I love a cocktail at any time of year, but there’s something somehow more magical about Christmas cocktail recipes – probably all the added glitter and fizz. But as we all know, cocktails are generally filled to the brim with sugary syrups and juices, which means they’re not particularly good for our teeth or waistlines. Now I get that Christmas is a time of indulgence and don’t you worry I’m not about to take all the fun out of your favourite festive tipples, so to help you out I’ve put together a few healthier versions of some classic cocktails meaning instead of drinking away your Christmas calories you can save them up for all the FOOD!!!!

Eggless Eggnog

Eggnog is a gorgeously creamy traditional Christmas drink, but it’s notoriously high in calories and because it involves eggs it’s absolutely no good whatsoever for the vegans in your life. So I’ve come up with a version that still tastes absolutely amaze, but has way way less calories and is also suitable for vegans.

Here’s what you’ll need to make 2 big glasses worth:

400ml Almond Milk
3 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Vanilla Pod (sliced in half)
1 measure of Bacardi
½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
¼ tsp Allspice
Cinnamon Sticks to decorate

It’s so ridiculously easy but I’m sure you’ll agree looks absolutely incredible (well these gorgeous terrarium inspired Geo Glasses from Root 7 certainly help!). Simply pour all of the ingredients into a saucepan, stir and heat gently. Pour into glasses and decorate with a cinnamon stick, which also happens to make a great drinks stirrer.

Mulled Why Not

Right, so what if you’re the designated driver? Not much fun when everyone else has got all these fancy drinks and you’re lumbered with lemonade or if you’re really lucky some Appletiser…. especially if it’s the full sugar versions. Which is why my wineless mulled wine is absolutely perfect and it also means the kids and anyone else who chooses not to drink alcohol, can join in with the festive tipples too! Pop 600ml of cranberry juice, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, the zest of 1 lemon, the juice, zest and chopped up chunks of 1 orange plus 1 mulled wine spice teabag into a saucepan and heat gently. The longer you heat it the more the spice flavours will emerge, so you may want to pour it sooner for younger kids. Perfect for warming you up after a cold family walk and just as tasty as the real deal.

Prosec Ho Ho Ho

Anything that has Prosecco in it is always gonna be a winner, but seriously this is another level delish! Simply bung an apple into the juicer (I used Granny Smith because I love the sharpness) then pour the juice into a champagne flute. It’s up to you how much you use, I filled it to about a quarter of the glass. Top with Prosecco and if you want to make it an all out taste sensation, throw in a couple of spoonfuls of apple flavoured boba balls – oh my days! If you’ve not heard of boba balls before, I featured them in my Health and Wellness Christmas Gift Guide so you can find out a bit more about them over there. Basically they are little balls of flavour, so not only do they help flavour your drink when they’re just happily sat in the glass, but they also burst in your mouth when you drink them releasing all the lovely flavour. Cheers!

Brain Füd Mojito

Apart from Prosecco, which will always remain my fave drink, I do love a Mojito. I think it’s the combination of lime and mint that does it for me, but they are very sugary…if I’m honest it’s probably that part I like too! This version only uses the natural sugar within the Brain Füd energy drink I used to help create it, and the best bit is that because the drink is packed full of added B vits and minerals it’s gonna knock your hangover on the head before it’s even kicked in….result! Mix five parts Citrus and Mint Brain Füd with 1 part White Rum (2 parts if you fancy going ker-azy!), top with Soda Water and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint leaves (this makes a perfect drinks stirrer) and a slice of lime. This one’s also good if you’re planning a late night as it contains guarana, which is a natural source of caffeine.

Gin-ger Fizz

This one will have you pulling a face like a child sucking a lemon – it’s strong, it’s fiery and it means business! Ideal if you’re someone who isn’t so keen on sickly sweet cocktails, this is 100% clean and refreshing. To make two cocktails mix 2 measures of Gin with the juice of 1 inch of Root Ginger. I put mine through a juicer, but you can also buy ginger shots in health food shops, so you may find this easier. Pour into your most gorgeous glass and top with low calorie tonic water. Pop in a lemongrass stirrer and adorn with spiralised ginger curls.

Jingle Bell-ini

This one is so so simple, because it’s literally just 2 ingredients! As far as alcoholic drinks go, Prosecco isn’t too bad for you with the average glass coming in at around 80 calories, so to tart it up a bit I’ve added one of my favourite fruits to create this Passionfruit Bellini. To make one for yourself, cut a passionfruit in half and scoop out the seeds of one half into the bottom of a champagne flute. Top with Prosecco then sieve the remaining seeds over the glass so that only the juice goes through. If you prefer a drink with no seeds, simply sieve all of them, but I just love the way the seeds rise up and down with the bubbles and I also enjoy the crunch and tartness every now and again.

Sometimes, however, I can’t be bothered with the faff of making cocktails no matter how easy they are to make and don’t even get me started on the mess it creates in the kitchen! So if you prefer to keep things simple, here are my top tips for reducing those drinking calories…and no that doesn’t mean you can drink more!

Keep it light – Light coloured spirits, such as gin, white rum and vodka are a lot lower in calories than the dark spirits like whiskey, dark rum and brandy.
See through – If you can’t see through your drink chances are it’s got a hella lot of cream in it, and we all know cream means calories!
Sugar free – Make sure you chose sugar free or low calorie mixers for your drinks. There’s 11g of sugar in a can of Coke and that’s soon gonna add up!
Hydrate – Make sure you drink a glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume to ensure that you remain fully hydrated and lessen your chances of feeling rubbish in the morning!
Pre-mixed – There are a lot of delicious pre-mixed drinks out there, but be careful as many of them are absolutely riddled with sugar and chemical nasties. Kombucha is particularly good at this time of year as it contains lots of natural good bacteria to help aid digestion, which lets face it we could all do with a bit of help with after the Christmas excess! The range from Equinox Kombucha not only looks stylish in their beautiful glass bottles, but with their sweet and sour fizz and subtle flavours, drinking them feels like you’ve got a proper sophisticated adult drink, so you’re not missing out on all the fun.