Let’s Raise a Glass To These 8 Healthy Holiday Cocktails That Are Perfect for Your Next Socially-Distanced Gathering

It’s officially the season of holiday sweets and back-to-back feasts. If you’re looking for creative ways to toast and celebrate socially-distanced togetherness in the last few months of the year, just look to the ingredients you rely on in your day-to-day—think matcha, avocado, and lime—to make healthy holiday drinks that are basically a gift in a glass.

Whether you’re hosting your own get-together or you’re bringing spirits to a quarantine pod gathering, these untraditional concoctions are sure to be the talk of the night. After all, who can resist a kombucha Moscow mule?

Keep reading for eight healthy cocktail recipes to toast this holiday season

1. Matcha mojitos

Who says that the antioxidant powerhouse has to be limited to lattes or cups of hot tea? Besides the obvious health boost, it will give your buzz additional, well, buzz. “An added benefit of the matcha is that it will give you a bit of extra pep to get you through the rest of your day (or evening),” explains Bonnie Eng, the tea enthusiast behind food blog Thirsty for Tea. Mix one up when you’ve got back-to-back gatherings that require some serious energy.

2. Kombucha Moscow mule

There’s never a bad time to get an extra dose of probiotics—yes, even after-hours. Swapping out ginger beer for the fermented, probiotic tea not only lowers the sugar content of the classic cocktail, but also ups its gut-friendliness. An added bonus? All you need to do to make a ‘booch mule is stir together its four ingredients: ginger kombucha, vodka, lime, and agave. No shaker required.

3. Coconut chai hot toddy

This is the cocktail you’ll want in hand on a bitterly cold evening, preferably wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. (No judgment if you’re whipping this up while flying solo.) The hot toddy is essentially a mug of milky tea with a shot of rum mixed in for holiday festiveness. Best of all, it’s totally vegan: The creamy consistency comes courtesy of coconut milk.

4. Lychee and elderflower gin and tonic

There’s no reason why your G&T has to be boring. Hungry Couple blogger Anita Schecter proves that the bar standby can be elevated. Lychee adds a natural sweetness, as well as immune-boosting benefits and an impressive amount of vitamin C.

5. White cranberry margaritas

Molly Meehan of Yes to Yolks gives the classic marg a frosty makeover with white cranberry juice and a handful of the fresh berry. “If you want to go all out, you could even smash in some mint or sage leaves for more color,” Meehan suggests. Though this drink contains no simple syrup, look to for a version of the vitamin-C rich fruit juice with no added sugar if you so desire.

6. Pomegranate champagne martini

This cocktail makes it super easy to cheers to good health. Blogger Davida Kugelmass of The Healthy Maven heard that having pomegranate on New Year’s Eve is good luck, but there’s nothing limiting this cocktail to one celebration a year.

7. Copa verde cocktail

Add avocado to anything and you’ll likely have a creamy dish…or drink. The healthy fat makes for a deliciously sweet cocktail when combined with fresh lime, agave nectar, and tequila.

8. Turmeric gin & ginger cocktail

Turmeric and ginger? Talk about amazing flavors. The best part about this anti-inflammatory combo is just how quick and easy it is to make. “Throw everything together in a tall glass filled with ice and you have the perfect cocktail to kick off your weekend in less than five minutes flat,” explains Robin Terry of Cali Girl Cooking—no need to scramble before the guests arrive!

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This post was originally published on December 1, 2016; updated on October 16, 2020.