Disclaimer: This article is not meant for individuals under the legal drinking age.
When you commit to the fitness lifestyle, sugary cocktails are one of the first things to go. So much for happy hour margaritas and rooftop cocktails—they're not anabolic. Not to worry, though. Your days of ordering vodka sodas and gazing longingly at your friends' craft cocktails are over. Mixologist Terance Robson of the speakeasy Here Nor There in Austin, Texas, voted Best Bartender in Texas, is here to save your palate with a menu of four complex, grown-up cocktails made with XTEND BCAAs.
1. Smash Apple
Fans of the whiskey sour will enjoy this bourbon cocktail made with the unexpected juiciness of apple and lemon. Use a freshly squeezed lemon and, if you have a juicer, fresh apple juice. If not, look for cloudy, unfiltered apple juice for the best flavor.
Mix local honey with an equal amount of warm water to create a syrup that mixes more easily (and adds less sugar) than straight honey. Let it cool before adding it to the drinks so as not to melt the ice.
2. Blue Razz Cooldown
This tart take on the flip, a category of classic cocktails made with fluffy egg whites, is fruity and creamy while being dairy-free and low in sugar. It also lets you test your skills as a mixologist.
Shaking the ingredients with ice by hand—as if your life depends on it—will break up the raspberries and start foaming the egg whites. A quick whirl with the immersion blender after straining out the seeds will achieve that frothy consistency you see in craft cocktail bars. Serving it in a champagne coupe completes the effect.
3. The Fitness Model
Prefer to keep things simple? This crisp, sparkling cocktail is almost as quick to make as a vodka soda but way, way more fun.
Nothing beats the flavor of freshly squeezed citrus, whether for drinks or your sad chicken and broccoli. A hand-held citrus juicer is an affordable kitchen tool that's great to have on hand—and it lets you show off your biceps.
4. My Only Vice
Want to go all-out? Try a frozen tropical concoction with all the hallmarks of classic tiki drinks: dark rum, coconut, and an ingredient list as dizzying as the dark rum.
This blended cocktail is labor-intensive but worth it. Grab a few friends, blend up a batch, and prepare for compliments.
Thirsty for more BCAA craft cocktail recipes? Download the free XTEND Mixology e-book with 14 more drink recipes created by Terance Robson.