Sometimes, you want a drink with dinner or to enjoy a midday drink. No judgment here - life's for living, but you don't want to go hard on the booze with a martini or something that's going to make you want to take a nap. There are plenty of low-alcohol cocktails with a low ABV, all with just a few modifications or a dedicated recipe. Now that's something to low-alcohol cheers to.
Low-ABV Kir Royale
The traditional kir royale is just crème de cassis and prosecco. However, to lighten that up a little bit more, we're going to use some club soda, too.
Ingredients
- ½ ounce crème de cassis
- 1 ounce club soda
- Prosecco to top off
- Raspberry for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a Champagne flute.
- In chilled glass, add crème de cassis and club soda.
- Top off with prosecco.
- Garnish with a raspberry.
Light Alcohol Adonis Cocktail
Compared to hard liquors, sherry and vermouth are both pretty low on the alcohol scale, and together, they make a surprisingly balanced cocktail that'll feel like you're being let in the on the best-kept cocktail secret.
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a mixing glass, add ice, fino sherry, and sweet vermouth.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel.
Campari Spritz: A Bitter & Low-Alcohol Apéritif Cocktail
Don't confuse the Campari spritz with the Americano below. It's more like the Aperol spritz. In fact, it follows the same recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Campari
- 1 ounce club soda
- 3 ounces prosecco
- Ice
- Orange wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a wine glass, add ice, Campari, club soda, and prosecco.
- Stir once to mix.
- Garnish with an orange wheel.
Americano Cocktail
Take a Campari cocktail one step lighter by mixing it with just a splash of sweet vermouth and a heaping pour of club soda. If you're wrinkling your nose at the idea of such a bitter cocktail, you can use Suze and a dry vermouth instead.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Campari
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Orange slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
- Top off with club soda.
- Stir once to mix.
- Garnish with an orange slice.
Aperol Spritz: The Sweeter Low-Alcohol Apéritif Cocktail
The classic and beloved low-ABV cocktail, the one, the only: the Aperol spritz.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces prosecco
- 2 ounces Aperol
- 1 ounce club soda
- Ice
- Orange slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a wine glass, add ice, prosecco, Aperol, and club soda.
- Stir gently to mix.
- Garnish with an orange slice.
Low-ABV Rebujito Cocktail
There's no rum, mint, lime juice, simple syrup, or club soda in this -jito cocktail, despite it sounding like a close cousin to the mojito. If you want something a little less sweet, use a half ounce each of lemon and lime juice, topping off with club soda. Of course, a small splash of simple syrup goes a long way, too.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces fino sherry
- Ice
- Lemon-lime soda to top off
- Mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks or highball glass, add ice and fino sherry.
- Top off with lemon-lime soda.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
Calimocho
A Spanish-style cocktail, also known as kalimotxo, couldn't be a simpler low-ABV drink. Don't furrow your eyebrows - the wine and cola combination might sound outlandish, but it is popular for a reason. Be a trailblazer among your friends.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces cola
- 3 ounces red wine
- Ice
- Lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, add ice, cola, and red wine.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Bamboo Cocktail
Another low-alcoholic cocktail that's a crafty combination of vermouth and sherry, but with a bitter punch. Think of it as a great substitute for your Manhattan or Toronto.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces dry vermouth
- 1½ ounces dry sherry
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 dash aromatic bitters
- Ice
- Lemon peel for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a mixing glass, add ice, dry vermouth, dry sherry, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel.
Sherry Cobbler
While this doesn't taste exactly like a classic edible cobbler, it's a pretty great low-alcohol cocktail that's sweet and fruity.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces dry sherry, amontillado
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Crushed ice
- Mint sprig and dehydrated lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a highball or rocks glass with crushed ice.
- Add dry sherry and simple syrup.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and dehydrated lime wheel.
Light Alcohol Old-Fashioned
Is there a way to lighten up the old-fashioned so it isn't so boozy? Aw, yeah. We'll show you how.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce bourbon
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes orange bitters
- 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
- 2 ounces club soda
- Ice
- Orange peel for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, add ice, bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, and club soda.
- Stir briefly to chill.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
Low-ABV Mint Julep
Cut the boozy whiskey burn in the classic muddled mint julep with some extra mixer.
Ingredients
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves
- 1 ounce bourbon
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Crushed ice
- Club soda to top off
- Mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks glass or Julep cup, muddle the mint leaves with simple syrup.
- Add crushed ice and bourbon.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
Garibaldi
So you want a Campari-based low-alcohol cocktail, that'll boost your immune system with vitamin C? Your wish is granted. Now, what are your next two wishes?
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Campari
- Ice
- Orange juice to top off
- Orange wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice and Campari.
- Top off with orange juice.
- Garnish with an orange wedge.
Coronation Cocktail No. 1
You may think you've found all the combinations of vermouth and sherry that can exist, but this nearly century-old low-alcohol cocktail proves you wrong.
Ingredients
- 1¾ ounces dry vermouth
- ¾ ounce dry fino sherry
- ¼ ounce maraschino liqueur
- 2-3 dashes orange bitters
- Ice
- Lemon peel for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a mixing glass, add ice, dry vermouth, dry sherry, maraschino liqueur, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel, if desired.
St. Germain Spritz
Leave your bitter Campari and Aperol on the shelf this time. The elderflower flavors in this spritz are a nice change from bitter to floral and sunshine.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- 1 ounce prosecco
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Lemon slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball or cocktail glass, add ice, elderflower liqueur, and prosecco.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with a lemon slice.
Lighten Up a Cocktail
The easiest way to lower the alcohol content of any cocktail is to increase the amount of mixer, or substitute a lower-ABV ingredient in its place. Think of using more orange liqueur than tequila for a margarita. Yes, you'll need to play around with the other ingredients so it isn't as sweet, but life, and especially cocktails, are for experimenting and play. Swap Campari for whiskey in a whiskey sour. Don't be afraid to break the rules, either! Just like a mint julep, add a complementary flavor to a whiskey smash. If you love tropical rum drinks, use more mixer than rums. Spritzers, including wine spritzers, are excellent for making something less boozy.
Take a Slow Walk With a Low-Alcohol Cocktail
Don't confuse low-alcohol cocktails with low-flavor cocktails. Plenty still have a bark, it's just their bite that isn't as painful. And isn't that a win-win?
