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Welcome to Low Carb Cocktails GuideHere you will find simple to make low carb cocktails.
Low carb cocktails refers to cocktails with a low level of carbohydrates. If you are in search of low carb cocktails, you are in the right place - this page is dedicated to just that, but also to “health conscience” cocktails in other words low fat and low sugar cocktails.
TIP: Check out our Cocktail Mixing Guide for an explanation of the terms used on this page.
People generally want to limit or lower their carb in take either for medical or health reasons or to lose weight. Studies show that if you want to lose weight, you need to limit the amount of calories you take in OR burn more than usual by exercising for example OR a combination of the two.
It is actually the calories and the not the carbs that nurtures those love handles. Therefore, we will first look at how many calories you need (if you don’t know). We also take a look at the calorie content of various spirits and liqueurs and, very importantly, low calorie cocktails.
The average adult needs about 2 500 to 3 000 calories per day to stay a constant weight. Your exact requirement depends on things like your height, age and sex. Click here to determine how to calculate your personal calorie requirement.
Every pound / kilogram of body weight represents about 3 500 / 7 800 calories. So, to lose a pound / kilogram you need to take in 3 500 / 7 800 fewer calories OR burn up this amount more by doing physical exercise.
Therefore, if you want to lose say 10 pounds / 4.5 kilograms, you need to get rid of 35 000 calories. If you do this over a period of 2 months, this means about 580 less calories per day.
Different alcoholic beverages contain different levels of calories. For example beer contains about 200 per 500 ml / 18 Oz. Spirits like vodka, gin and brandy contain about 220 per 100 ml / 3.5 Oz. Wine contain about 80 per 100 ml / 3.5 Oz. So, the base ingredient of the cocktail will have a big influence on it’s calorie content. The other ingredients (juices, sugar, etc) will of course also influence this.
Interestingly, beer contains a lot of carbohydrates but spirits like vodka and gin contain very few. If you want to limit the calories, steer clear from fruit juices and sweet, syrupy liqueurs and mixers. Alternatively, substitute the mixers with their diet or low fat variants.
Here is some more examples of ingredients and their calorie content: · Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories · Orange juice (250 ml / 9 oz): 114 calories · Cranberry juice cocktail (250 ml / 9 oz): 148 calories · Light orange juice (250 ml / 9 oz): 55 calories · Light cranberry juice (250 ml / 9 oz): 44 calories · Light lemonade (250 ml / 9 oz): 5.5 calories · Lemon or lime juice (150ml / 5 oz): 100 calories
As a very general rule of thumb, the longer the cocktail (like a Long Island Iced Tea) and the stronger, sweeter and the more mixers it contains, the more calories it has. If you need further guidance, consult a professional dietician or doctor.
Let’s look at a few low carb cocktails:(Note the amount of calories is approximate and depends on the strength of the spirits used and the proportions in which you mix your cocktails.)
BLOODY MARY
Calories: 210 per 250 ml / 9 Oz.
Ingredients: Glass:Highball Preparation:Put the vodka and tomato juice in a shaker with a few ice cubes. Add the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce. Shake well and strain into the glass (which can be with or without ice). Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish:Celery stick, which serves as a stirrer as well.
BRONX
Calories: 230 per 170 ml / 6 Oz.
Ingredients: Glass:Martini, chilled. Preparation:Shake the ingredients and strain into the glass. Garnish:Orange twist
CUBA LIBRE LIGHT Calories: 100 per 170 ml / 6 Oz.
Ingredients: Glass:Highball Preparation:Pour the rum and juice into a glass filled half way with crushed ice. Top up with cola Garnish:Thin lime or lemon wheel and often served with a stirrer.
DRY MARTINI Calories: 300 per 170 ml / 6 Oz
Ingredients: Glass:Marini, chilled Preparation:Stir the ingredients well and strain into the glass. Garnish:Green olive on a cocktail stick
G&T Calories: 160 per 250 ml / 9 Oz
Ingredients: Glass:Highball Preparation:Fill the glass with ice. Stir the ingredients well and strain into the glass. Garnish:Lemon peel
MIMOSA
Calories: 130 per 200 ml / 7 Oz
Ingredients: Glass:Champagne flute Preparation:Pour the ingredients in the glass and stir gently. Garnish:Orange twist.
PRINCETON
Calories: 185 per 170 ml / 6 Oz
Ingredients: Glass:Martini Preparation:Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into the glass. Garnish:Slice of lime.
SALTY DOG
Calories: 130 per 200 ml / 7 Oz
Ingredients: Glass:Martini, although a highball is sometimes used. Preparation:Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into the glass. Garnish:Salt frosted rim for the glass.
SCREWDRIVER
Calories: 215 per 250 ml / 9 Oz
Ingredients: Glass:Highball, chilled Preparation:Pour the vodka and orange juice into the ice filled glass and stir gently. Garnish:Slice of orange, optional.
SPRITZER
Calories: 140 per 200 ml / 7 Oz
Ingredients: Glass:Champagne flute Preparation:Pour the wine into the glass and top up with soda water. Garnish:Lemon zest or twist.
Armed with the above information, you should now be able to spot the cocktails you need to avoid and which ones you can tweak slightly to create a low carb cocktail version.
LASTLY … tips to reduce your carb and calorie consumption while enjoying your cocktails:
1. Alternate your low carb cocktails with non-alcoholic drinks. 2. Go for drinks and cocktails with low calories, like light wine, light beer and low carb cocktails as above. Mix cocktails with water, club soda, low calorie juices, artificial sweeteners or sugar-free syrups for easy calorie savings. 3. Do not add a mixer. 4. Dilute your drink with water or soda water<.p>
Go back to the top of Low Carb Cocktails Go back to the Bartending Guide from the Low Carb Cocktails Recipe Guide Site Map
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