‘Tis the season to be jolly! Enjoy these sparkling Syfolicious Christmas beverage recipes during the holiday season (and anytime). Wow your guests with these festive and refreshing Christmas beverage concoctions made with Syfo Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters. For those who prefer a simpler, no sugar/no alcohol sparkling drink, there is the delicious and refreshing Sparkling Cranberry Grapefruit Punch.

Cranberry- Lime Christmas Punch

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 Cups Fresh Cranberries
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 6 Cups Chilled Syfo Lemon-Lime Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water
  • ½ Cup of Fresh Lime Juice
  • 1.5 Cups of Vodka (optional)
  • Lime Slices for Garnish

PREPARATION:

First, combine fresh cranberries, water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until cranberries begin to pop. Make sure to stir occasionally. Using a strain and glass bowl, pour cranberry mixture through a strainer to remove any solid pieces from the cranberries. Set aside and let cool completely for at least an hour. Once cooled, combine cranberry mixture, sparkling water, lime juice and vodka (optional), in a large pitcher or punch bowl. Pour over ice if desired and garnish with lime slices and fresh cranberries for a red and green festive drink!

Recipe courtesy of MyRecipes.com

 

Party Pomegranate Fizz

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 oz of Gin
  • 1 oz of Pomegranate Liqueur
  • Syfo Wild Cherry Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water
  • Pomegranate Seeds for garnish if desired

PREPARATION:

Combine Gin and Pomegranate Liqueur in a shake with ice. Pour over ice and top with Syfo Kosher Wild Cherry Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water. Garnish with pomegranate seeds if desired.

Recipe courtesy of Yummly.com

 

 White Cranberry Winter Spritzer

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 ¾ Cups of White Cranberry Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon of Chopped Fresh Rosemary
  • 12 Mint Leaves
  • ¼ Fresh Lime Juice
  • 3 Cups of Chilled Syfo Original Seltzer
  • 1 ½ Cups of White Rum
  • Ice

PREPARATION:

Combine cranberry juice, sugar, rosemary and mint in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Remove pan from heat and allow the mixture to cool completely. Using a strainer and glass bowl, pour cranberry mixture through a strainer to remove any solid pieces. Stir in the lime juice, cover and refrigerate. Once chilled, combine juice mixture, Syfo Original Seltzer, and rum into a large pitcher or punch bowl. Pour over ice and garnish with mint leaves if desired.

Recipe courtesy of MyRecipes.com

 

Christmas Punch

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 Cups Chilled Pomegranate Juice
  • 1 Cup Chilled Cranberry Juice
  • 1 Cup of Vodka
  • 1 Cup of Orange Liqueur
  • 1 Cup Chilled Syfo Lemon-Lime Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water
  • ½ Cup of Fresh Lemon Juice
  • ½ Cup of Simple Syrup (water and sugar, heated in a saucepan)
  • Ice

 PREPARATION:

Combine cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, vodka, orange liqueur, Syfo Lemon-Lime Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water and simple syrup in a large punch bowl. Pour over ice in glass and garnish with cranberries if desired.

Recipe courtesy of Yummly.com

Sparkling Cranberry-Grapefruit Punch

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Cups of Chilled Cranberry Juice Cocktail
  • 3/4 cup Fresh Florida Grapefruit Juice (or any not from concentrate)
  • 1 10-ounce Bottle Syfo Naturally Flavored Lemon Lime Sparkling Water
  • 2 Cups of Ice cubes

PREPARATION

In a pitcher combine the cranberry and grapefruit juice. Gently stir in the Syfo Naturally-Flavored Lemon-Lime Sparkling Water and add the ice cubes. Garnish with Florida orange or grapefruit wedges (optional). Substitute orange juice for grapefruit juice.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

  • Serving Size: 8
  • Calories per serving: 36
  • Per serving: 36 Calories; 0g Fat (1% calories from fat); 0g Protein;
  • 9g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 1mg Sodium

We hope you enjoy these refreshing holiday beverage recipes and everyone at Syfo Beverages would like to wish you a happy and healthy Holiday Season.

One of our favorite holidays is upon us. Delicious dinner and dessert, family, friends, and good conversation. But with delectable food, a tasty cocktail is a must. Try one of these fall flavored cocktails at your Thanksgiving soirée.

Cyder Bourbon & Honey Punch

 

Ingredients:

5 ½ cups of apple cider
4 food-grade cinnamon sticks & additional for garnishes
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large Honeycrisp apples (cut one into wedges and one thinly sliced with a mandolin or knife)
¾ cups of honey
3 ¼ cups of bourbo
1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cups of Syfo Original Seltzer

 

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, combine apple cider, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and apple wedges. Bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat. Let stand for about 20 minutes. Pour cider mixture in a large bowl or carafe, whisking in honey until dissolved. Cover and refrigerate for 3-12 hours. Strain cider mixture and discard solids. Pour bourbon, lemon juice, Syfo Original Seltzer and apple slices, stir gently to combine. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and delight your guests!

Acknowledgement: Photo and recipe from https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/cider-bourbon-honey-punch

Pomegranate Sangria

 

Ingredients:

2 oranges
750ml of Spanish red wine
1 ½ cups of pomegranate juice
1/3 cups of orange liqueur
¼ cup of brandy
1 ½ cups of Syfo Original Seltzer
2 tablespoons of lemon juicy
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 large apple (chopped into ¼ inch pieces)
½ cup of pomegranate arils (seeds)

 

Preparation:

Using one orange, juice orange in to a large pitcher or bowl. Thinly slice the second orange using a mandolin or knife. Combine wine, pomegranate juice, orange liqueur, brandy, lemon juice, and sugar to the pitcher with orange juice. Stir gently and add the apples, orange slices, and pomegranate arils. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight, then serve.

Acknowledgement: Photo and recipe from https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/pomegranate-sangria.html

Smokey Blackberry Smash

 

Ingredients:

4 oz blackberrie 
1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
juice 
Half of a lemon
1-2 tablespoons of honey
1 ½ ounces of Mezcal
A few dashes of orange bitters
Syfo Original Seltzer for topping

 

 

Preparation:

Combine blackberries, rosemary leaves, lemon juice, and honey in a cocktail shaker. Muddle the ingredients to release the flavors. Add Mezcal and orange bitters to the muddled ingredients, strain solids if desired. Pour the mixture over a glass of ice and top with Syfo Sparkling Water. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and enjoy!

Acknowledgement: Photo and Recipe from https://www.crateandbarrel.com/blog/black-widow-mezcal-cocktail/

 

Keeping track of and cutting down on your sugar consumption can be the key to your health this year and the years to come. But it’s not always an easy thing to do.

The FDA has recently changed the Nutrition Facts label where the “Total Sugars” section now has a line saying “Includes (amount) Added Sugars”. This has caused confusion among some consumers, leading them to believe that they only need to be concerned with the “added sugars” on the food labels versus the “total sugars” (total sugars often includes what is referred to as natural sugars).

Unfortunately, this is not the case. When natural sugars are highly processed, they will have fundamentally similar properties as added sugars. In this article in Augusta Health, dieticians who advise diabetics gave this example with fruit juice: The food label will tell you that 8 ounces of orange soda has 23 grams of “added sugar” while 8 ounces of orange juice (without pulp) has 23 grams of “natural sugar”. While both will cause a rapid spike in blood sugar and a fall, the juice sounds “healthier”. But that is really not the fact.

Now if you chose to eat a medium orange instead, it would contain 10-13 grams of natural sugar as well as fiber and water. The fiber and water will fill you up and keep you from overeating. Also, your body will have to break down the cells of the orange before the sugar can be released and the sugar is absorbed into your blood more slowly. So eating the whole fruit is healthier than either example above.

When it comes to “added sugars”, per the American Heart Association, the daily goal for women is about 24 grams (6 teaspoons) and for men, it is about 36 grams (9 teaspoons). To put that into perspective, a 12-ounce can of cola contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of bottled BBQ sauce contains about 4 teaspoons of sugar. You can see how quickly this can add up, especially if the diet is high in processed foods.

The dieticians in the article give you a few tips to help you start reducing sugars in your diet:

• Cut back on sugary drinks. Instead, drink more water, sparkling water, herbal teas, black tea, or black coffee.
• Change your desserts. Instead of cakes, pies, donuts, and ice cream, try fresh fruit, Greek yogurt with cinnamon, or dark chocolate.
• Limit sauces, condiments, and dressings with added sugars. Choose more herbs and spices, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, pesto, or mayonnaise.
• Choose canned goods without added sugars. Avoid versions that are packed in syrup. Instead, look for “packed in water” or “no added sugar” on the labels.
• Limit sugary breakfast foods. Breakfast cereals, even “healthier” versions, are often loaded with sugar as are muffins and pancakes. Instead, try plain Greek yogurt with added fruit and nuts or eggs with cheese and vegetables, or toast with nut butter (without added sugar).

Understanding the amounts and types of sugar in your diet and cutting back on them where possible will go a long way toward getting off to a healthier start this year. And Syfo Naturally Flavored Sparkling Waters and Original Seltzer are a great way to eliminate the unnecessary sugar you get in soft drinks. Made with 100 percent purified water, our products contain no sugar, sodium, preservatives or artificial sweeteners. Just pure natural goodness.

You can read the entire Augusta Health article here.

Labor Day weekend — the last hurrah of the summer. Labor Day is looked forward to as a great opportunity to relax, rejuvenate and have fun. Need we say BBQ? To help ease the sorrow of the end of summer, enjoy these refreshing beverage recipes with a sparkling Syfo touch.

Rangpur Strawberry Crush

From delish, here’s a perfect late-summer recipe:

Ingredients:

4 strawberries
1 1/2 oz. Tanqueray Rangpur
1 1/2 oz.  Syfo Lemon-Lime Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water

 

Preparation:

Prepare strawberries in a highball glass. Add crushed ice and Tanqueray Rangpur and top with Syfo Lemon-Lime Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water .

Sparkling Cojito Cocktail

cojitosmallCourtesy of the kitchn website, here’s a cool refreshing variation of the mojito. The recipe serves six.

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh mint, keep a few sprigs to the side for garnish
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
4 limes juiced
3 cups coconut rum, like Blue Chair Bay
1 liter Syfo Original Seltzer
Ice
Lime wedges for garnish

 

Preparation:

In a large pitcher, combine the mint, sugar and water, and muddle. Add the lime juice and rum, and stir to combine. Fill the pitcher with ice and add the seltzer. Pour into ice filled glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint and a lime wedge.

Red, White & Blue Spritzer

Ingredients:

White Wine (we chose Moscato)
Lemon-Lime Syfo Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water
Frozen Blueberries & Strawberries

Preparation:

Pour 4oz of chilled Moscato and 2oz of Syfo Lemon-Lime Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water in a glass. Top with frozen blueberries and strawberries and enjoy!

Watermelon Slush

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of Watermelon
1/3 cups of Pomegranate Juice
Syfo Original Seltzer
1 cup of ice
Vodka (optional)

Preparation:

Blend fresh watermelon, pomegranate juice and ice. Add 1 part of slush blend and 1 part of Syfo Original Seltzer in a glass. Add an optional shot of Vodka or liquor of your choice.

Summer Breeze

Ingredients:

Cranberry Juice
Grapefruit Juice
Syfo Wild Cherry Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water
Ice
Pineapple Wedge
Vodka (we chose citrus flavor)

Preparation:

Pour 1 part cranberry juice, 1 part grapefruit juice, and 1 part citrus vodka in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Pour mixture in a glass and top with Syfo Wild Cherry Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Water. Garnish with a wedge of pineapple and enjoy the summer breeze.

NOAA is predicting the most active hurricane season since at least 2005 for 2024.  And Hurricane Beryl is the strongest Atlantic storm on record for this early in the season. For any storms that may come our way this year, it’s important to be prepared and ready to keep you and your family safe.

Part of that preparation is ensuring that you have plenty of non-perishable food, water and other healthy  beverages on hand.  Syfo Original Seltzer and Naturally Flavored Sparkling Waters are great to have in supply in addition to water because they’re purified, taste terrific and keep you hydrated, unlike soda and some other sweetened drinks. But because products often sell out when a storm approaches, be sure to always have plenty of Syfo on hand.

Of course there are other steps you’ll need to take to keep you and your family safe for the 2014 hurricane season. Click here to read informative hurricane preparedness tips on Ready.gov and be sure to to stay tuned to your local news outlets and weather forecasts as storms approach.