Drink Like a Sagittarius: 5 Beverages for Inspiring Brutal Honesty This Season

I confess I get a little hazy around the end of the calendar year with the Zodiac signs that straddle the holidays. Between Sagittarius and Capricorn, which one comes first, what they’re all about, and frankly how to even spell Saggitarious...I mean, Sagittarius, tends to get lost in all the bustle of turkey drama, shopping frenzy, and gift wrapping.

It’s no wonder, then, that Sagittarians have such a high need for attention because if they don’t demand it from you, they risk not getting any. When a Sagittarius is demanding of your attention, you’ll know it. It is anything but passive, whether they are doling out life-changing advice, whisking you off on their latest travel adventure, or delivering honesty with the subtlety of a hammer to an anvil. Boredom-averse, optimistic, and restless, Sagittarians promise, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help themselves. All of this wanderlust and honesty? Certainly translates into some interesting drinking choices.

Whether Sagittarius is your sun sign, rising sign, mars sign, moonshine,(sic), or you could really just use a dose of honesty or identify with the need to get out of the friggin’ house already, here are 5 beverages to satisfy your celestial Archer tendencies this season.

Beer: Belgian Trippel

Speaking of truth-telling, Belgian beers are up front about their relative strength, without using any polite euphemisms such as “barleywine.” A Belgian, or Belgian-style Trippel, therefore, such as Victory Brewing Company’s Golden Monkey, is all about that in-your-face honesty: at 9.5% ABV, this beer isn’t messing around. You’ll be speaking your own truth after just one. Sagittarians balance their honesty and strength with genuine caring, however, and are generally perceived as friendly people. A case-in-point, then, in favor of strong beers for Sags, a recent round-up of the highest-rated beers in every state included a preponderance of high-octane brews. Strong and brutal, but always beloved.

Wine: Argentinian Wine

Argentinian Malbec is teeming with Sagittarian sensibilities: friendly but bold, rugged and juicy yet capable of elegance and complexity. Plus Malbec’s backstory smacks of Sagittarian involvement: a “let me show you how it’s done” story where a Bordeaux varietal was whisked from France and elevated in foreign lands. What’s more, even Bordeaux’s signature varietal, cabernet sauvignon, shows off its broad shoulders extremely well in Argentina’s mountainous terrain, plus the comparatively budget-friendly price tag allows Sagittarius to save money for the more important stuff: like actual travel to Argentina. Trapiche is Argentina’s most awarded winery, but let’s go ahead and pretend like that isn’t important to the zodiac’s resident chaser.

Spirit: Mezcal

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and Sagittarius is a consummate fire sign. Cerebral, smoky Scotch definitely has some Sagittarius appeal, but its process lacks some of the drama that mezcal has in its throwing-giant-agave-piñas-into-the-fire-pit vibe. So for thrill-seeking Sags, let it be mezcal. Nobody in mezcal tells the truth quite like John Rexer, the founder of Ilegal mezcal, who began the brand by transporting unbranded mezcal from Oaxaca for use in his Guatemalan bar. When the spirit became popular, he called it what it was: Ilegal. Now that’s some Sagittarian honesty at work. What’s more, Ilegal is one of few brands offering aged mezcals for sipping—both reposado and añejo bottlings—for additional truth about what the spirit can aspire to.

Non-Alcoholic: Herbal Tea

A Sagittarius hardly needs caffeine to incite a mind that is basically always on fire. From the Zodiac Collection by Harney and Sons, the Sagittarius-inspired offering is a simple, honest ginger liquorice blend, described as a “no fuss infusion that exults in the pure quality of its ingredients.” Truth and exultation? Very Sagittarius. While teatime is admittedly a little sedentary for Sags, they can certainly benefit from a moment of stillness, and tea can still inspire a little philosophical wonder befitting the sign.

Cocktail: Bow and Arrow

The name “Bow and Arrow” alone should be enough for the Sagittarian archers to say, “yeah, I’ll have that.” (Cosmic cocktail matchmaking, duh.) This modern classic—attributed to Dutch Kills bartender Scott Teague circa 2015—also has the precise level of adventure required for Sagittarius. Mezcal and bourbon join forces with pineapple and lime for a cocktail that is at once sophisticated and fun, lightly smoky, but juicy. Whether you follow this contemporary classic with a chaser is up to you, but let’s face it, if you’re drinking like a Sag, you’re always up for the chase.

For more horoscope content, see Drink Like a Scorpio: 5 Beverages to Honor Your Inner Goth This Season,  and check out our sister site Cheese Professor for 5 Gifts For your Sagittarius Friends.