I’ll be honest. I gave up hard alcohol for my 34th birthday. And then I met Kat Hantas and it all changed. Kat is a Jill of all Trades. She started her career in the mail room at CAA (yes, you really can work your way up!), to producing cult favorite movie Taking 5, to having kids (she’s a mom of 2!) and then founding 21 Seeds Tequila shortly after.

Kat is a self- taught mixologist and tequila expert that changed my perspective on drinking. You hear a lot of people talking about clean eating… but what about clean drinking? Shouldn’t we care even more about the bad stuff we are inevitably going to put into our bodies? I’m the kind of person who likes to take educated risks and limit them (don’t get me wrong: I still have my days that I over indulge but I try to be “smarter” about it in my old age 😉 ).

#Facts on Clean Drinking:

• Not all alcohol is equal: tequila contains the lowest amount of calories in an ounce of alcohol before being mixed.
• A classic margarita has about 400-500 calories- as much as a Snickers bar.
• Sugar in the mixers adds to your sluggishness the next day.
• Non-organic wine contains pesticides and possibly arsenic (holy sh*t… right?!).
• Just like with food, alcohol often contains preservatives. Wine usually has preservatives labelled under “sulfites” or sulfur dioxide.
• Liquors in pretty colors contain dyes that are terrible for you.

Suffice it to say, the labeling of alcoholic beverages in the US needs more clarity and restrictions so people understand what they are putting in themselves but given this just happened to soda and fast food, we are probably quite a bit far from it. If you want to know more on the health implications of alcohol and how tequila is made to be slightly “healthier,” you can pop on our episode with Kat Hantas below.

In the meantime, you can choose to consider what types of alcohol you’re drinking, how much and what you’re mixing it with. Below are some recipes from our partner 21 Seeds to get you started on making better-for-you drinks at home during the holidays. As always, drink responsibly, babes!!

SEED + SODA

2 parts club soda
1 part 21 Seeds Tequila
splash of your favorite juice

Directions: Rub the inside of a wine glass with a fresh slice of citrus. Serve over ice with a slice of orange.

SEED + CIDER

Single serving:

2 oz 21 Seeds Valencia Orange Tequila

2 oz apple cider

1/4 oz fresh orange juice

1/4 oz fresh lemon juice

1/4 oz simple syrup

Full bottle batch:

1 bottle 21 Seeds Valencia Orange Tequila

3 cups apple cider

3 oz lemon juice

3 oz orange juice

3 oz simple syrup

Directions: Dry shake. Serve on ice and garnish with dried orange or slice of fresh orange and full cinnamon stick.

SPICY SKINNYSEED MARGARITA

2 oz 21 Seeds Cucumber Jalapeño Tequila

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Directions: Place all ingredients into shaker with 1.5 cups of ice. Shake 30 seconds (totally underrated and makes the cocktail), pour into a glass. Garnish with a lime and/or cucumber slice and serve.

Optional: Rub rim of glass with lime wedge and salt the rim. Add club soda to make it a margarita spritz.