Okay ladies, who is with me on this one? It’s Friday, you had a great week, you followed your meal plan to a T, your nutrition was right where you wanted it to be, and you even were able to head to the gym three times this week. Woohoo! Now it’s time for a reward because hey, it is 5 o’clock somewhere.

Now, you don’t want just anything. There are so many cocktail options out there and most are filled with high sugar, artificial flavors and are high in calories. With such a great week you don’t want to blow everything you just accomplished in one bad choice so what do you do?

Do you head to the fridge or do you call out to your husband like I do, “Honey can you make me a healthy cocktail?”

Well, LADIES, below are several great choices that my husband and I have found not only tasty but avoids many of the downfalls of those sugar filled cocktails. We have had so much fun experimenting with these together as a couple (not just in one night!!), and I encourage you to do the same with your spouse, significant other or me if you give me a call .

First, are a few tips that help you create healthier cocktails and then the actual recipes below.

Have fun with these, get creative and if you find a new recipe, please share with me in the comments section below! I love trying new recipes!

TIPS FOR HEALTHIER COCKTAILS (STARTS WITH THE ADDED INGREDIENTS)

1. Use fresh squeezed juice or 100% juice with no added sugar
2. Stay away from tonic and use seltzer water
3. Make simple syrup at home, switch and use stevia, use leaves from a stevia plant, or use raw honey
4. Use fruit instead of sugar
5. Choose light colored alcohol rather than dark
6. Stick to 1 shot per cocktail
7. Aim for an 8-ounce drink- size matters
8. Choose ingredients like ginger or coffee or lemon (health benefits)

RECIPES

RUM

CLASSIC MOJITO

Ingredients:
12 Mint Leaves
½ Lime
1 tbls simple syrup
1 shot light rum (Bacardi Superior)
¾ cup Seltzer water

Muddle 12 mint leaves, juice of ½ lime, 1 tablespoon simple syrup. Pour into tall glass, add ice cubes and pour in 1 shot Light rum. Top with ¾ cup seltzer. Garnish with lime wedge. Put your feet up and enjoy.

PINA COLADA

Ingredients:
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 shot white rum
½ cup ice

Blend ½ cup ice, ½ cup coconut milk, ¼ cup fresh pineapple chunks, 1 shot white rum. Top with a spear of pineapple. Enjoy like your feet are in the sand.

TEQUILA

TEQUILA SUNRISE

Ingredients:

1 shot tequila
2 shots fresh squeezed orange juice
Splash of 100% cranberry juice

Mix together tequila, fresh orange juice and cranberry juice in a shaker. Put on the rocks. Sip and watch the sunrise

GIN

GIN AND JUICE

Ingredients:

½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 shot gin
½ cup seltzer

Fill cup with ice, pour in orange juice, 1 shot of gin, ½ cup seltzer. Stir and enjoy

VODKA

CAPE CODDER

Ingredients:

1 shot vodka
2 shots 100% cranberry juice
2 shots seltzer
Lime wedge

Mix vodka, cranberry juice and 2 shots of seltzer. Put on the rocks and garnish with lime wedge. Now sit back and relax

SEA BREEZE

Ingredients:

1 shot vodka
1 shot 100% cranberry juice
1 shot fresh grapefruit juice
Splash of seltzer

Mix together vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice. Add ice and top with a splash of seltzer. Now listen to the waves

VODKA SUNRISE

Ingredients:

¼ cup blackberries
1 shot fresh lemon juice
1 shot fresh lime juice
½ shot simple syrup
1 shot vodka
Splash of sparkling wine

Muddle ¼ cup blackberries at bottom of glass. Top with ice. In a mixing glass add lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup and vodka. Shake. Pour into glass and add a splash of sparkling wine. Relax and watch the sun come up.

BERRY LEMONADE

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup frozen blueberries or strawberries
½ shot simple syrup
1 shot vodka
Splash of seltzer

Muddle lemon, frozen blueberries or strawberries and simple syrup. Fill glass with ice and add vodka shot. Top with seltzer. Sip like you just opened your childhood lemonade stand

ROSEMARY CUCUMBER LEMONADE

Ingredients:

Juice of 3 lemons
1 teaspoon honey
1 shot rosemary infused vodka
¾ cup seltzer
1 cucumber spear
Extra lemon wedge

Stir together juice of lemons and honey. Add rosemary infused vodka (you need to infuse beforehand). Top with seltzer and garnish with cucumber spear and lemon wedge

VODKA SODA

Ingredients:

1 shot vodka
Seltzer
Lemon or lime wedge

Mix vodka and seltzer on the rocks. Garnish with a lemon or lime.
Extra: To spice this up, infuse your own vodka with any fruit. I prefer Blueberries.

SEX ON THE BEACH

Ingredients:

1 shot peach vodka
2 shots 100% cranberry juice
1 ½ shots fresh squeezed orange juice
Dash of seltzer

Mix vodka, cranberry juice and 1 ½ shots fresh squeezed orange juice, stir and top with a dash of seltzer. Don’t get to naughty with this one

SPARKLING WINE

MIMOSA

Ingredients:

2 shots fresh squeezed orange juice
2 shots sparkling wine
¼ cup seltzer

In champagne flute, pour orange juice sparkling wine and seltzer. Let it go right to your head.

CHAMPAGNE

Pour into a champagne flute and take yourself back to a special time.

WHITE SANGRIA

Ingredients:

2 strawberries (halved)
½ a pear (diced)
½ a pear (diced)
2 shots white wine
¼ cup seltzer

Mix together strawberries, peach, pear and 2 shots white wine. Add ice and top with seltzer. Great anytime of the day.

PEAR SPARKLER

Ingredients:

Puree ½ a pear
2 shots sparkling wine
3 slices of pear

Puree pear and add to champagne flute. Pour 2 shots sparkling wine and add 3 slices of pear. Sip, sip, sip.