A healthy(ish) drink for New Year’s Eve
While I may not drink much alcohol any more, I do like to have a drink or two around the Christmas-New Years party season. It’s summer, it’s hot and there’s lots of parties going on. The alcoholic drinks start adding up and even just a couple of cocktails can have an impact on your body. This doesn’t mean you should totally miss out though. Just like Christmas dessert, you can still have a drink, you just have to be smart about it.
Drink plenty of water and choose your alcohol wisely. Light coloured spirits are best and less likely to add to a hangover. It’s also the added syrups and sugars that make you feel worse, so picking natural options, such as fruits and spices, as mixers means you can still have fun.
I have taken the Cinco De Mayo Sangria Recipe from the Move Nourish Believe blog which is a healthy, alcohol free punch but have added red wine to the recipe as New Year’s Eve is a celebration after all. Remember it’s all about moderation. I’ve chosen a red wine for the base because I know the fruits and spices in the mix will really add to the flavour of the wine. Red wine is also known to be higher in antioxidants compared to white wine so having one glass could actually benefit the body.
I love this recipe because it’s cheap and easy to make and you can make plenty if your hosting a party and you can just serve it up in a punch bowl. I haven’t added any sugar, the sweetness comes from the fruit and the fruit juices(make sure you pick fruit juice with no added sugar). I’ve gone with a cheap red wine, that doesn’t have a woody flavour, as the base because the fruits and spices will mask some of the wine so there is no need to spend loads on a red.
So before I post the recipe: Have a safe and Happy New Years Eve everyone, good bye 2015 and hello to new adventures in 2016.
Ingredients:
- 2 diced apples
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 lime, sliced
- 2 cups orange juice (no added sugar)
- 1 cup cranberry juice (no added sugar)*
- 2 inch knob of ginger, finely sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 cups soda water
Recipe:
- In a large jug, add the fresh fruit, juices, ginger and cinnamon sticks.
- Stir well, and place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.***
- Just before serving, mix in soda water.
- Serve with ice.
* **Can be made a day in advance. Cover & store in the fridge.
*i couldn’t find a sugar free cranberry juice so I picked a juice that contained a mix of Acai, dark grapes and cranberries with no other ingredients added. Regarding the fruits and juices it’s real open to you interpretation.
*Recipe Tested from MoveNourishBelieve Blog*
Stephanie's Test Kitchen 