The Nine Healthiest Alcoholic Drinks

If we're being honest about it, alcohol is unhealthy by ANY definition.   It might help to know that some drinks are healthier than others.  If you care about your health, but not enough to stop drinking . . . try sticking with these nine drinks.

1.  Vodka and soda.  Simple and boring.  Low in calories . . . 96 per 1.5 ounces.  But other than that, there's nothing nutritious about it.

2.  Michelada.  Made from a lager beer, limes, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and a little salt and pepper.  It has vitamin C from the limes, and believe it or not, Worcestershire sauce has a lot of other vitamins in it.

3.  Whiskey or gin.  Same deal with the vodka and soda.  Not super-high in calories, but no positive nutritional value either.  Just drink it neat or on the rocks, because sugary mixers defeat the purpose.

4.  Wine.  Wine has lots of nutrients, because it's basically just decayed fruit.  It has iron, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants.  And there are only about 120 calories in a five-ounce glass.

5.  Manhattan.  It's bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters.  It's mainly bourbon, and sweet vermouth is fortified wine, so it has the same benefits as those two.  And supposedly bitters can be a cure for an upset stomach.

6.  Mimosas or bellinis.  A bellini is just a mimosa with peach juice or peach schnapps,  instead of orange juice.  The main health benefits are from the vitamins in the fruit juices, though there are antioxidants in the champagne.  The tradeoff is that you get a lot of calories.

7.  Guinness.  It's made from more whole grains than lager, so you get some of the same nutritional benefits as you'd get from whole-grain bread products.  And it actually has fewer calories than Coke.

8.  Sangria.  It's all fruit, except for the red wine, gin, and triple sec.  You can find recipes that are less sugary.  But you get up to a full serving of fruit in one drink.  Fiber, vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants, and B vitamins are all in there.

9.  Bloody Mary.  It's actually a low-calorie drink, and it has the tomato juice, which is healthy:  Vitamins A and C, potassium, and antioxidants.  Plus the tomatoes, horseradish, and celery all have cancer-fighting properties.

Now you can enjoy a tasty drink and celebrate healthily.  Do it for the children.

Thirstily yours,

Behka