Herbal Tonics: The Ultimate Cocktail Mixer

 perfectly crafted cocktail takes a bit of skill, but only some of us aim to be professional mixologists. Fortunately, a way to wow your guests at your next social gathering—or wow a room at a social gathering elsewhere—is to create a healthy cocktail. Yes, we said it. A healthy cocktail.

But what makes for a healthy cocktail? Is there such a thing? It turns out that they can be made with the right ingredients. But the first step toward a healthy cocktail is to understand the type of alcohol and its blood sugar levels. Straight alcohol like gin, vodka, and whiskey don’t hold as much if any, sugars because of how many times the alcohol is distilled. So when you pair vodka with club soda, you’re essentially consuming zero sugar, but you might not get the flavor. That’s when a lot of people reach for the, dare we say it, soda. But there should be a hard pause. No, there should be a hard stop when you reach for the soda.

Do you know what's in your mixer?

The next time you reach for the soda mixer (like gin and tonic or whiskey and coke) you should think twice. Soda comes with many ignored, negative health impacts, such as:

• A high amount of sugar
• Artificial sweeteners 
• Additives and low-risk, but still present, toxic chemicals for the coloring
  

Not only does it have some adverse health impacts, but there are some interesting facts about the beverage that you might want to know about:

• It has so many unnecessary calories (think nearly 150 calories in a single can)
• There’s a lot of sugar—40 grams of sugar, in a single can on average
• Both men and women can find themselves suffering from lower infertility if they drink soda regularly
• The beverage can result in an uptick in sugar dependency
• This increase in sugar dependency can result in stressful cravings
• The more you crave the more sugar you consume, and all of this sugar can lead to diabetes
• Sugar cravings can add some serious inches to your waistline, which causes you to put on weight and cause fat cells to surround your organs.
• As a result of the bigger  waistline, your blood pressure will climb
• All of this leads to unhealthy food cravings 
• And the more unhealthy food you eat the slower your cells will regrow, which can result in premature aging
• Then this can impact and weaken your bones
• All of this also leads to an increased risk of heart disease.
  

So when it comes to drinking soda, the best thing to do is skip it altogether. And regular tonics are no different. Not many are aware, but tonic is soda in clear form (yes, it has calories). Somehow this always gets confused with club soda, but it’s sweet for a reason, and that should be an immediate tip-off. Instead, reach for what’s known as a herbal tonic, the ultimate cocktail mixer. So, what makes it the perfect cocktail mixer for your next party?

What are herbal tonics, and why should I care?

An herbal tonic is a different type of tonic. It's plant-based, meaning it delivers nutritionally dense benefits directly to you because it is made up of superfoods and herbs. You can choose between flavor options like:

• Ginger is known to fight inflammation Hibiscus, which has vitamin C and other antioxidants
• Mint, which helps with digestion and anti-inflammatory properties
• Ashwagandha is popular because it can reduce stress 
  

And that’s just the beginning! Each herbal tonic has a variety of benefits. But more than that, herbal tonics date back centuries to India's Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine. Although these traditions didn’t necessarily drink their herbal tonics with cocktails and alcohol, they still come with the same traditional benefits through herbs like adaptogens, alternatives, aromatics, astringents, bitters, and nutritive. 

Plus, these benefits still come with that fizzy feeling! So you’ll get the bubbly feeling of soda, and the flavor (that regular club soda doesn’t have) with healthy benefits.

Mixing your herbal tonics with cocktails delivers delicious flavor with essential nutrients and benefits that might battle any hangover that you might have. After all, if you could drink your way to a healthy lifestyle while still getting an ever-so-slighted buzz on wouldn’t you? 

Make your next cocktail creation guilt-free.

The next time you’re at a party, or throwing your own, consider your options on how to truly mix things up with your cocktails. Soda is so last year, and herbal tonics are a great alternative to the traditional way cocktails have been made. As you create these cocktail libations, consider throwing in your twist. Add a lemon slice, throw in a dash of bitters, garnish it with rosemary, or add an orange peel. Essentially, if it can be found in nature and you don’t need to add sugar, you’re on your way to a healthy cocktail!