Peppermint Cocktails Are the Secret to a Stress-less Holiday
Freshen up your holiday cocktail choices.
You already know peppermint tastes great and refreshing, but did you know a peppermint-spiked cocktail can actually perk you up from the inside out? Read on to learn about three major health benefits of peppermint and get the recipes for three delicious, holiday-ready peppermint cocktails that are perfectly festive. Charming cocktails that are good and good for you? Cheers to that!
Peppermint Can: Boost Happiness
A peppermint sip can help you feel more alert, according to British researchers. That’s because the flavor prompts the release of mood-boosting alpha waves — electrical impulses in the brain that help you feel more upbeat.
Peppermint Can: Dial Back Pain
Peppermint gets its fresh scent and flavor from menthol oil, which is also known to tamp down pain signals and soothe ache-causing inflammation. Stanford University scientists say peppermint oil “has been used successfully for several clinical disorders, and appears to have a good safety profile,” and may be particularly effective in easing gastrointestinal pains.
Peppermint Can: Enhance Energy
People who enjoy peppermint flavored drinks report having more energy throughout the day and more endurance during strenuous tasks, according to researchers reporting in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The credit goes to antioxidants in peppermint that ward off stamina-sapping oxidative stress.
Try These Festive Peppermint Cocktails
Looking for a fun way to experience some of peppermint’s many uplifting effects? These three playful peppermint cocktails don’t just deliver health benefits, they’re also sure to be a holiday hit.
Christmas Peppermint-ini
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 4 ounces gin
- 2 ounces crème de menthe
- 2 ounces mint schnapps
Instructions:
In ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients; strain into 2 martini glasses.
Candy Cane White Russian
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 3 tablespoons simple syrup
- ¼ cup red sprinkles
- 2 ounces coffee liqueur
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 ounces half-and-half
Instructions:
Dip two glasses in syrup, then sprinkles; invert. In ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine last four ingredients; strain.
Peppermint Bark Mimosa
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 3 tablespoons simple syrup
- 4 candy canes, crushed
- 1 ounce peppermint vodka
- 1 ounce crème de cacao
- Sparkling wine
Instructions:
Dip rims of two flutes in syrup, then candy; invert. Add vodka and crème de cacao; top with sparkling wine.
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, First for Women.
