LIFESTYLE 6 years ago

3 Healthy Holiday Cocktails

Hey everyone! It’s Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest and I’m so excited to be back on The Chriselle Factor! The holidays are such special time for my family and I. We don’t do anything overly exciting, but just being together makes this a time that we all look forward to each and every year. All seven of my siblings, their girlfriends, my parents, cousins, and any friends that are in town (yes, strays are welcome) get together. We play in the snow, eat good food, and sip on cocktails while cooking or chilling out by the fire. It’s the best.

Here’s the thing, the holidays are great, but with the holidays come heavy foods and sugary cocktails. I love to do up the holidays just as much as anyone else, but when it comes to the cocktails, I prefer to mix drinks that are tasty, but still on the healthier side. Enter my three beauty focused holiday cocktails. The drinks below are all simple and easy to make, but also contain beauty focused ingredients like warming antioxidant-rich spices, fruits rich in vitamin C, and healthy probiotics.

First up, Spiced Hot Whiskey Cider.

This warm whiskey cocktail is comfort in a glass. It’s warming, full of cozy spices, a little lemon, and a touch of maple syrup for sweetness. Cloves and cinnamon are high antioxidant rich spices. They help reduce inflammation, fight infection and cinnamon has been found to reverse the negative effects of a high-fat meal. The high vitamin C content found in lemons helps to fight off free radicals, which aids in younger looking skin.

I love to sip this drink when I feel a cold coming on, as the spices and maple syrup help to soothe a sore throat.

Spiced Hot Whisky Cider

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

3 cups organic, no sugar added, apple cider
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving
2 cloves
pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
1 cup bourbon or whiskey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
star anise, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the apple cider, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and then reduce the heat to low and simmer 15- 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey and lemon juice. Taste, add in more maple syrup if a sweeter cocktail is desired.

2. If desired, strain out the spices. Divide the cider among glasses. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and star anise.

Next, my families drink of choice, Pomegranate Ginger Kombucha.

This cocktail is made with just four simple ingredients: pomegranate juice, lime juice, tequila (you can also use vodka), and kombucha. It’s thirst quenching, simple, and totally delicious. The ginger in the kombucha in this drink helps aid digestion, which can come in handy during the holiday when we often eat foods our bodies may not be used to. 

Pomegranate and Ginger Kombucha

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1

1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 ounces tequila or vodka
juices from 1/2 a lime
1 ginger kombucha
fresh mint, for garnish
pomegranate arils, for garnish

1. In a cocktail glass, combine the pomegranate juice, tequila, and lime juice. Stir to combine. Add ice and top off with a little ginger kombucha (I recommend using about 1/3 of the bottle). Garnish with mint and pomegranate arils.

Last up, Holiday Mulled Red Wine with Goji Berries

Mulled wine is the ultimate, festive holiday cocktail. It can be left to simmer on the stove for hours, making it perfect for easy entertaining. This cocktail uses fresh oranges, which provide collagen-boosting vitamin C to help strengthen skin. It’s also full of antioxidant-rich spices: Cinnamon, which helps lower cholesterol levels, decrease inflammation and inhibit cancerous tumor cell growth. Cloves, which have one of the highest levels of antioxidants and may help relieve bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, nausea, and diarrhea. And ginger, which not only aids in digestion but helps with joint pain and is a good source for preventing cancer. This drink also uses the superfood goji berries, which contain all eight essential amino acids. A four-ounce serving provides about 10% of your daily protein. The carbohydrates in goji berries are also complex carbs which raise your blood sugar slowly, reducing your risk of a sugar crash afterward.

Holiday Mulled Wine with Goji Berries

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4-6

1 (750ml) bottle red wine
2 cups organic, no sugar added, apple cider
2-4 tablespoon honey, to your taste
4 cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving
4 cloves
2 star anise, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon cardamom pods
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
1 orange, sliced, plus more for serving
1/2 cup dried goji berries

1. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer 15- 20 minutes or up to 3 hours. If desired, strain out the spices and fruits.
2. Divide the wine among glasses. Garnish with orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.

Will you all be making one of these cocktails this season? Let me know which one! Be sure to look out for our next post on the blog!

x Half Baked Harvest

Credits:

Photos via Half Baked Harvest