Cheers! Healthy Holidays!

If your guilty pleasure is having an occasional cocktail (or three), we know that can add unwanted extra pounds. We’ve rounded up six healthy cocktails that will help keep you on track when you want to unwind and have a little fun. Also, here’s a dessert strategy to help you enjoy the holidays.

Pomegranate Paloma

Classic palomas call for grapefruit soda. Here, we use fresh grapefruit juice for a fruit-flavored beverage with less sugar and more vitamin C. Pomegranate juice boosts fruity flavor and packs a punch of heart-healthy polyphenols.

View Recipe: Pomegranate Paloma

Prickly Pear Punch

We like the clean flavor and mixability of silver tequila here. For a nonalcoholic drink, omit it and top with sparkling water.

View Recipe: Prickly Pear Punch

Barbados Rum Punch

Barbados, the Caribbean birthplace of rum, has a rum punch recipe as foolproof as it is versatile: “One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak.” In our take, fruit juice and ginger ale serve as both sweet and weak, so we don’t need to add any brown sugar or simple syrup.

View Recipe: Barbados Rum Punch

Blackberry Gin Fizz

For the perfect layer of creamy froth on top of each cocktail, be prepared to shake the cocktail shaker (with no ice) vigorously; the half-and-half helps set the egg white for a more stable foam.

View Recipe: Blackberry Gin Fizz

Cherry-Basil Lemonade Spritzers

Instead of the fluorescent cocktail-cherry garnish, fresh cherries take center stage in this refreshing lemon-and-vodka sipper. Macerating the cherries in sugar helps to soften their thick skins and release their juices, which become gorgeously syrupy in the pan.

View Recipe: Cherry-Basil Lemonade Spritzers

Honeycrisp-Maple Sipper

Autumn’s apple abundance is well worth raising a glass to. Honeycrisp apples are sweet with a touch of tartness that lends an invigorating crisp flavor, giving this boozy beverage plenty to buzz about. Maple syrup bolsters the warmth of the bourbon. To make it a mocktail, swap our the bourbon for 5 ounces light ginger beer, such as Fever-Tree Naturally Light.

View Recipe: Honeycrisp-Maple Sipper

Shake It Up!

The holidays are a great time for family get-togethers and office parties; not to mention there may be alcohol served at these events. If you plan to drink, do it in moderation and have food first. A little alcohol can go a long ways. Also, who says you can’t mix a little healthy into your cocktails. Try these drink concoctions to enjoy the holidays a little guilt-free and less tipsy.