Could low-carb cocktails curb your FOMO on your next night out? Following a low-carb diet can often make you experience FOMO when enjoying a night out with friends. Sometimes, you feel left out because you’re unable to quench a thirst after a long, hot day.
Fortunately, our low-carb cocktails will let you enjoy a drink with friends in moderation. Some mixers are surprisingly low-carb, while others need a few tweaks. Either way, you’ll have some options to help you feel like you’re never missing out. Let’s discover the best low-carb cocktails.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of our many favorite low-carb cocktail ideas:
Still, let’s show you why these cocktails work on a low-carb plan.
Low-carb cocktails are available. However, let’s first determine what you can consume on low-carb diets. That way, you’ll know your limits, whether you follow keto or simply have a healthy lifestyle with limited carbs and calories.
The National Institutes of Health defines a low-carb diet as consuming fewer than 26% of calories from carbohydrates or less than 130 grams of carbohydrates per day (30). However, a very low-carb diet like keto limits carbs to fewer than 10% of calories or 20-50 grams daily.
Moderation is the key to ensuring you fit in your mealtime carbs throughout the day, and keep a few for alcoholic beverages. Additionally, moderation is essential because alcohol impacts your metabolism, especially with fewer dietary carbs (10). Always drink after eating a meal.
Watch the calories per serving, too, because they count if you’re trying to lose weight (14). Know your carb grams allowed daily, count them if you follow the keto diet, and enjoy these favorite base alcoholic drinks for low-carb cocktails (5, 41, 13, 6, 4):
| Alcoholic Beverage | Amount | Calories | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80-Proof Vodka | 1 fl. oz. | 64.2 | 0 g |
| Tequila | 1 fl. oz. | 64.7 | 0 g |
| Brandy | 1 fl. oz. | 64.7 | 0 g |
| 86-Proof Whiskey | 1 fl. oz. | 69.5 | 0.028 g |
| 86-Proof Gin or Rum | 1 fl. oz. | 69.5 | 0.028 g |
Some keto followers also drink wine, but the servings are larger and have more calories and carbs. For example, a 5 fl. oz. glass of dry red wine has 125 calories and 3.84 g of carbs while the same serving of dry white wine has 121 calories and 3.82 g of carbs (8, 9).
Notice how the wine choices are dry because sweet wine will have more calories and carbs. Many restaurants serve dessert wines, which have a higher amount of added or residual sugars. Sadly, a glass of dessert wine contains 168 calories and 14.4 g of carbs (42).
Unfortunately, sugar is an example of simple carbohydrates, the kind you don’t want to consume on keto (17). So, let’s focus on zero-calorie sweeteners for your next low-carb cocktail ingredient, as they typically contain a base alcohol, sweetener, and mixer.
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Low-carb cocktails using alternative sweeteners can cut down on sugar-related carbohydrates (17). Skip the syrups in cocktails because they contain too many carbs. For example, an ounce of grenadine cocktail syrup has 60 calories and 14 g of carbs (22).
Liqueurs also usually contain too many refined carbs from sugar. Amaretto, a popular sweet and creamy cocktail mixer, has 11 g of carbs per fluid ounce (15). Meanwhile, many coffee liqueurs are popular sweetening mixers but contain 11.2 g of carbs in an ounce serving (7).
Use fresh fruit for aesthetics, but count the carbs and calories in your portions. A medium strawberry has 3.84 calories and 0.922 g of carbs (40). Lime also works aesthetically. A quarter of fresh lime contains 5 calories and 1.76 g of carbs (27).
Adding fruit feels funky and tropical, but lime won’t sweeten your cocktail like strawberries, blueberries, oranges, or passion fruit. Alternatively, use low-carb sweeteners. A 2-gram packet of monk fruit blend sweetener only contains 2 g of carbs and zero calories (24).
Also, two tablespoons of liquid Stevia made from Stevia extract contains zero calories or carbs (39). Furthermore, Stay Away From Carbs has a 0-calorie, 0-carb, and sugar-free syrup recipe using xantham gum, low-carb sweetener, and water (32).
In addition, avoid all sugary mixers to make up the last layer of a cocktail. Let’s see which mixers work better with vodka or the low-carb drink of choice to make cocktails.
Low-carb cocktails with vodka are a favorite, but these mixers work with various base alcohols. Also, you can add low-carb and low-calorie sweeteners or fruit for aesthetic purposes. Remember to add calories and carbs from all ingredients for cocktails at home.
First, let’s focus on which mixers to avoid. Fruit juice has too much sugar and carbs. Commercial orange juice has 14 calories and 3.2 g of carbs per fluid ounce (34). Meanwhile, commercial pomegranate juice has 17 calories and 4.11 g of carbs per fluid ounce (37). Avoid using all commercial fruit juices as cocktail mixers if you are on keto. Moderately low-carb diets may have room for an ounce or two of fruit juice mixed in a cocktail, that is up to you.
Instead, you can use fresh fruit if you wish to add tropical flavors and aesthetics. The nutritional values in freshly squeezed orange juice are similar to other juices, but at least you know there is no added sugar(36). Be careful to add the carbs and calories anyway.
Ultimately, it’s better to mix alcohol and zero-calorie sweeteners with the following low-carb cocktail mixers containing zero to little carbs and calories per serving (12, 11, 18, 23):
| Mixer | Amount | Calories | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Water | 8 fl. oz. | 0 g | |
| Club Soda | 12 fl. oz. | 0 g | |
| Unsweetened Soda Water | 12 fl. oz. | 0 g | |
| Sparkling Water | 8 fl. oz. | 0 g |
Flavored sparkling water is controversial because not all of them are zero sugar or zero-calorie. For example, a flavored, naturally sweetened, low-calorie sparkling water contains 10 calories and 4 g of carbs per 8.5 fl. Oz. serving (21). Some varieties contain no sugars or artificial sweeteners. Choose what you like and what fits into your carbohydrate and calorie goals for the day.
Diet soda is also controversial because some diet sodas contain a small number of calories and carbohydrates (9.5 calories and 1.4 g of carbs per 16 fl. oz. serving in one example) while others have no carbs or calories (1, 20). Meanwhile, the majority of diet colas contain no calories or notable carbs in a bottle (19). Using diet soda as a mixer remains a gray area. Choose for yourself based on your individual preferences and goals.
Read more: 6 Low Carb Thanksgiving Sides That Even Carb-Lovers Will Enjoy
Low-carb alcoholic drinks in a can exist, but you must read the labels. The carbs must fit into your low-carb meal plan, which is an individual judgment you must make (30).
Additionally, keep an eye out for calories if you’re trying to lose weight with a calorie deficit (14). The lower the number, the better. Beverages are not the most filling source of calories in a diet.
Low-carb beers exist, but a regular one has many carbs and calories. A can of regular beer can have 153 calories and 12.6 g of carbs (3).On the other hand, a low-carb or low-calorie beer has 95.6 calories and 2.58 g of carbs per can (2). Also, a 12 oz. can of spiked sparkling water contains 99.4 calories and 1.99 g of carbs (33).
Choose canned drinks carefully by reading labels to determine how many carbs are in each serving. Also, consider the calories if you’re on a calorie deficit to lose weight. Stick to one or two drinks to avoid those carbs and calories from adding up.
Low-carb or sugar-free cocktails to order at a bar simply require you to know what’s going into them. You can only control what goes into your cocktail if you ask. With that in mind, speak to your barman about a custom cocktail with a mixer, alcohol, and zero-calorie sweetener of your choice, or no sweetener at all. More importantly, avoid sugar rims because pure sugar isn’t low-carb or low-calorie.
You could carry liquid sweeteners in your bag when you go to a bar if you don’t think they’ll have those options. In this way you could then request the barman mix any low-carb base alcohol with sugar-free and low-carb mixers. For example, order a vodka shot mixed in club soda with lime before adding your own sweetener if you like (5, 11). Or try it without sweetener. Alternatively, use spiced rum and flavored sparkling water (4, 21).
Our top five simple low-carb cocktails are a breeze to make at home and fill the tropical-style cocktail refreshment gap after a long, hot day. It’s all about colors and flavor bursts.
Low-Carb-Ology has a keto-friendly cocktail with 198 calories but no carbs or sugar (35). It uses vodka, coconut syrup, lime, ice, lime soda, and sugar-free syrup. However, the tasty blue cocktail should be a hit at your next social.
Step Away From the Carbs has a Moscow Mule recipe with 73 calories and only 0.4 g of carbs (43). The simple recipe uses vodka, lime, mint leaves, ice, and ginger ale.
The Keto Diet App has a low-carb frozen strawberry daiquiri recipe with 156 calories and 5.7 g of net carbs (29). White rum, lime juice, strawberries, liquid Stevia, and ice make this delicious tropical cocktail.
The Keto Diet App also has a low-carb liqueur-style cocktail to die for, which only has 64 calories and 0.6 g of net carbs (31). You’ll use orange peels, vodka, allulose, and water.
Tasty Low-Carb has a mimosa low-carb cocktail with 66.5 calories and only 3.5 g of net carbs (25). You’ll need sugar-free strawberry syrup, prosecco, strawberries, and fresh orange juice.
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Low-carb drinks (non-alcoholic) are available for anyone who enjoys a mocktail to avoid FOMO but doesn’t enjoy alcohol. Here are three options to make low-carb and low-calorie mocktails (26, 28, 38):
| Mocktail Recipe | Ingredients | Calories | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keto Non-Alcoholic Mojito | Lime, mint leaves, sparkling water, and liquid Stevia | 3 | 0.7 g |
| Low-Carb Blackberry Mojito Mocktail | Lime, Stevia, sparkling water, mint leaves, ice, and blackberries | 24 | 6 g |
| Sparkling Raspberry Limeade Mocktail | Raspberries, low-carb sparkling lemonade, ice, lime, and Stevia | 22 | 5.5 g |
A cocktail made with vodka has the least calories and carbs because a fluid-ounce of 80-proof vodka has 64.2 calories and zero carbs (5). Mix the vodka with a zero-carb and calorie drink and the lowest-calorie/carb sweetener for the best low-carb cocktail. Other hard liquors also have similar numbers of calories and zero carbs.
The lowest calories and carbs per serving in an alcoholic drink are in 80-proof vodka, which contains 64.2 calories and zero carbs per fluid-ounce serving (5). A close second is a tie between the same amount of Tequila and Brandy, with 64.7 calories and no carbs (41, 13).
Any alcohol affects your metabolism (10). Also, diets often follow low-carb or low-calorie guidelines for weight loss (30, 14). Ultimately, it’s best to drink in moderation. If you do drink, stick to 80-proof vodka, brandy, tequila, or 86-proof whiskey, gin, and rum with zero-calorie mixers (5, 41, 13, 6, 4).
Prosecco sparkling wine contains carbs and calories. A 6-fluid-ounce glass of Prosecco sparkling wine contains 158 calories and 5 g of carbs (16). You could fit a glass into a low-carb or a very low-carb diet (30). However, watch the calories on a calorie deficit (14).
Low-carb cocktails are a treat for anyone following a healthy lifestyle or a low-carb or keto diet. Remember to drink responsibly and in moderation, especially if you want to achieve a calorie deficit. Add the right mixers and sweeteners, and choose your ideal cocktail for your next social.
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