Coolers, Shandies, and Spritzes: Our Most Irresistible Drinks That Just Happen to Be Low ABV

Tannic cranberries infused in white wine vinegar with sugar create a mouth-puckering and gorgeous red seasonal shrub, warmed by bourbon and cut by chilled seltzer and ice.

Carrot juice is electrically appealing and surprisingly complex in terms of flavor. In this refreshing drink, its earthy undertones are made bright by fresh lime. Although the recipe is zero-proof we happen to know that it's rather good with the addition of one ounce of smoky mezcal per glass!

Chilled white wine is transformed by a dash of  vibrant Campari. Don't forget to rub the rim of the glass with fresh lime peel—it's the first thing you will taste.

Here's a gin-forward and feisty green alternative to the familiar Bloody Mary. It's made fiery by jalapeño and horseradish but tamed by cool cucumber.

The rich fragrance of basil adds opulence to drinks. Here, it's muddled with sugar and lime juice, topped with a little vodka and lot of seltzer, and finished with an unexpected treat of frozen watermelon cubes.

Hard pear cider is an elegant alternative to better-known apple. Adding Aperol shoots the low-ABV brew through with its neon color and signature bitter-herb and burned orange essence

The Mexican Michelada is a food-friendly cocktail that makes the most of your favorite cerveza. In our version of the beer-with-sauces drink, the savory weight of Worcestershire and soy is refreshed by wedges of lime.

A rosy blend of ripe watermelon, juicy cucumber, sour lime, and honey creates the appealing body for a drink where the bite of vodka is softened by the copious juices.

Poured from a pitcher (and perfect for a party), a silky purée of fresh strawberries with orange is made fizzy by dry sparkling wine.

For palates that prefer sweeter drinks, light and fruity Moscato d'Asti is a lovely match for autumnal pear nectar and cranberries, offset by the piercing scent of rosemary.

One of the secrets to a successful low ABV drink is ice, and lots of it. Fill your glass right to the brim before adding homemade cranberry-ginger syrup and topping it with a nice, dry pilsner. This appetite-stirring shandy goes down exceptionally with salty chips

The herbal bittersweetness of Lillet blends beautifully with a dash of vodka, fresh orange juice, and fragrant basil, judiciously mellowed by icy tonic water and lots of ice.

For a gathering a friends where some like alcohol and others do not, this bay-fragrant tartly sweet shim is just the thing. Add vermouth or sparkling wine for the tipplers, and ice cold seltzer for those who prefer zero-ABV.

The oils in orange peel slices and the scent of bruised basil leaves are delicious infused in the sugar-and-quinine bite of Dubonnet Rouge for this light and luscious drink.