Whether it’s an evening out with friends, a date night, or just relaxing at home after a long week, sipping on a cocktail or casual mixed drink is how many of us like to unwind.
But what if you’re trying to watch your carbohydrates, calories, or alcohol consumption in general?
If you’re trying to make some healthier choices, drink less sugar, or stick to a diet like keto or low carb, you’re in the right place!
Classic drinks that are already low-carb
The holidays are approaching, and that means indulging (aaaaaaand sometimes overindulging). A great way to keep calories or carbs in check at a time when cookies are abundant is to make (or order) low carb cocktails.
The easiest options are the drinks that are already low in carbs without having to make any modifications. Here’s a list of cocktails that you can order at a bar or quickly make at home without special ingredients or prep:
Vodka Soda
This classic dieter’s drink is as simple as an ounce or two of vodka mixed with club soda or other sparkling water.
I highly recommend taking the bite out of this sipper with a generous squeeze of lemon or lime. Choose a quality unflavored vodka to avoid any sneaky hidden carbs.
Learn how to make the perfect Vodka Soda, plus four ways to make it much more exciting!
Total carbs: 0 grams
Classic Rickey
A classic Rickey can be made with either gin or whiskey. The original was made with whiskey, but folks realized pretty quickly that it’s even more refreshing when made with gin.
Like its cousin, the Vodka Soda, the Rickey is an unsweetened mix of spirits and sparkling water. The main differentiator here is that a Rickey features plenty of fresh lime juice (I use the juice of half a lime in mine).
If ordering this one out, you may want to mention that you want it unsweetened, or just ask for a Gin & Soda with lime.
Although the classic Rickey never included any sugar, it’s common these days to find menus offering a “Lime Rickey” with or without alcohol that is really just sweet, lime-flavored soda.
A Gin Rickey with the addition of sugar or simple syrup is actually a variation on the classic Tom Collins (more on that one later!)
Learn how to make the perfect Gin Rickey
Total carbs: 1 gram
Ranch Water
The beloved Texan Ranch Water is yet another variation on the theme of spirits and soda. 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. Enjoy!
It’s easy to create variations on this tequila soda cocktail. Use a reposado tequila for more flavor, or try a different sparkling water. I like to add a tiny pinch of salt if not using Topo Chico.
Try my Blueberry Ranch Water cocktail recipe
Total carbs: 1 gram
Martini (Vodka or Gin)
It doesn’t get more classic than a Martini. This timeless cocktail is also low in carbs and fairly low in calories (as long as you’re not making an 80s-sized one in a 10 oz martini glass!)
Vodka and gin don’t contain carbs, and dry vermouth is a very low carb aromatized wine.
Depending on your Martini ratio preferences, the carb count and calorie count can vary, but a standard 5:1 drink contains about 1.5 grams of carbs.
Make it even more keto by garnishing with a few olives (which will add about 1 gram of fat).
Learn how to make the perfect classic gin Martini
Total carbs: 1.5 grams
Classic Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned has gone through some different iterations over the years, but the old school, classic, fruit-free recipe contains few carbohydrates.
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. Stir the ingredients with plenty of ice, then strain it over fresh ice and garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Some prefer to make their Old Fashioneds with a muddled sugar cube, but I haven’t found it to make a better drink. I like to use the rich-tasting and less processed demerara sugar to make demerara simple syrup for my OFs.
Total carbs: 4.7 grams
Sherry Cobbler
This old classic cocktail is an excellent, lesser-know option for keto and low carb diets. 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. I like to add a little lemon as well.
This mix is shaken with ice and strained over a mound of crushed ice. Cobblers are then garnished with a bunch of fresh mint and a pile of seasonal fruit like berries.
Cobblers can be made with other wines and aperitifs like Lillet Blanc, dry vermouth, or even spirits like gin or whiskey. Just keep in mind that the carb counts may vary a bit.
Ingredients for making one at home:
- 3 oz dry sherry
- ¼ oz simple syrup
- 2 orange slices
- 1 lemon slice
- Mint and seasonal fruit, for garnish
Total carbs: 7 grams
Bonus: Your favorite spirit neat or on the rocks
No, it’s not a cocktail, but if you’re drinking a quality liquor (think bourbon, scotch, aged rum, anejo tequila), it (should) be a no-carb option that also requires the least amount of prep and ingredients.
Just make sure that you’re sipping spirits and not liqueurs, which are sweetened and will have carbs (think St. Germain, Grand Marnier, Bailey’s, Kahlua, etc.)
This is always a safe option if you’re at a bar and looking to stick to your daily carb limit. No chance of any sneaky carbs making their way into this one!
Total carbs: 0 grams
How to make your favorite drinks lower in carbs
While there aren’t very many classic cocktails that are low carb to begin with, it’s very easy to modify many of the most popular drinks to fit your needs.
Some of the ways you can make your drinks lower carb are to use a zero-carb simple syrup in place of sugar-based syrup or to use low or no carb mixers.
Swap in a lower carb mixer
Let’s start with the list of easy-to-modify drinks that swap a traditional mixer for a lower carb one. Easy peasy!
Cuba Libre (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. Done!
Total carbs: 0 – 4 grams (depending on the cola)
Moscow Mule / Dark ‘n Stormy / Whiskey Buck
This simple classic combines 2 ounces of liquor with a squeeze of lime juice before being topped off with chilled ginger beer or ginger ale. Make sure to use plenty of ice. This drink can be built in a highball or a copper mule mug, if you have one.
Make it a Moscow Mule with vodka, make it a Dark ‘n Stormy by floating blackstrap rum (such as Gosling’s) on top of the ginger beer and lime.
Make it a Whiskey Buck by using a whiskey of your choice and following the same instructions as above. You can also make it a Gin Buck, or a Mexican Mule (use tequila or mezcal) – it’s all the same concept but with different spirits. Simple, delicious, low carb.
Total carbs: 0 – 9.8 grams (depending on the ginger beer)
Gin and Tonic
Gin and Tonic and Vodka and Tonic are pretty self-explanatory. But there are a few secrets to making an absolutely delicious one.
Read all of my tips in my Perfect Gin and Tonic recipe, just swap the tonic for a low carb option like Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Tonic Water.
Total carbs: 7.6 grams
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 my top choice here. Zevia also makes a grapefruit soda, but I haven’t seen it in stores before.
Total carbs: 7 grams
Make your favorite drink with no carb simple syrup
Many drinks just need to be made with a zero carb simple syrup in order to become a low or no carb cocktail.
Simple syrup is a mix of equal parts sugar and water. It makes it really easy to sweeten drinks of all kinds, from mixed drinks to iced tea, coffee, or lemonade. Learn more in my Complete Guide to Simple Syrup.
To make a keto-friendly simple syrup, we need to swap out the sugar for a quality sugar substitute. There are many options, but two of the best keto sweeteners that taste just like sugar are erythritol and allulose.
These sweeteners are also good for those with a sensitive stomach because they don’t tend to cause gas or other digestive discomfort.
Erythritol is a great sweetener but unfortunately it has a habit of forming crunching crystals as it cools down. So my choice for a no carb simple syrup is allulose powder. I can find it at my local grocery store but it’s also readily available on Amazon and at places like Whole Foods.
The only problem with allulose is that it’s only 70% as sweet as sugar. So we’ll want to add more allulose to our syrup than we would add sugar.
A good place to start is to use 1.5 parts allulose powder to 1 part water. For example, combine 1.5 cups of allulose with 1 cup of hot water and stir until all of the allulose dissolves.
Store in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also use 2 parts allulose to 1 part water for a sweeter syrup.
Use this no carb simple syrup in classics like:
Keto Mojito
This is one of my favorite low-carb cocktails. It’s refreshing and delicious and it tastes exactly like the original. If you enjoy unsweetened drinks like a Vodka Soda or Ranch Water, you can also experiment with making or ordering a Mojito without the simple syrup at all. Mint, lime, rum, and bubbles are pretty excellent all on their own!
Ingredients:
- 2 oz white rum
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice
- ¾ oz no carb simple syrup
- 8-10 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
- 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. Garnish with fresh mint.
Check out my Pink Coconut Mojito with ice made from pink coconut water.
Total carbs: 1.5 grams
Gimlet
The Gimlet is a classic gin or vodka cocktail that is essentially just a gin sour: gin, lime juice, simple syrup. It was once made with the sour and somewhat bitter Rose’s lime cordial, but today most opt for fresh ingredients.
Learn more about the classic Gimlet
Ingredients:
- 2 oz gin (or vodka)
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz no carb simple syrup
Instructions: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill it ¾ with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain the liquid into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Total carbs: 2 grams
Tom or John Collins
The Collins is a simple classic cocktail with a variation for just about everyone. If you like sparkling lemonade, you’ll love the Collins. If made with gin, it’s referred to as a Tom Collins, which is now the best known version. When made with whiskey, it becomes a John Collins.
Learn more about the Collins and ways to make it your own
Ingredients:
- 2 oz gin or whiskey
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz no carb simple syrup
- Club soda
Instructions: Combine the liquor, citrus, and syrup in a cocktail shaker and fill it 3/4 with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain the liquid into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with chilled club soda and garnish with a lemon wheel.
Total carbs: 2 grams
Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is easy to make low carb. Simply replace the ¼ oz of simple syrup (or a sugar cube, if that’s your thing) with ¼ -½ oz of our no carb simple syrup.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey
- ¼ oz no carb simple syrup
- 1-2 dashes bitters of choice
Instructions: Stir all ingredients with plenty of ice, then strain into a rocks glass filled with ice (or over one large cube). Garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Total carbs: 0 grams
Margarita
The classic Margarita is made with tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime juice. A variation on the classic, Tommy’s Margarita, uses agave syrup in place of the orange liqueur.
To make a fantastic, low carb skinny Marg, we’re going to mix tequila and fresh lime with our no carb simple syrup.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz tequila or mezcal
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz no carb simple syrup
- Salt, for rim (optional)
Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it ¾ with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain the liquid into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Make it a Spicy Skinny Low Carb Margarita:
Muddle a slice or two of jalapeno with the lime juice in your cocktail shaker. Then add the remaining ingredients and ice and shake until chilled. Double strain the liquid into your rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a lime wheel and a slice of jalapeno.
Total carbs: 2 grams
You might also enjoy my Spicy Mule Mocktail
Paloma
There are two ways to make a Paloma: with grapefruit soda, like we described above, or with fresh grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and sparkling water. With the fresh juice method, you’re just effectively making your own fresh grapefruit soda. Both are great, but if you want to keep things extra fresh, try it this way:
Ingredients:
- 2 oz tequila or mezcal
- 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice (unsweetened)
- ½ oz lime juice
- 1 oz no carb simple syrup
- Club soda
- Salt, for rim (optional)
Instructions: Combine the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it ¾ with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain the liquid into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with chilled club soda and garnish with a grapefruit slice.
Total carbs: 5-7 grams (depending on the sweetness of grapefruit)
Prosecco Sangria
While Sangria is on our naughty drink list below, with a little effort, it is possible to make a fairly low carb Sangria.
The first step is to choose the lowest carb wine as your base. Dry sparkling wines like champagne, prosecco or cava are great choices, especially for the holidays.
The fruit will add a bit of flavor, but not a lot of carbs or sugar since we’re not muddling. Instead, we’ll sweeten the drink with allulose simple syrup and add small amounts of citrus for extra flavor and balance.
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle dry sparkling wine (chilled)
- 2 oz no carb simple syrup
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 2 oz fresh orange or grapefruit juice
- Fresh seasonal fruit, sliced (think apples, berries, citrus, peaches, cranberries, etc.)
- Club soda
Instructions: Combine the syrup, juices, and fruit in a large pitcher. Carefully pour the sparkling wine into the pitcher, then stir gently. Fill the pitcher with ice and serve immediately. Top each glass with a splash of chilled club soda. Serves 6-8.
Total carbs: about 4 grams per serving
Bonus: Keto Espresso Martini
Yes, you can make the beloved Espressotini keto-friendly without much effort. Instead of using coffee liqueur, we’re going to make an easy no carb coffee syrup.
No Carb Coffee Syrup
All we’re going to do here is swap the hot water in our no carb simple syrup above for hot coffee! Mind blowing, I know.
I recommend using 2 parts allulose and 1 part coffee. Stir until all of the allulose has dissolved, then let the syrup cool. Store it in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz espresso
- 1 oz no carb coffee syrup
Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with three coffee beans, if you like.
Total carbs: 0 grams
The best low carb drink mixers
There are some great low or low-er carb drink mixers available at the grocery store these days. No need to choose bottom shelf diet mixers made with questionable sweeteners – there are many high quality options and there’s sure to be at least one you’ll love.
Here are three of my favorite brands that offer low carb drink mixers:
Fever-Tree
Fever-Tree makes a light Tonic Water as well as Ginger Beer and these are two of my top picks for making lower carb Gin Tonics and Moscow Mules.
The 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. It’s delicious, refreshing, and not made with artificial sweeteners.
Fever-Tree also makes a wonderful Sparkling Pink Grapefruit that’s perfect for Palomas. This mixer has 7 grams of carbs per bottle. Additional lower-carb options from Fever-Tree include their Sparkling Lime & Yuzu and Club Soda.
The Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Beer clocks in at 9.8 grams of carbs per bottle and although it’s higher in carbs than most things on this list, it is the absolute best-tasting ginger beer and well worth its weight in carbs for those times that you want a treat.
Poppi
A lower-carb ginger option that’s perfect for mixing is 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). What I love the most about Poppi is that their sodas taste great and have very little stevia aftertaste.
I would venture to say that all of the Poppi flavors are great for mixing. Their lineup includes Strawberry Lemon, Cola, Raspberry Rose, Orange, Watermelon, and Cherry Limeade.
An interesting note about Poppi is that it is marketed as a functional beverage. Although you don’t taste it, it’s made with apple cider vinegar, which the brand says adds prebiotics to help nourish the healthy bacteria in your gut.
Zevia
If you want a ginger option that’s zero carbs, go with the Zevia Ginger Ale. It doesn’t have the bold bite of a ginger beer like Fever-Tree, but it still has solid ginger flavor and because it’s sweetened only with stevia, it is 100% carb and sugar free.
Zevia sodas are great no carb options for cola, cherry cola, ginger ale, root beer, and lemon-lime sodas. They can feel a tad too sweet, however, because of the stevia. I find that once mixed into a drink, especially one with a squeeze of citrus, the sweetness is toned down significantly.
Mixers to avoid
The highest carbohydrate mixers are generally sugar-based sodas like cola, ginger beer, grapefruit soda, and tonic water.
Fruit juices, sweet vermouth, and liqueurs are also high in carbs.
One of the very worst offenders is the ultra sweet cream of coconut (found in the classic Pina Colada). Delicious, but so. many. carbs.
Cocktails to avoid
Sadly, some of the greatest classic drinks aren’t the best for a very low carb diet. The reason for this is that many classics use delicious (but sweet) liqueurs or syrups that contain a lot of sugar.
Liqueurs, aperitifs, and amari like Campari, Aperol, Amaro Montenegro, St. Germain, Chartreuse, amaretto, limoncello, and coffee liqueur are all high in carbs.
The average liqueur contains about 10 grams of carbs per 1 ounce serving, and syrups are comparable, or a little higher.
Here is a list of some of the worst alcoholic mixed drinks for a low carb or keto diet:
- Pina Colada
- Cuba Libre (Rum and Coke)
- Painkiller
- Sangria
- Gin and Tonic
- Moscow Mule
- Negroni
- Capecodder (Vodka Cranberry)
The best canned cocktails for a keto diet
This post is already way too long, but I just had to include my top RTD picks for the keto diet. I had a tough time finding reliable info on the internet this past summer when I was on a very strict keto diet (18 grams of carbs per day) so I want to help the next keto drinker in need.
With only 18 grams of carbs available for the whole day, no way was I going to use any carbs unnecessarily on drinks. I looked up list after list of keto-friendly canned cocktails and hard seltzers and I kept finding recommendations for products that either weren’t available in my area, or had way too many carbs for my limit.
I also came across a lot of inaccurate info about the number of carbs in these drinks, which was super frustrating. Several times I purchased something that later I realized wasn’t a good option for me.
Also, let’s be honest: there are some pretty gross hard seltzers and canned cocktails out there. Just saying.
So to prevent you from going through all the trial and error that I did, here is the list of the best ready to drink canned cocktails and hard seltzers for the keto diet:
Canteen Vodka Sodas (0 carb, 5% ABV)
Canteen Vodka Sodas are super carbonated, lightly sweetened canned vodka sodas. The flavors are good overall, although I wasn’t a huge fan of the lime.
However, I loved the watermelon and the strawberry and they conveniently offer those in their own 4-packs. A huge plus for Canteen is that it is zero carbs yet also 5% ABV. This is a rare find in a tasty RTD. 10/10!
Cutwater Vodka Soda (0 carbs, 5% ABV)
Cutwater makes some great canned cocktails and their Vodka Sodas are perfection. What’s really special about these is that they actually taste like a Vodka Soda – they are virtually unsweetened, making them super crisp and refreshing.
Seriously – why are all the hard seltzers and canned vodka sodas of the world sweetened?? I love to crack open an ice-cold Cutwater and add a little squeeze of lemon or lime. Pure refreshment and a top-tier keto pick at 0 grams of carbs and 5% ABV. 10/10
Michelob Ultra Hard Seltzer Signature Collection (0 carbs, 4% ABV)
All of the flavors in this variety pack are great (incredibly rare find!) and I love that they’re all zero carbs. The 4% ABV means they’re light and refreshing and great for summertime day-drinking.
The Mich Ultra Signature Collection gets bonus points for being light, not too sweet, and having absolutely no strange aftertaste. 10/10.
What I didn’t love about these is that it took me buying two other variety packs of Michelob Ultra Hard Seltzer before I realized that it is in fact only the “Signature Collection” that is zero carbs.
They make a few other hard seltzer variety packs (that all look really similar) so you have to be super diligent if you want the carb-free ones. The internet led me astray here with vague information that led to me owning 24 hard seltzers that no one in my house could enjoy.
The Grapefruit Melon and the Strawberry Watermelon are my top picks from this pack. I drank the Mich Ultra hard seltzies on pretty much all of my summer camping and beach trips so now one sip of these brings me back to sweet, sunny memories.
Cantina Tequila Soda (0 carbs, 5% ABV)
Sick of all the hard seltzer and vodka sodas on this list? There is hope for the tequila fan who wants convenience! Cantina Tequila Sodas are another 0 carb, 5% ABV ready to drink worth their salt (hehe). You can definitely taste the tequila and all of the flavors are great. I like their Grapefruit Paloma the very best.
The only issue I had with these is that the sweetness can be a bit cloying. No worries though – just add a squeeze of lime, or pour the liquid over ice. A little dilution can work wonders if you’re sensitive to sweet. 9/10
Smirnoff Zero Sugar Red, White and Berry (1g carbs, 4.5% ABV)
This one truly surprised me. It’s Smirnoff afterall, and there’s kind of a college girls-gone-wild vibe to the packaging, but these are a great value for the keto drinker!
With only 1 gram of carbs and 4.5% ABV, it’s a solid keto pick. What’s more, the berry flavor is nice and fairly mild. There’s no bad aftertaste, it’s not overly sweet, and it has plenty of bubbles. They’re a great summer day-drinking choice and these will definitely have a place at my 4th of July party. 8/10
One thing to note: like the Michelob Ultra above, there is a very similar-looking Smirnoff ICE Red, White and Berry that is not the same thing. That product has an astronomical number of carbs and sadly my husband accidentally bought two 12 packs that will probably be sitting in our pantry until the end of time.
VIZZY Hard Seltzers (1g -3 g carbs, 5% ABV)
This list would not be complete without VIZZY! These hard seltzers come in a huge range of flavors in some fun variety packs, from Lemonade to Watermelon to Mimosa.
I have enjoyed them all, but my favorite is the original variety pack (the one with Black Cherry Lime). These flavors feel slightly less sweet to me than some of the other variety packs, and a little less sweet is usually my preference.
VIZZY’s seltzers range from 1-3 grams of carbs per can and they’re sweetened with stevia, which TBH, I could have guessed. While they don’t have a bad aftertaste, they can sometimes feel a bit cloyingly sweet.
Again, this is an RTD that I love to pour over ice and squeeze a little citrus into. VIZZY takes home the award for having the most flavor options – and also the most unique flavors! Raspberry Tangerine, Watermelon Lemonade, yum. 8/10
Of course, there are definitely plenty of other keto-friendly and low carb canned cocktails out there, but so far these are the ones that I was able to find in stores near me (northern New England) and the ones that myself and my husband enjoyed the most. Comment below if you have a favorite and I’ll test it out!