THE PERFECT SERVE

Healthy (ish) tipples, coming right up!

Whether you’re sipping a Negroni on a sun-soaked Italian veranda or sampling cocktails from the hotel’s all-inclusive bar, there’s nothing like that first drink of your summer break. But with alcohol often containing more sugar than the average dessert, it’s good to have some lighter alternatives in your back pocket. Don’t want to deprive yourself? These smarter choices will help. Sadly, they can’t keep you from regretting that holiday romance.

SMART SWAPS How to instantly upgrade your order Love wine?

ORDER… Goldschild Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese. This medium-sweet wine is 8% ABV (alcohol by volume). White wines tend to be lower in alcohol than reds.

SIP SLOWLY… Chardonnays and sauvignon blancs. They’re higher in alcohol content at 12-14% ABV.

Into red?

ORDER… A full-bodied wine, such as a malbec. The active compounds in red wine (polyphenols, resveratrol and quercetin) are good for your heart, while red wine also slows down the time it takes for glucose to reach the bloodstream, stopping insulin spikes. SIP SLOWLY… Californian cabernet sauvignons – made in warm climates, they have more sugar. A general rule is: the cooler the country, the better. Gin fan? ORDER... A cucumber Tom Collins – that’s gin, lemon juice, carbonated water, syrup and, of course, cucumber. It’s thirst-quenching, not too high in sugar and you can use the cucumber as a healthy amuse-bouche. SIP SLOWLY... A G&T might sound refreshing, but the non-slimline varieties of tonic can contain around 4 tsp of sugar. Fancy beer or cider? ORDER... Lowlander’s Infusion beers – they’re packed with botanicals, fruit and teas. They’re also low in alcohol (at 2.5% ABV). Heineken 0.0 is a good alcohol-free option. Prefer cider? SkinnyBrands Cider has just 2.5g of sugar per bottle. SIP SLOWLY... Regular ciders and fruit beers. They don’t count towards your five-a-day and can contain 20.5g of sugar a pint – the same as a Wispa chocolate bar. Cocktail hour? ORDER... Forget last year’s frosé and the ever-popular Aperol spritz – mixologists at celebrity-favourite bar and restaurant Sexy Fish are tipping savoury cocktails to be the drink of the summer. We’re not talking your regular Bloody Marys, but more exotic mixers such as basil and fennel cordial, which hopefully give you a bumper hit of vitamins alongside your usual tipple. Not sure what to have? We’ve got a new recipe for you to try: the Jessica Rabbit (below). SIP SLOWLY... Can’t resist a classic cocktail? Just avoid downing too many – they’re often high in alcohol and sugary mixers. A Pimm’s cup might contain an entire fruit salad, but it also has 25.3g of sugar per serving – around the same as a small McDonald’s chocolate milkshake.