Even sleek, marble-muscled health gurus like to get their
drink on once in a while. True, you're unlikely to spot a Pilates
instructor slamming back-to-back Irish Car Bombs, but Boston's body-conscious
types know that, if chosen wisely, a cocktail can actually be beneficial to
your bod, without doing a sniper-style number on your caloric intake. And it
doesn't have to taste like water. Or, more specifically, vodka and water - a
veritable yawn in a glass and the former nighttime beverage of choice for Jacqui
Berardi, bar manager at Clink at The
Liberty Hotel (215 Charles Street, Boston, 617.224.4004).
"I'm committed to a healthy lifestyle, but [when I went out] I
was sick of not having a choice of specialty cocktails that weren't at least
500 calories," says Berardi, who, along with Liberty bar staff Jackie
DiDiego and Kelsey Simpkins, created the hotel's Sleek cocktail
list, a mouthwatering selection of fresh and organic drinks, all weighing
in at under 150 calories.
Drawing upon Berardi's background in culinary arts (she
studied Italian cuisine in Florence, as well as Mediterranean diet
and nutrition in Barcelona), the Liberty ladies combined natural, locally
sourced ingredients with various liquors to concoct lighter versions of
modern classic cocktails. The Refresh ($12), for instance, is inspired by a
lemon-drop martini, mimicking that sweet-tart flavor profile but instead
employing fresh lemon juice and VeeV, a spirit made from the superfood acai
berry. The Rejuvenate ($12), made with Absolut Kurant, blueberries, fresh
basil, and fresh lime juice, is replete with antioxidants and vitamin
C. And the Malibu Lift ($12), a concoction of Malibu rum, orange and lemon
juices, and freshly brewed organic green tea, all rimmed with coconut,
perfectly emulates a pina colada (but without all of the fatty cream). Who
cares that it's snowing? One sip of this and you'll be transported to the
tropics, bikini bod and all. Okay, maybe the alcohol has gotten to our heads a
bit, but you get the idea.
South Boston Yoga Studio (141 Dorchester Avenue,
Boston, 617.315.7448) instructor (and stand-up comedian!) Maria Ciampa has one
of the hottest and healthiest bikini bods in town, but you won't find
her downward-facing-dogging calmly on a weekend night. Instead,
Ciampa is usually out on the town, either performing at a comedy club or
dancing the night away to thumping trance beats, mixed by her husband, DJ
Justin Carr. Naturally, Ciampa is a big fan of booze with health benefits,
particularly any drinks featuring pomegranate. (Ahh, yes, that "it"
ingredient of yesteryear, ousted from its throne by the aforementioned
acai. But just because pomegranate is, like, so 2008 doesn't mean
that it's not healthy anymore, trendoids.) "I feel like it's a good
thing, to have some antioxidants with my drinking," Ciampa says. "But when
I'm really trying for the yogini lifestyle of clean eating and drinking, I
buy wine with no sulfites added. Sulfites are a preservative that give
people headaches. And though I don't get headaches from all
sulfite-filled wine, I like to think, hey, if there's a preservative out there
that I could avoid, why not try for it?"
Amen, sister. We think Ciampa would especially adore the
Pomegranate Martini ($9) at the West Side Lounge (1680
Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617.441.5566), a mix of Skyy Berry Vodka,
pomegranate juice, and fresh lime. We'd also recommend the wine list at Bambara
(25 Edwin H. Land Boulevard, Cambridge, 617.868.4444), brimming with organic,
sustainably farmed, and biodynamic wines, which generally have no added
sulfites (though sulfites do occur naturally in wine, particularly in white
wines). Our favorite is the Ehlers Estate Merlot ($66/bottle), a gorgeous red
from northern Napa Valley that's made from grapes tended by hand without
chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Completely organic, completely holistic,
completely delicious.
See? You don't have to cut out booze to keep your flesh temple in
fighting shape. You certainly don't have to guzzle watered-down beer or,
the horror, that dreadful vodka and water blah-fest. If you know your
ingredients and trust your bartender, you can toss a few back without feeling
like you have to compensate with rabbit food for the subsequent week and a
half. Just be smart, and for heaven's sake, if you remember nothing else,
avoid anything that's hiding under a blanket of whipped cream (unless
you're playing Varsity Blues).
