For those following a ketogenic diet, finding suitable drink mixers can be a challenge. Many traditional mixers are loaded with sugar and carbohydrates, which can quickly derail your efforts to maintain ketosis. Fortunately, there are plenty of keto-friendly options available, allowing you to enjoy delicious and refreshing cocktails without the guilt. This article explores a variety of keto-friendly drink mixers, recipes, and tips to help you create the perfect low-carb beverages.
Understanding Keto and Alcohol
Before diving into specific recipes, it's essential to understand how alcohol interacts with a ketogenic diet. The alcohol that is lowest in carbs is what is recommended if you follow a ketogenic diet. While some alcoholic beverages are naturally low in carbs (such as vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey, and rum), mixers often contribute a significant amount of carbohydrates. Therefore, choosing the right mixers is crucial. It's also important to remember that alcohol can temporarily stall ketone production. Moderation and mindfulness are key to enjoying cocktails without hindering your keto progress.
Keto-Friendly Simple Syrup
A common ingredient in many cocktails is simple syrup, which is traditionally a combination of equal parts sugar and water. To make a keto-friendly simple syrup, swap out the sugar for a quality sugar substitute. Erythritol is a great sweetener but unfortunately it has a habit of forming crunchy crystals as it cools down. So allulose powder is a good choice for a no carb simple syrup. The only problem with allulose is that it’s only 70% as sweet as sugar. A good place to start is to use 1.5 parts allulose powder to 1 part water. Store in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Low-Carb Cocktail Recipes
Keto Margarita
Traditional margaritas are not keto-friendly, often containing up to 30 grams of carbs per serving. However, a keto margarita can be made with zero carbs. This version is chilled, smooth, and easy to customize, using real keto simple syrup.
Ingredients:
- Tequila
- Lime juice
- Keto simple syrup
- Orange extract
- Water/seltzer (for topping)
Instructions:
- Add tequila, lime juice, keto simple syrup, and orange extract into a cocktail shaker.
- Shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes.
- Carefully pour into two glasses and serve with freshly sliced limes.
Variations:
- Strawberry: Add 1/4 cup fresh or frozen strawberries and blend everything together.
- Jalapeno: Omit the orange extract and add 3-4 sliced jalapenos. If too spicy and salty, add a little extra simple syrup.
Keto Mojito
For something fresh and minty, try a Keto Mojito! This keto mojito recipe is delicious because it's just the right amount of fancy with all the fresh, light and zesty goodness of a fruit-based mixed drink. There's nothing that can get you quite as refreshed as something as tasty as a mojito. It also doesn't take ages to prepare and isn't loaded with carbs!
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Ingredients:
- White rum
- Lime juice
- Keto simple syrup
- Mint leaves
- Club soda
Instructions:
- In a highball glass, gently muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice and simple syrup.
- Add the rum and fill the glass with ice.
- Stir to chill the ingredients, then top with chilled club soda.
You could also deviate from tradition and turn this into a vodka mojito if you prefer.
Keto Paloma
This Keto Paloma Cocktail is a refreshing combination of grapefruit soda, lime juice, and tequila. It’s the perfect Mexican inspired keto cocktail for when you’re hanging out by the pool with friends this summer!
Ingredients:
- White tequila
- Sugar-free grapefruit soda (or lime flavored seltzer with grapefruit juice and sweetener)
- Lime juice
- Salt (and granulated sweetener/grapefruit zest for the rim)
Instructions:
- If desired, prepare the glass rim with a mixture of salt and granulated sweetener (and grapefruit zest).
- Combine tequila, grapefruit soda (or seltzer/juice mixture), and lime juice in a tall glass filled with ice.
- Stir gently and garnish with a lime wedge.
Strawberry Vodka Cocktail
Ingredients:
- Vodka
- Chopped strawberries
- Liquid stevia
- Zevia Lemon Lime mixer
Instructions:
- Add the chopped up strawberries and liquid stevia to the bottom of a glass.
- Muddle strawberries and stevia.
- Add vodka and ice.
- Top with Zevia Lemon Lime mixer.
Loaded Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
- Vodka
- Tomato juice
- Spices (horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce)
- Zevia Tonic Water mixer
- Garnishes (olives, pickles, celery, bacon)
Instructions:
- Wet the rim of the glass or mason jar and dip it in salt of choosing (we used red).
- Mix vodka, tomato juice, and spices in a glass.
- Top with Zevia Tonic Water mixer.
- Garnish with desired toppings.
Other Recipes and Ideas
Champagne Margarita: Mix the ingredients in a pitcher, then blend it up briefly in a high-speed blender until it's your preferred consistency.
Lemon-y cocktail: This lemon-y beauty only has 2g of net carbs per serving.
Citrus white rum keto cocktail: With less than 1g of net carbs per serving, you don't have to worry about being kicked out of ketosis or skyrocketing your blood sugar levels.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Watermelon, mint, lime, and rum Keto Mojito.
Keto Spiced Pear Sparklers.
Low-carb Vodka Chata: tastes very similar to a White Russian, but with the warm and cozy notes of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.
Keto Snowbank Winter Cocktail: coconut cream, rum, and ice.
Tropical Berry Cocktail: blueberry flavored vodka, a few drops of sugar-free fruit punch sweetener, AND Sprite zero.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
Keto-Friendly Drink Mixers Available in Stores
There are some great low or low-er carb drink mixers available at the grocery store these days.
- Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Tonic Water: Has 7.6 grams of carbs per serving, which is less than half the carbs of their classic Indian Tonic Water.
- Fever-Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit: Perfect for Palomas. This mixer has 7 grams of carbs per bottle.
- Poppi Ginger Lime: This stevia and cane sugar-sweetened soda has just 4 grams of carbs per can (so just 2 grams per cocktail using 6 oz). All of the Poppi flavors are great for mixing.
- Zevia Ginger Ale: Zero carb option. Zevia sodas are great no carb options for cola, cherry cola, ginger ale, root beer, and lemon-lime sodas.
Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Keto Cocktail Picks
- Canteen Vodka Sodas: Super carbonated, lightly sweetened canned vodka sodas. Zero carbs yet also 5% ABV.
- Cutwater Vodka Sodas: Perfection. A top-tier keto pick at 0 grams of carbs and 5% ABV.
- Mich Ultra Signature Collection: Light, not too sweet, and having absolutely no strange aftertaste. Zero carb hard seltzers.
- Cantina Tequila Sodas: Another 0 carb, 5% ABV ready to drink.
- Smirnoff ICE Red, White and Berry: With only 1 gram of carbs and 4.5% ABV, it’s a solid keto pick.
- VIZZY Seltzers: Ranging from 1-3 grams of carbs per can and they’re sweetened with stevia.
Modifying Classic Cocktails for Keto
Many classic cocktails can be adapted for a ketogenic diet by swapping out high-carb mixers for low-carb alternatives. Here are a few examples:
- Rum and Coke: Combine 2 ounces of white rum with a ½ ounce of fresh lime juice in a tall glass filled with ice. Top with a chilled low carb cola such as Poppi or Zevia. Garnish with a lime wedge.
- Dark 'n' Stormy: This simple classic combines 2 ounces of liquor with a squeeze of lime juice before being topped off with chilled low calorie / light / diet ginger beer or ginger ale. Make sure to use plenty of ice.
- Gin and Tonic/Vodka and Tonic: Use diet tonic water.
- Paloma: The basic Paloma is a combination of 2 ounces of tequila or mezcal with grapefruit soda and squeeze of lime. Build the drink in a tall glass filled with ice, and salt the rim if you like. Fever-Tree’s Sparkling Pink Grapefruit is a good choice.
Classic Cocktails That Are Easy to Make Low Carb
- Rickey: A classic Rickey can be made with either gin or whiskey. Like its cousin, the Vodka Soda, the Rickey is an unsweetened mix of spirits and sparkling water.
- Texan Ranch Water: For the classic take, pop open a chilled bottle of Topo Chico sparkling mineral water and drink a few ounces. Pour an ounce and a half of blanco tequila into the bottle, then add a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- Martini: It doesn’t get more classic than a Martini.
- Old Fashioned: A classic Old Fashioned is made with 2 ounces of bourbon or rye whiskey, ¼ ounce of simple syrup, and a couple dashes of aromatic or orange bitters.
- Sherry Cobbler: A few ounces of dry sherry, such as fino or amontillado, are sweetened with a very small amount of simple syrup and flavored by muddling orange slices. This mix is shaken with ice and strained over a mound of crushed ice.
Cocktails That Are Difficult to Modify
Some classic drinks are difficult to adapt for a very low carb diet. Liqueurs, aperitifs, and amari like Campari, Aperol, Amaro Montenegro, St. Sadly, some of the greatest classic drinks aren’t the best for a very low carb diet. One of the very worst offenders is the ultra sweet cream of coconut (found in the classic Pina Colada).
Tips for Enjoying Keto Cocktails
- Use Fresh Ingredients: Fresh lime juice, mint, and other ingredients can significantly enhance the flavor of your cocktails.
- Control Sweetness: Adjust the amount of keto simple syrup to your preference.
- Experiment with Flavors: Don't be afraid to try different combinations of spirits and mixers to find your favorite keto-friendly cocktails.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water while consuming alcoholic beverages to avoid dehydration.
- Be Mindful of Carb Counts: Always check the labels of mixers and ingredients to ensure they fit within your daily carb limit.