It’s the time of year when a nice margarita or mojito seems like the perfect end to the day—or the perfect start to a lazy Sunday afternoon.

But a load of syrups, flavourings, and alcohol muddled together don’t always sit comfortably with me, from a healthy living perspective.

My solution to longing for a cocktail, as well as sticking to my healthy eating plan, is kombucha.

This fermented tea beverage may not only help maintain a healthy digestive tract and liver, but also tastes great with alcohol. Indeed, I must conclude that kombucha and booze are a match made in heaven. The tart flavour of the kombucha is just right for drinks such as a margarita or whisky sour, and if you use a fruit kombucha it means you can lose the sugary fruit juices from your cocktail recipe.

There’s nothing complicated about making kombucha cocktails, but there are a few rules you should bear in mind:

>> Kombucha has a natural fizzy fermentation to it, so add it last in your recipe to preserve its fizz.
>> Always taste test your kombucha before you use it in a cocktail as kombucha flavours vary dramatically in terms of tartness.
>> Because of its tartness, kombucha works the best in sour cocktail recipes.
>> Don’t be frightened to experiment.

Here are three of my all-time favourite kombucha cocktails:

1. Feeling Fabulous—Fools Gold.

This is a cocktail for those with a robust approach to life—a cocktail that will revive and wake you up.

Ingredients:

One shot gold tequila
One shot triple sec
Squeeze lemon juice
Squeeze of lime juice
Five drops of tabasco
Kombucha to taste

Method:

Shake everything except the kombucha and the tabasco with crushed ice. Train and pour over ice, top up with kombucha, add the tabasco sauce, stir, and enjoy!

2. Gloom Chaser.

Chase all your gloom away as you sit and sip this wonderful cocktail. The kombucha adds a nice, sharp edge that is complimentary to the citrus curacao.

Ingredients:

One shot of orange curacao
One shot Grand Marnier
One shot of kombucha
A dash of grenadine

Method:

Shake all the ingredients together with crushed ice, strain, and pour. Garnish with a twist of lemon, sit back, and watch your gloom float away!

3. Mind your Razor.

After drinking this cocktail your mind will be razor-sharp; it’s a great pick me up drink!

Ingredients:

One shot luxardo bitter bianco
One shot coffee liqueur
Ginger kombucha

Method:

Pour the coffee liqueur into a glass, then the bitter bianco. Muddle, then top up with kombucha.

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These cocktails are simple to make and ripe for you to experiment with. I love taking classic cocktail recipes, extracting the sugary sodas and juices, and discovering what they taste like when replaced with kombucha.

Kombucha cocktails are a great talking point and the flavour of kombucha really adds zing to many classic recipes.
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Author: Seren Charrington-Hollins
Image: Patrick Schöpflin/ Unsplash
Editor: Khara-Jade Warren