Americans are buying significantly more liquor than this time last year and replacing in-person drinks with virtual happy hours during the coronavirus pandemic. But chronic drinking can do serious damage to your immune system over time, and drinking too much during the crisis may put you at greater risk of a respiratory infection.
Non-alcoholic cocktail recipes
You can still enjoy a cocktail without weakening your immune system with non-alcoholic cocktails that still contain the flavor profiles and even the tingle you feel from the real thing. In recent years, alcohol-free “spirits” have become more widely available, often infused with botanicals that evoke the aroma, bitterness and burn of real alcohol. Here are four recipes for cocktails that are kind to your immune system.
Whiskey Sweet & Sour
2 ounces Ritual whiskey alternative
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 egg white (optional)
Lemon wedge for garnish
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake until frothy. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon wedge. (Want to make it vegan? Swap the egg white for two tablespoons of chickpea juice.)
Grove Margarita
2 ounces Grove 42 (a distilled non-alcoholic spirit)
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Flaky margarita salt (optional)
Lime wedge
If you want a salt rim, prepare a rocks glass: Rub a lime wedge along the rim of the glass, then then dunk it in a shallow dish of salt. Allow to dry for 30 seconds, and tap to dislodge excess salt.
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 30 seconds, then strain over fresh ice in the prepared rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Ludlow Highball
4 ounces chilled Proteau Ludlow Red
4 ounces chilled sparkling water
Combine Ludlow Red and sparkling water in an ice-filled highball glass. Stir gently to combine and garnish with blackberries and rosemary.
The Kin Citron
2 ounces Kin High Rhode
1 ounce grapefruit soda
5 dashes citrus bitters
Sparkling water
Orange slice
Add ice to a rocks glass. Stir in Kin High Rhode, citrus bitters, and grapefruit soda for 30 seconds. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a fresh orange slice.