Jules Aron / Founder and Beverage Consultant, The Healthy Bartender
Healthy cocktails are no longer an oxymoron. Green tea, fresh ginger, golden beets and kale are all worth eating often, and if their benefits are slightly compromised by alcohol, it’s still far better than cocktails with artificial mixers and maraschino cherries.
Jules Aron, a New York City-based bartender, beverage consultant and holistic health and wellness coach, believes fresh, wholesome food and high-quality (preferably organic) alcohol makes the best cocktails.
In her 2016 book “Zen and Tonic: Savory and Fresh Cocktails for The Enlightened Drinker,” Jules combines her passion for wellness with her love for cocktails. She promotes the curative qualities of cocktails and asks why, if people take a fresh, organic and seasonal approach to eating, they shouldn’t drink that way, too.
Jules channels old-time apothecary by applying garden-fresh produce and superfood seeds and spices to syrups, tonics and infusions for outstandingly flavorful drinks. Her aesthetic is just as mouthwatering — wide, thin peels of cucumber line the inside of a mason jar, edible flower ice cubes do double duty as garnish, and tendrils of fresh sprouts float atop a Bloody Mary of puréed vegetables.
Jules, who has been featured by the New York Post, The Today Show, Well+Good NYC and Mind Body Green, says she prefers to handcraft her syrups and purées but makes allowances for modern-day life. She discovered The Perfect Purée while tending bar in New York City.
“The Perfect Purée’s line of natural, pre-made purées allows me to extend the seasonality of my cocktails. They also make it easy to source exotic and hard-to-find ingredients, such as Passion Fruit and Prickly Pear,” Jules says. “They make it easy for me to craft libations that we can all feel good about enjoying.”