Frosé All Day?
It’s a big ‘No Way’ from me, unfortunately,” says Jennifer Hanway, Holistic Nutritionist at Russak Dermatology Clinic. Whilst this summers most Instagrammable beverage is certainly delicious, its high sugar content (even before adding in extra sugar, which most recipes do) and the fact it is unlikely to be organic (Jennifer always recommends organic wines), makes it a bad choice for the health conscious among us.
But all is not lost! Jennifer suggests a healthy summer cocktail alternative that includes an organic rose wine (such as this affordable option from Bonterra Wines), poured over crushed ice cubes and blended strawberries, and if you are day drinking you can turn it into a spritzer by adding a splash of club soda to ensure you don’t miss your SoulCycle class the next morning!
The Best of the Rest
Champagne and Prosecco are also great summer choices (actually, all year round choices) as they are low in sugar and come in at around 70 calories a glass. The lack of tannins and additives make for a clearer head too (depending on how many glasses that is), and there are a number of great organic options available at any budget.
Whilst Jennifer’s personal beverage of choice is organic red wine, she admits this can be a little heavy in the summer, so she suggests a chilled organic red as the perfect summer alternative. Reds that can taste great chilled include Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Grenache. Try these options for clean, low sugar reds: FitVine and DryFarm. Grapes are one of the most pesticide and chemically sprayed crops, and when not choosing organic you are giving your hard working liver a double whammy of toxins to deal with.
And if you want to go all out on wellness? “There is a huge trend towards kombucha cocktails at wellness events,” says Jenny, but to keep sugar and additives to a minimum, vodka and ‘booch is a good combo, but the ultimate in wellness balance is this Glowing Greens Vodka Cocktail Jenny created especially for us here at Russak Dermatology Clinic. (Get more of Jenny’s recipes here).
“Maple water is a great source of electrolytes, which can be depleted in the hot weather, and is packed full of much-needed minerals such as iron, manganese and calcium. I have paired this with digestion-boosting and cleansing pineapple and mint and alkalizing spinach and cucumber (alcohol is inherently acidic to the body) for the ultimate feel great, look great summer cocktail.”
Glowing Greens Healthy Summer Cocktail
- 1 cup maple water
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 whole lime, peeled
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
- 2 fl oz vodka
- 1/2 cup ice
Juice the pineapple, spinach, cucumber, lime and mint, then mix with the maple water, vodka and ice. Enjoy!
