London - At this time of year, healthy food and drink doesn’t get much of a look in.
But if you want to enjoy a New Year’s Eve tipple without completely undoing your good intentions, here is a round-up of cocktails that, while not exactly good for you, do have some nutritional value....
VIRGIN MARY
Ingredients (one serving):
1 tbsp olive oil
Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
juice of half a lemon
160ml tomato juice
pinch of sea salt, black pepper
a stick of celery
red chili to garnish.
Nutritional excuse: Olive oil contains oleocanthal, a nutrient thought to reduce inflammation, and oleate, a fat that kick-starts enzymes that break down fat.
Tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, which reduces cell damage.
Capsaicin, found in chili peppers, has been shown to help burn calories - a study in mice earlier this year by the University of Wyoming suggested that capsaicin stimulates a receptor that turns ‘bad’ white fat cells into calorie-burning “good” brown fat cells.
The celery contains fibre and is full of water, which helps keep your body hydrated (useful alongside alcohol, which dehydrates the body), according to Anna Daniels of the British Dietetic Association.
The tomato juice and celery would count as almost one-and-a-half portions of your five-a-day.
MAPLE SYRUP AND BLOOD ORANGE PUNCH
From welovemaple.co.uk
Ingredients (12 servings):
500ml Campari liqueur
250ml pure maple syrup
500ml red vermouth
500ml gin, 750ml soda water
six freshly squeezed blood oranges
12 slices of blood orange
ice
Nutritional excuse: Maple syrup is sugary but contains useful nutrients - the 20ml serving of maple syrup you get in a cup of this punch provides nutrients such as potassium (good for the healthy transmission of nerve signals and maintaining a healthy blood pressure), without overdoing your sugar allowance.
A recent study published in the Journal of Functional Foods identified 54 compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties - five of which are found only in maple syrup.
The syrup also contains chemicals involved in the conversion of carbohydrate to sugar, the researchers said - ironically, the sweetener may help control blood-sugar levels.
Thanks to the oranges, this cocktail will provide the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, says Anna Daniels. Blood oranges also contain anthocyanin, an antioxidant that gives them their distinctive red colour and lowers bad cholesterol.
MANGO LASSI COCKTAIL
from foodnetwork.com
Ingredients (four servings):
200ml vanilla vodka,
230g sliced fresh mango
200g fat-free vanilla yogurt,
100g mango nectar
ice
Whizz all ingredients in a blender until frothy.
Nutritional excuse: Mangoes contain the antioxidant zeaxanthin, thought to help eye health and possibly reduce damage caused by age-related macular degeneration - a leading cause of vision loss.
They are also high in vitamin A, vitamin C and fibre, for a healthy gut.
In one cocktail, the yogurt supplies more than 20 percent of your daily calcium needs, says Anna Daniels.
Choose a natural yogurt that contains “live” bacteria, known as probiotics, which can improve digestion and fight infections.
SWEET POTATO BELLINI
By Tony Conigliaro and Drink Factory for Grain Store
Ingredients (one serving):
100ml prosecco
500g sweet potatoes
40ml sweet potato puree
100ml water
25g caster sugar
agar-agar gelatine (use 2.5g per 500ml of strained liquid).
PREPARATION: Roast the sweet potatoes for one-and-a-half hours then leave to cool before peeling. Put in the blender with the water and caster sugar then strain into a pan to drain off the liquid (don’t throw out the puree).
Heat the strained liquid and add agar-agar gelatine as well as 40ml of puree, then blend the mixture again.
Pour into a champagne flute and top with the prosecco.
Nutritional excuse: Sweet potato has a low glycaemic index, meaning it releases energy slowly, and a study has suggested it may reduce episodes of low blood-sugar in people with diabetes. The cocktail will retain some of the sweet potatoes’ nutrients, says Anna Daniels, including beta-carotene, which is needed for healthy skin.
APPLE AND FENNEL COCKTAIL
From Robin Gill, of The Dairy and The Manor restaurants
Ingredients (four servings):
140ml gin
three small Granny Smith apples (peeled and cut into quarters)
one fennel bulb (cut in half)
half a cucumber
the juice of a lime
Blend the apple, fennel and cucumber, then mix with the lime juice and gin and pour into four tumblers. Add plenty of ice and garnish with fennel fronds.
Nutritional excuse: A recent study showed that out of all of the apple types tested, the Granny Smith had the highest levels of compounds that help promote the growth of good gut bacteria.
The apples also contain antioxidants known as polyphenols that mop up harmful free radicals and protect cells from damage.
One fennel bulb provides 440mg of potassium (more than 20 percent of the recommended daily amount), which helps to regulate blood pressure and magnesium for muscle building.
The water content in cucumbers loosens stools, and the skin and seeds of the plant help material move through the gut.
Cucumber is also rich in B vitamins, which help the body release energy from food.
One glass of this cocktail will provide one-and-a-half servings of your five-a-day, says Anna Daniels.
KALE COCKTAIL
From southernpressedjuicery.com
Ingredients (one serving):
half a cup of cucumber
half a cup of kale
quarter cup of celery
a small lime (peeled)
half a lemon (peeled)
15ml ginger beer
45ml apple vodka.
Juice all the vegetables and fruit. Combine with ginger beer and apple vodka in a shaker, then shake vigorously.
Nutritional excuse: The kale, cucumber, celery and fruit in this drink will provide two of your five-a-day, says Anna Daniels.
Kale is rich in vitamin A, needed for healthy skin and eyes - particularly night-time vision. It is also high in vitamin K, which has many benefits, including helping with bone formation.
The kale, lemon and lime would easily provide your RDA for vitamin C (80mg), which keeps skin, gums and blood vessels healthy, adds Anna Daniels.
EGGNOG
From foodnetwork.com
Ingredients (six servings):
two cups fat-free milk
two large strips of orange zest
one vanilla bean
two large eggs and one egg yolk
a third of a cup of sugar
quarter cup of white rum or bourbon
grated nutmeg.
PREPARATION: Pour one-and-a-half cups of milk into a saucepan and add the orange zest. Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the milk and bring to a simmer.
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a bowl.
Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then pour back into the pan.
Place over a medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the eggnog begins to thicken (this takes about eight minutes).
Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining milk, then add the rum or bourbon.
Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool. Serve with a good grating of nutmeg.
Nutritional excuse: This contains protein, (11.6g per cup - just less than a quarter of your daily needs), which we use to build and repair tissues, as well as make hormones and enzymes.
Two large strips of orange zest would contain vitamin C as well as B vitamins, which help to release the energy from food and keep the skin, eyes and liver cells healthy.
Using fat-free milk will reduce calories but raise the calcium content, says Anna Daniels, explaining that the calcium in milk is found in the watery part.
One glass of the cocktail will provide about 300mg of calcium - almost half your RDA.
Daily Mail