Entertaining

3 Healthy(ish) Turmeric Cocktails to Kick Off That “Diet”

Turmeric has the Midas touch. Not only does the pungent root impart its signature golden hue to whatever it touches, but it also makes everything taste better. It’s the ingredient responsible for curry’s rich flavor and color, and the key to making the popular Golden Milk cure-all. And just as it adds vibrancy to food, turmeric is a fantastic way to boost a cocktail’s flavor power.

Kept whole or ground into a fine powder, turmeric mixes beautifully with everything from gin to rum—and bartenders across the country have been taking advantage of that versatility, experimenting with the spice in syrups and infusions.

And bonus: Turmeric’s benefits aren’t just superficial. “Turmeric is not only delicious, but it has also been proven to have an abundance of amazing health benefits,” says Matt Ragan, former beverage director at Victor Tangos in Dallas, Texas. He’s referring to curcumin, the natural chemical compound in turmeric that gives it its color and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While it’s unclear how many of these benefits remain once the spice is mixed with alcohol, turmeric tastes so darn good in cocktails that it hardly matters. Here, three solid gold recipes that give turmeric the boozy spotlight it deserves.