Sugar Free Cocktails - Low Carb Alcoholic Drink Options

Sugar Free Cocktails - The Best Options for Low Carb Drinkers

Cutting out sugar from your diet can be challenging, especially if you enjoy going out for drinks. Many classic cocktails are loaded with sugar from fruit juices, sodas, simple syrups, and other mixers. However, with some simple swaps and smart mixology, you can enjoy delicious sugar free alcoholic drinks that won't knock your health goals off track.

Understanding Sugar in Cocktails

First, let's break down where all that sugar comes from in traditional cocktails:

• Fruit juices - Orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and other fruit juices contribute substantial calories and carbs from their natural sugars.
• Sodas - Coke, ginger ale, tonic water, and other sodas add hfcs (high fructose corn syrup) or cane sugar for sweetness.
• Simple syrups - Many cocktails call for simple syrup, which is just sugar and water dissolved together.
• Sour mix - The premade sour mix used in bars contains lots of added sugar.
• Sweet liqueurs - Flavored liquors like triple sec and amaretto can have sugar added.

Building a Low Sugar Bar

To mix up sugar free cocktails at home, you'll need to stock your home bar with keto-friendly ingredients:

• Hard liquors like whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, vodka - These clear spirits have 0g net carbs.
• Dry wines - Dry red, white, and sparkling wines are low carb options.
• Zero-carb mixers - Seltzer, diet soda, unsweetened tea, sparkling water.
• Sugar free syrups - Monin, Torani, and Skinny Mixes make keto-friendly flavor syrups.
• Citrus fruits - Lemon, lime, grapefruit to use as garnish and provide flavor.
• Herbs - Mint, basil, rosemary, lavender to use as aromatic garnishes.
• Spices - Cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, peppers to infuse flavors.

Keto Twists on Classic Drinks

You can tweak the ingredients in pretty much any cocktail to make it low sugar or sugar free. Get creative with these swaps:

• Instead of fruit juice - Use sparkling water, diet soda, unsweetened nut milk or coconut milk.
• Instead of simple syrup - Try sugar free syrups or alternate natural sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit extract.
• Instead of sour mix - Make your own quick sugar free "sour" with citrus juice + sweetener.

Here are some classic cocktails reimagined to be keto-friendly:

Keto Mojito

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• .5 oz sugar free simple syrup
• 8-10 mint leaves
• 1 cup soda water

Muddle the mint leaves with lime juice and sweetener, add rum and top with soda water. Garnish with lime wedge.

Keto Margarita

• 2 oz tequila
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• Lime wedge for rim

Rub a lime wedge along the rim of a glass and dip into salt. Shake liquors and lime juice with ice. Strain into glass over fresh ice.

Keto Long Island Iced Tea

• .5 oz vodka
• .5 oz white rum
• .5 oz triple sec
• .5 oz gin
• .5 oz tequila
• 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 oz sugar free cola

Build liquors and lemon juice over ice in a highball glass. Top with diet cola. Garnish with lemon wheel.

Keto Moscow Mule

• 2 oz vodka
• .5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4 oz sugar free ginger beer
• Sprig of mint

In a copper mug or highball glass filled with ice, combine vodka, lime juice and ginger beer. Top with mint.

Low Carb and Sugar Free Mixers

Finding keto-approved mixers and drink bases will unlock so many low sugar cocktail ideas. Try these swaps:

• Diet tonic or soda - Low calorie tonics, colas, ginger ales, lemon-limes
• Flavored seltzer waters - From brands like LaCroix, Bubly, Polar
• Sugar free energy drinks - Rockstar, Monster, Red Bull Zero
• Unsweetened almond milk - For creamy cocktail textures
• Coconut water - Electrolyte-rich, natural hydrator
• Cold brew coffee - Adds richness without carbs or sugar
• Nut milks - Like unsweetened almond, coconut or oat milk

Homemade Sugar Free Simple Syrups

It's easy to make your own custom sugar free "simple syrups" to sweeten and flavor drinks. Here are some keto-approved combinations:

• Sugar free vanilla syrup - Steep 1 split & seeded vanilla bean in 1 cup water + .5 packet stevia for 1 hour. Strain out vanilla bean.
• Sugar free cinnamon syrup - Simmer 1 cup water with 1 cinnamon stick + .5 packet stevia for 10 minutes. Strain out cinnamon.
• Sugar free lavender syrup - Steep .5 cup dried lavender buds in 1 cup water + .5 packet stevia for 1 hour. Strain out lavender.

For any of them, start with 1 packet (2g) of a stevia based sweetener and add more to taste if desired. Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.

Putting It All Together - 5 Delicious Sugar Free Cocktails

Now for the fun part - mixing up some delicious sugar free cocktails! Try out some of these keto-approved ideas:

Vodka Blackberry Sparkler

• 2 oz vodka
• 3 oz blackberry flavored sparkling water
• .5 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Lemon wheel for garnish

Combine vodka, lemon juice and sparkling water over ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Gin & Lavender Spritzer

• 2 oz gin
• .5 oz homemade lavender simple syrup
• 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3-4 oz chilled sugar free tonic water
• Lavender sprig for garnish

Shake gin, lavender syrup and lemon juice with ice. Strain into ice filled glass. Top with tonic water and garnish.

Sparkling Grapefruit Paloma

• 2 oz tequila
• .75 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• .25 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp honey or monkfruit sweetener (optional)
• Grapefruit flavored sparkling water
• Sea salt and grapefruit slice for rim

Combine juices, sweetener and tequila in an ice filled glass. Slowly top with sparkling water. Garnish glass with salted rim and grapefruit slice.

Mexican "Colada"

• 2 oz tequila
• 1.5 oz unsweetened coconut milk
• .5 oz homemade sugar free cinnamon syrup
• 3-4 ice cubes
• Dash of ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into glass over fresh ice. Dust with cinnamon.

Rum Vanilla Egg Cream

• 2 oz spiced rum
• .5 oz sugar free vanilla syrup
• 3-4 oz chilled diet cola
• Whole nutmeg

Build rum and vanilla syrup over ice. Slowly pour in chilled soda water. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

Mix Up a Sugar Free Party

With some simple swaps and smart mixology techniques, you can easily whip up an entire party menu filled with delicious low carb cocktails. Just remember to stock up on keto mixers, make some custom sugar free syrups, and get creative remixing the classics.

Here's to enjoying happy hour again while maintaining your healthy lifestyle!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.