When I say this is the ultimate easy low-ABV cocktail, I’m not exaggerating. This drink takes less than 5 minutes to whip up and is the perfect end-of-summer/early fall porch sipper. It’s fresh, it’s bubbly, and it has just the right amount of alcohol to make it even easier to drink all evening long.
I don’t know about you, but as I get further away from my 20s, I really can’t hang anymore. Too much alcohol really disrupts me the next day, and I just can’t get away with what I used to.
The truth is, though, that doesn’t really bother me. I know drinking less is better for my health, plus I have so much to do during the day — between working and parenting — I really need all the energy I can get. Cue the low-ABV cocktail world. Not too much alcohol, yet with all the fun and flavor of a regular cocktail. Because at the end of the day, it’s fun to whip up something special and refreshing with a friend and know that you’ll feel fine the next day.
What exactly is a Low-ABV cocktail?
Low-ABV cocktails are made with spirits that have a lower percentage of alcohol by volume — as in 8-12%. In my research on exactly what a low-abv cocktail means, I discovered that there is no hard and fast definition, but generally speaking it consists of a specific group of low alcoholic flavorful liquors.
These are the aperitif liquors, vermouth, sherry, and port of the world. This way you can add a full serving to get maximum flavor without raking up the alcohol content.
Sure, you could do a half or even a quarter serving of the stronger alcohols we’re all familiar with, but you’d miss out on the flavor and wind up with a lackluster cocktail.
Low ABV Grapefruit Spritzer
Ingredients
- 3 floz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- .5 floz Aperol
- 5 floz tonic water
- fresh, clear ice
- tsp optional: grapefruit slices for garnish
Instructions
- In a glass filled with ice, measure and add grapefruit juice and Aperol. Fill the rest of the glass with tonic water, and garnish with a slice of grapefruit. Enjoy!
Nutrition
