Booze: bad for the body, good for the spirit. But what if you could make smart choices that were less bad. And what if those smart choices were delicious. From wine to beer to liquor, from local to international offerings, here are a range of lighter tipples to toast to this summer season.

Dependable Whites

Plenty of wines are naturally low in calories and alcohol (and price). This means you don’t need awkward or icky concoctions that taste more like “wine-style beverage” than a classic vintage. For fans of a crispy-but-mild Sauvignon Blanc, Liquid Light ($15) brings Washington State to the table with naturally lower sugar levels that lead to lower calories but not a flat, boring flavor.

The Boston-based 90+ Cellars Vinho Verde ($10) might be the find of the summer — at 90 calories per serving and 10% ABV, the Portuguese wine is bright, flavorful, and elevated by just a dash of effervescence.

If you are the rare person who doesn’t want to stick with vino verde and savvy b all summer, chenin blanc sits between sauvignon blanc and chardonnay in terms of body and acidity. The 2024 Vintner’s Reserve Chenin Blanc ($17) from Kendall-Jackson is a great place to start considering it’s both crisp and fruity, rich and smooth.

Great, Less Filling Light Beers

Miller Light remains the gold standard of mass produced light beers. Thing is, once you get beyond “mass produced” and into Massachusetts produced, there are plenty of amazing low calorie, high flavor brews. Night Shift Brewing’s Nite Lite ($8 a four pack of 16 oz.) has returned to its original look inspired by the Hasbro Lite Brite toy but what matters most is what’s inside — a 4.3% ABV, 120 calorie American lager that is big on taste thanks to no preservatives, corn syrup, and artificial flavors, but plenty of real corn, German hops, and barley.

Masshole Light ($10 a six pack), you had us at your can, which features a seagull carrying a slice of pizza in its bill that it clearly just nicked from your table. You kept us with a light beer perfect for a seagull-free sunset at the beach (if you can find one).

And now for something completely different: Meli, the first 100% quinoa beer in the States. Made in Lowell by a Harvard and MIT grad, Meli ($17 a four pack) aims to avoid the pitfalls of many beers, such as being too heavy or bitter, by brewing the brew with organic quinoa and zero sugar.

Spritz Season

Yes, the Aperol spritz tent is open! But so are so many fresh spritz takes. How about an apricot brandy spritz featuring Armenia’s Ararat ($35)? This one’s got lush but light apricot flavors that pair with a dry sparkling white or soda, or make Ararat’s official recipe at araratbrandy.com.

For something more classical (read: Italian, land of spritz), grab a bottle of Savoia ($25). Made in Turino and inspired by bitters of the region, this aperitivo balances bitter orange with loads of botanicals for something flavorful enough to replace Aperol in any cocktail for something less sugary.

Gin Martini

One of the spirit geniuses at Boston’s Bully Boy distillery dropped some wisdom on me: “Folks often assume vodka is the cleanest drink as it looks like water and has no taste, but really it’s the same calorically as whiskey or gin or rum. Gin is definitely undersung as it packs so much flavor and is identical to vodka in calories — it’s basically a vodka-tea.”

Yes and yum! The calories add up when you start adding tonic. So add a bit of vermouth and a lemon twist. If heavy juniper tones of gin turn you off, Bully Boy’s Estate Gin ($27) has a different vibe: some apple brandy in the base, botanicals beyond juniper such as hibiscus, pink peppercorn, and a few secret ingredients.

Love juniper? San Francisco’s Junipero Gin ($34) balances wonderful juniper with a bit of citrus and other bright botanicals for a classic martini (also, just spurge and add the tonic because Junipero makes for a perfect one).