Three Summery Cocktail Recipes That Use Fresh Juice
Boston is enjoying artisanal cocktail mania these days, which means you don’t have to look far to find beverages that skew fresh and funky, rather than syrupy-sweet. But even if there’s not a sour mix or soda in sight, many mixed drinks still pack in quite a bit of sugar with little, if any, nutritional value—so we took matters into our own hands.
We asked the teams at three of Boston’s best juice bars—Jugos, Juice Press, and Mother Juice—to play mixologist and create original cocktail recipes that use fresh juice. And, yes, we know calling any alcoholic beverage healthy is a stretch, but these produce-packed creations at least pair your booze with a few extra servings of fruit. Bottoms up.
Jugos’ Boca Chica cocktail/photo provided
Ingredients
Serves 1
- 2 parts cachaça
- 1.5 parts fresh watermelon juice
- .5 parts pineapple juice
- 1 lemon wedge
- 1 lime wedge
- 2 fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 fresh mint leaves
Directions
Muddle the cilantro, mint, lemon, and lime in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and add the watermelon juice, pineapple juice, and cachaça. Shake well, then pour into a collins glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Feeling low maintenance? Grab Jugos’ Boca Chica juice and mix it with cachaça.
Juice Press’ spicy citrus blend/photo provided
Ingredients
Serves 1
- 3 grapefruits
- 3 oranges
- 2 lemons
- 1-inch piece ginger
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Tequila
Directions
Juice the grapefruits, oranges, and lemons. Blend the ginger with all the juice. Strain after blending. Add a pinch of cayenne. Shake three parts juice with one part tequila. Pour over ice and enjoy.
Near a Juice Press? Grab the brand’s Spicy Citrus juice for this cocktail.
Mother Juice’s Oh Em Gee Blend/photo provided
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1/4 of a pineapple
- 3 large chunks watermelon
- Half a peeled lemon
- Handful of frozen blueberries
- 4 oz. vodka
Directions
Combine the pineapple, watermelon, and lemon in a juicer. Mix in a handful of frozen blueberries and the vodka. Shake over ice, pour, and enjoy.
Don’t have a juicer? You can use Mother Juice’s Oh Em Gee blend as your base.
