It can be difficult to stick to your health goals when alcohol is a big part of your social life, from after-work cocktails to casual get-togethers with friends. Many popular drinks, like margaritas, mojitos, and gin and tonics, are refreshing and tasty but high in carbohydrates from ingredients other than alcohol.
Low-carb alcoholic beverages offer a solution by striking a balance between abstinence and enjoyment. By omitting sugary flavors, mixes, and juices, these drinks allow you to enjoy a low-carb and often low-calorie option.
Even with low-carb alcoholic beverages, it’s important to monitor your alcohol intake. Alcohol provides calories with no nutritional value and can affect your health goals. It reduces inhibition and impairs your ability to sense hunger and satiety, leading to increased cravings and appetite.
In this article, we’ll define low-carb alcoholic drinks and suggest what to order at the bar.
What are low carb alcoholic drinks?
Alcohol is naturally carbohydrate-free. Liquors like rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, and gin contain no carbohydrates.
But just because alcohol is low in carbs doesn’t mean cocktails are too. The flavorings, juices, syrups, tonics, and other ingredients used to make cocktails add sugars and carbs. Classic cocktails like a margarita can be higher in 36 grams of carbohydrates per drink, which pushes it into high-carb territory.
Low-carb alcoholic beverages do not contain juices, syrups, tonics, and other flavorings. Instead, the alcohol is consumed neat, over ice, or with sparkling water. Sometimes a citrus wedge or a little fruit juice is added for flavor.
Ready-made beverages, such as canned cocktails or beer, can be made low-carb. Changes in fermentation and processing methods can create a low-carb beverage that retains some of the taste and mouthfeel of traditional beverages.
Low Carb Drinks Made to Order
There are many low-carb drinks you can order at the bar. Below are some recommendations, but this list is not exhaustive. When in doubt, pair your favorite spirit with sparkling water and a lemon, lime, or orange wedge for a low-carb alcoholic drink.
Vodka soda
Nutrition (per 8 oz drink):
Calories: 133
Crabs: 0
Sugar: 0
ABV (alcohol by volume): 8%
Vodka soda is the classic low-carb drink. It’s a great cocktail choice with no carbs or added sugar. The sparkling water dilutes the vodka, allowing the drink to last longer without affecting the nutritional profile. Citrus fruits are lower in sugar and carbs than other fruits. Squeeze a wedge of lime, orange, or grapefruit into the drink to give it a little flavor without affecting the calorie or carb content.
Tequila and lime
Nutritional Value (per 1 ounce of tequila and a squeeze of lime juice):
Calories: 65
Crabs: <1 g
Sugar: <1 g
Alcohol content: 33%
Lime tequila is a lower-calorie alternative to a margarita. Instead of a pre-made, carb-laden margarita mix, this alternative sticks to the basics: tequila and lime. Ask for a squeeze of lime juice or flavor the tequila with a lime wedge—both options keep the carb count low.
Unless you’re looking for a high-end tequila, opt for silver tequila. High-end dark tequilas get their color through the aging process, while lower-quality tequilas use additives like syrups for their golden coloring.
Martini
Nutrition (per 4 oz drink):
Calories: 241
Crabs: <1 g
Sugar: <1 g
Alcohol content: 29%
A martini The martini is primarily made of alcohol. It contains vodka or gin and dry vermouth, an aromatic fortified wine used for flavoring. The high alcohol content contributes to the higher amount of calories per 120 ml drink. However, the martini is low in carbohydrates. Vodka and gin are carbohydrate-free. Conversely, vermouth contains carbohydrates. However, only a small amount of vermouth is added to a martini, so the carbohydrates are low.
Dry wine
Nutritional Value (per 5 ounces of Pinot Grigio):
Calories: 122
Crabs: 3 g
Sugar: 0 g
Alcohol content: 11%
Dry wines are a great low-carb drink, with each 5-ounce glass containing about 3 grams of carbs. The fermentation process converts most of the sugar into alcohol, leaving little residual sugar. Since the entire glass contains alcohol, dry wines have a higher ABV than other low-carb alcoholic beverages.
Low-carb dry wines include sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot grigio.
Light beer
Nutrition Facts (per 12 oz can):
Calories: 103
Crabs: 6 g
Sugar: <1 g
Alcohol content: 3%
Light beers are less caloric and less alcoholic than regular beer. Fewer malted grains are used to produce a light beer, and other ingredients like rice and corn are often added to boost flavor and body. Light beers may have a weaker taste than regular beer due to changes made to the brewing process to create a lower-carb, lower-calorie beer. Still, light beers are a suitable low-carb alternative.
Rum and Light Cola
Nutrition (per 8 oz drink):
Calories: 135
Crabs: 0.5 g
Sugar: 0
Alcohol content: 8%
Although it comes from sugarcane, rum is naturally low in carbs and sugar-free. However, be aware that some brands add sugar after processing, which can increase the carb and calorie content. To make an informed choice, check out this article list of sugar content in different rums.
Opt for white rum instead of dark rum, as some dark rums use molasses as a coloring agent, which increases the calorie and carbohydrate content of the alcohol. Use diet cola to reduce the carbohydrate and calorie content of both rum and cola. rum and light cola contains less than one gram of carbohydrates per 8-ounce serving, compared to nearly 18 grams of carbohydrates in a regular serving. rum and cola.
Hard sparkling water
Nutritional Value (per 12-ounce can of mango hard soda):
Calories: 99
Crabs: 2 g
Sugar: 2 g
Alcohol content: 5%
Sparkling sodas are everywhere these days. They combine carbonated water, alcohol, and flavorings for a convenient, low-carb cocktail. While the nutritional profile of sparkling sodas varies by brand, most are low in carbs. Yes, sparkling sodas contain cane sugar. But if you look at the nutrition facts panel, added sugar typically only makes up 1% of the daily value, so sparkling sodas are still low in carbs. Plus, the different flavors provide multiple alcoholic beverage options to order at the bar.
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