What Are Your Favorite Low Proof Cocktails?
People love to drench themselves in summer, especially outdoors, which can lead to dehydration and severe intoxication. Obviously, being a moderate and responsible adult who drinks a lot of water is the best way to combat this phenomenon, but opting for softer, low-strength cocktails can also help.
How low is the proof? You decide. You can calculate alcohol concentration using this classic dilution equation, or approach it in terms of ingredients. For example: A martini that is made entirely of alcoholic ingredients is a poor drink to enjoy in the hot sun, but the Aperol Spritz is a good one. Not only is Aperol fairly low in ethanol to start with, it is also diluted with sparkling water. It is by no means a sports drink, but it will spoil you less than drinking, stirring, and serving in the compartment. Here are some of my favorite “session” drinks, listed in no particular order.
Shandies
These humble beer cocktails are great because they are cheap, require absolutely no utensils, and can be prepared with any sour drink you like. They pair best with cheap, almost tasteless, super carbonated beers, so leave your IPAs and Belgians in the fridge. Just fill a glass with ice, fill halfway with beer, and finish with lemonade, limeade, grapefruit soda (very fizzy!) Or even a little kombucha.
Sprays and spritzers
While the Aperol Spritz is the most famous, you can actually make a Spritz from any Amaro using a formula of three parts sparkling, two parts liqueur, and roughly one part soda. Cynar, Campari, Suze, and Avèze make great, crisp , bitter sprites, but sweeter options like Crème Yvette and Lillet may work, especially if you’re using dry sparkling wine.
Syringes are a slightly different matter, the main difference is that they lack liquor. Combine wine (usually white) with something carbonated (usually soda) and, bam, you have a syringe. Wine selection is your biggest stumbling block when creating the perfect drink. You need something that tastes like this to withstand all that soda, and you want to avoid wine whose charm is more subtle. (I would also avoid using anything expensive, but I don’t know your wine budget.) Riesling and Gewürztraminer are my personal favorites, as even cheap, overly sweet bottles can be drunk with a little dilution. In terms of ratio, I like to make three parts wine to one part baking soda, but you can do half and half if you need extra hydration or somehow end up with a truly syrupy wine. If you want to get creative, you can add a bitter.
Also, don’t be afraid to substitute soda for regular, boring seltzer, or try a wine other than white. Squirt – especially if it’s from Mexico – adds a nice hint of grapefruit, and Coca-Cola (both plain and cherry ), Cheerwine and Dr. Pepper pair surprisingly well with bright red. (This is called “kalimotho.” Spanish teens drink it! Don’t you want to be cool like a Spanish teenager?)
Carbonated drinks and tonics
We also have the “something and soda” or “something and tonic” family of drinks. They’re a little tougher as they have a few 80 proof friends, but they’re still much more watered down than the martinis. The format is simple – add an ounce or an ounce and a half of alcohol you don’t like, then add soda and maybe squeeze out a wedge of citrus.
If you want to use a tonic, make sure it’s a good tonic (see our guide on this here ), and keep in mind that you can always dilute the tonic with plain soda water if you just need a hint of old quinine (and sugar). Aside from gin, don’t be afraid of lower-strength drinks like aperitifs and liqueurs .
What do you drink when it gets very hot? Do your drinking habits change with the weather? Is the word “sessionable” fundamentally dumb? Let me know in the comments.