Healthy Happy Hour

Summer is here and that means our happy hour habits are shifting. It's easy to indulge when the sun is shining and patio dining plus a cocktail is the ultimate norm. With so much delicious indulgences at your fingertips how do you stay healthy and keep your summer bod going strong? It's all about the right state of mind paired with the right ingredient. Try our favorite mocktails or cocktails along with a few tips we suggest to keep the hangovers low and the health level high!

Healthy Happy Hour Habits

1. Stay Hydrated- as simple as it sounds it really is key to keeping your body strong. Alcohol dehydrates the body so make sure you have a glass of water between every drink.

2. Eat your Dessert First- yes, you read that right! Eating a few bites of dessert first allows you to absorb certain vitamins better. It also delays gastric emptying which will allow you to feel fuller much quicker.

3. Mix Wisely- most cocktails are high in sugar and calories, choose your mixer accordingly or skip it all together.

4. Snack Smart- avoid the fried foods and gravitate towards fresh seasonal greens that will hydrate the body and keep it nourished.

Healthy Happy Hour Drink Menu

1. Coconut Pineapple Mojito-

• 15-20 fresh mint leaves remove stems

• 1 1/2 cups coconut water

• 3/4 cup organic pineapple juice

• 4 oz. rum (optional)

• 1-2 tsp raw honey optional if you prefer a sweeter cocktail

• 6 drops lime essential oil where to buy HERE or juice of 1-2 fresh limes

• 1 cup ice cubes

Directions

• Split mint leaves into 2 glasses. Use a muddler to crush the mint.

• Add ice cubes to each glass.

• In a cocktail shaker, add coconut water, pineapple juice, rum, Lime essential oil (or lime juice) and raw honey (if you prefer a sweeter cocktail – I find the pineapple juice sweetens this recipe enough for me).

• Shake well and pour mixture into each glass.

• Garnish with a lime wedge.

2. Rosemary + Ginger Cocktail

• 1 cup gin

• 6 drops rosemary essential oil (purchase here)

• 2 drops ginger essential oil (purchase here)

• 1 cup sparkling water

• ½ cup fresh lime juice

• 10 ice cubes

Directions

• Combine gin, 6 drops of the rosemary, 2 drops ginger, sparkling water, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker.

• Add ice cubes and shake until well-chilled.

• Strain 3/4 cup each into 8 glasses and serve

3. Strawberry Shrub Cocktail

Syrup

• 1 lb strawberries, cored and quartered (about 2 and 1/2 cups)

• 2 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 and 1/2 – 2 cups unfiltered apple cider vinegar (depending on taste preference)

Drink

• 1 ounce dry gin

• 1- 2 ounces strawberry shrub syrup (adjust based on your taste preference)

• 4-5 ounces seltzer

• ice cubes

• mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Prepare Strawberry Shrub Syrup: Combine the hulled and quartered strawberries and sugar in a large bowl. Stir together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours (or as long as 48 hours), stirring once or twice to mix any sugar that settles at the bottom of the bowl. As the mixture sits, it will become more and more syrup-y and liquid-y.

1. Once the syrup is ready, stir the mixture once again, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the solid strawberry pieces, pressing them against the side of the bowl to release any additional juice–this mixture should yield roughly 2 cups of strawberry simple syrup. Don’t worry if all the sugar has not dissolved.

2. Whisk the vinegar (depending on taste preference, add between 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups vinegar (I did two cups) into the strawberry syrup. Place the shrub syrup in a glass or plastic bottle (including any undissolved sugar), seal well, and shake. Store in the fridge for up to a month.

3. Prepare Cocktail: Fill a tumbler glass halfway with ice cubes. Using a cocktail shaker, combine the gin and shrub and shake well. Pour over the ice and top with seltzer. Stir and serve, and garnish with fresh mint sprigs.