on the menu at Mayahuel Mariposa, a sexy speakeasy tequila and mezcal den in Manhattan's East Village. The Nuevo Comienzo features aquafaba, YaVe tequila, celery juice, mezcal infused in scorpion chili and lemon. Aquafaba is the whipped liquid that chickpeas are stored in and catching on as a virtually calorie-free replacement for egg whites. Tequila is perhaps the healthiest alcohol and celebrated for being a natural digestive that lowers cholesterol and blood sugar while providing probiotics. Celery juice, while a staple, had a serious comeback in 2018, which is showing no signs of stopping in 2019...  

If you’re one to make a cocktail try some of these cocktail recipes.

This Feels Good

Ingredients:

• 1oz Dill Infused St-Germain Elderflower liqueur

• 1oz Bombay Sapphire gin

• .25oz Green Chartreuse 

• .25oz Honey Syrup 

• .75oz Lime Juice

• 3 Cucumber slices

• 5 Arugula Leaves

Method: Combine all ingredients to tin and shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe

Le Fennel Fizz - Served at Seamstress (NYC)

Ingredients:

• 1.5oz Fennel infused Grey Goose vodka

• .5oz St-Germain Elderflower liqueur

• .5oz Lemon Juice

• 3 dashes of St. George Absinthe

• Soda

Method: Build ingredients in a wine glass filled with ice, Top with soda

Another way is to drink different drinks. Cocktails are meant to be sweet, so no one really wants to cut the sugar out of those. Red wine, champagne, and spirits drunk neat or on the rocks are also low-calorie alternatives that still allow you to enjoy the taste of alcohol. Another increasingly popular drink that is an oldie but a goodie is a Bloody Mary. A small trick is to make it extra spicy. The spicier it is, the slower you’ll drink it, so you will not consume as much of the alcohol.

Highballer by Chris Patino and Erick Castro:

• 1.5 oz. of cognac

• Jarrito’s Tamarindo Soda to top

Method: Build in glass, glassware: 12 oz highball, garnish: Lemon wedge

Hendrick’s Gin Matcha Mojito

Created by Mattias Horseman, Hendrick’s Ambassador

• 2 parts Hendrick’s Gin

• ½ a whole lime

• 2 barspoons sugar (Demerera)

• 1 part apple juice

Method: Place half a lime, cut into quarters into the bottom of a tall glass. Add two barspoons of brown sugar and 1 barspoon of Matcha Tea Powder. Muddle the sugar, Matcha powder and lime until the sugar and Matcha have dissolved and mixed completely. Add mint and lightly press. Add crushed ice, Hendrick's Gin and apple juice. Mixing the drink using a long spoon ensuring well mixed. Add more ice if needed and top with a splash of ginger beer. Garnish with mint and English cucumber.

By Diana Benitiez

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