Thanks to these keto cocktail recipes, you can still enjoy happy hour while sticking to your low carb diet.
When you make the decision to follow keto, whether for the long term or just to try a new diet for a few weeks, figuring out how you can still indulge in your favorite cocktail drinks can be a challenge.
As you know, these drinks are often loaded with carbs and sugar that could kick you out of ketosis. Thankfully, there are low carb cocktail recipes out there that taste just as good as your favorite cocktails.
From the usual classics to the most obscure drinks, here’s a roundup of the most refreshing keto cocktail recipes.
For more cocktail recipes that are suitable for a keto or low carb diet then take a look at these Keto Friendly Cocktails for the Holidays. This roundup of low carb drinks includes some non-alcoholic drinks.
Keto Cocktail Recipes
1. Sugar-Free Lemon Drop Vodka Martini Cocktail
When it comes to refreshing cocktails, a vodka tonic is hard to beat. The good news is, vodka often has zero carbs. Just make sure you choose the unsweetened version. Avoid flavored vodkas because they tend to have lots of sugar in them.
So, if you want vodka for your cocktail drink, this Sugar-Free Lemon Drop Vodka Martini Cocktail from Brandi of Stay Snatched would be a great recipe to try. Aside from vodka, this cocktail drink has unsweetened syrup and fresh lemon juice.
To prepare, line the rim of your glass with lemon juice and dip it into a zero-calorie sweetener. Pour some ice into a shaker, add 1/4 cup vodka, lemon juice, and unsweetened syrup. Shake and pour into your glass.
2. Keto-Friendly Old Fashioned Bourbon
The sweet notes of vanilla combined with oak make bourbon some of the most intriguing alcoholic drinks out there. Of course, you can always drink it straight up. But if you want to experiment a bit, here’s a Keto-Friendly Bourbon Old Fashioned cocktail recipe from Logan of Better Than Bread Keto.
This refreshing low-carb drink is so easy to prepare. Aside from bourbon, you only need monkfruit sweetener, orange bitters, and some water. To make it look like the real thing, you can garnish it with some orange peel. With only 2 grams of carbs per serving, feel free to treat yourself to a couple of glasses or more!
3. Keto Ginger Whiskey Soda
When it comes to cocktails, tequilas, vodkas, and rums are often the most popular. But why shouldn’t whiskey get in on some cocktail fun? After all, this drink comes in several variations, giving you plenty of opportunities to experiment.
Check out this Ginger Whiskey Soda from jo of Low Carbing Asian for a low carb take of a whiskey-based cocktail. Requiring only two ingredients – whiskey and keto ginger ale, this is probably one of the easiest keto cocktail recipes you will ever make!
4. Keto Whiskey Sours
Here’s another version of a low carb whiskey cocktail from Emily of Resolution Eats. Aside from whiskey, this Low Carb Keto Whiskey Sours contains lemon juice, water, and powdered sweetener. Of course, you can use any low carb sweetener of your choice.
Related reading: 4 Best Natural Low Carb Sweeteners
The lemon juice gives it its sour flavor, while the whisky adds a gentle warmth to balance out the taste. With only four grams of carbs per serving, you can drink several glasses of this cocktail drink without feeling the guilt!
5. Keto Rum and Coke
But this might leave you asking – is coke keto-friendly? No, coke is not keto-friendly as it’s loaded with sugar that could get you off keto. This Keto-friendly Rum and Coke recipe from Logan of Better Than Bread Keto uses a different kind of cola – Zevia Cola.
It is a great low carb alternative to your favorite soda, as it contains no carbs and is sweetened using liquid stevia. What’s more, it’s available in various flavors, orange, grape, and cola.
6. Keto Paloma Cocktail
Originated in Mexico, Paloma is a tequila-based cocktail prepared by mixing tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda. The original version of this cocktail uses grapefruit soda, which is often loaded with sugar.
For a low carb take of this Mexican drink, Mellissa of I Breathe I’m Hungry uses a sugar-free grapefruit soda, which should be available in various supermarkets in the US. But in case you cannot find this soda in a supermarket near you, your best bet is to use a combination of lime-flavored seltzer, grapefruit juice, and a low-carb sweetener of your choice.
7. Low Carb Cosmopolitan Cocktail
Made famous by the popular TV show “Sex and the City,” the cosmopolitan, or “cosmo,” is a vodka-based cocktail drink made with cranberry juice, triple sec, and lime juice. Thanks to its unique combination of flavors, this classic cocktail drink is loved by many.
However, triple sec and cranberry juice are known for having high sugar content, which can be a problem if you follow a low carb diet. Thankfully, Joanie of Tasty Low Carb created a low carb version of this famous drink using unsweetened cranberry juice and a liquid sweetener.
8. Low Carb Watermelon Cocktail
If you want your cocktail to be free from alcohol, this low carb Watermelon Cocktail Recipe from Georgina of Step Away from the Carbs is a great option. This refreshing drink is made using watermelon, lime juice, liquid sweetener, and club soda. You can use seltzer water as an alternative to club soda.
For an alcoholic version of this cocktail drink, simply add a tablespoon of rum or any alcohol of your choice. Just make sure you choose something that’s sugar-free and low in carbs.
You might think that watermelon would be high in carbs but surprisingly it is one of the lowest carb fruits. A serving, which is half the recipe, contains 5g net carbs.
9. Keto White Russian
White Russian is a decadent cocktail drink made using a combination of Kahlúa or coffee liqueur, vodka, and cream. But, as you may know, coffee liqueurs are loaded with sugar.
Kahlúa, for instance, contains a whopping 29.7 grams, which is something you need to avoid if you are on a low carb diet. Thankfully, Lindsey of The Little Pine created a low-carb version of this drink using regular coffee and low-carb sweeteners.
The rest of the ingredients are keto-approved, such as vodka and cream. And just like with the other keto cocktail recipes in this list, this cocktail drink is super easy to prepare!
