BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Low Carb Low Carb Cocktails

It seems that pretty much every 'drink' you can make can be low carb. The base alcohols - vodka, gin, etc. - have zero carbs. You simply mix it in with a zero-carb soda and you're set! A Rum-and-Diet-Coke has zero carbs.

What are your favorite cocktails?

I'll say that I do like the rum-and-diet-coke, that's easy and tasty <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Also good is a sangria like cocktail with sugar-free sprite and red wine <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Irish Coffee

This is a great drink! It's best served in a clear glass mug with a handle as the drink is very hot to start. Some Irish pubs just use "rocks" glasses with slightly narrowed bottoms and set one inside the other leaving the outside one as the cool-to-the touch carrier. Actually, you can serve it in your favorite cup if you like. It's not the vessel, it's the contents!

1 jigger of Irish whiskey (we like any kind from Paddy to Power)

add strong fresh-brewed coffee to about an inch from the top of your cup

fill with heavy cream, plain or whipped with Splenda or your choice of zero-carb sweetener

-1 carb!

There are various ways of adding the cream. Some mixologists like to pour fresh heavy cream into a spoon and let it flow off into the cup. This mixes the cream into the drink. Others will just gently pour the cream onto the top, where it will sit to be enjoyed at the end of the drink. In some establishments, the drink is topped with a foam of whipped cream and topped with creme-de-menthe. Avoid this green stuff. It raises the carb count and is just a Madison Avenue aberration. If you must have a fancy drink, try a couple of drops of green food color in the cream. <img src="/images/graemlins/irish.gif" alt="" />

Love wine coolers, but not only were they expensive, but high in carbs. I finally stumbled onto a lower-carb version and it's cheap! Don't laugh - I bought a bottle of Boone's Farm melon and one of strawberry. Mixed 2 parts B-Farm to 5 parts Diet Sprite and I had a refreshing low-carb cooler. I like the melon best, but switch off with strawberry for variety. One bottle is equal to 72 carbs and I get about 10 servings from each bottle.

Yup I love Irish Coffee!! Very yummy stuff <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

TexasBlueHeron - that's a great idea! Actually what that sounds like is a type of sangria. Sangria is a fruit red wine punch that can be made with other liquors added and bubbly soda added. There are probably hundreds of sangria recipes we could come up with that involve red wines, sugar-free ginger ale and a few fruit pieces. There are also many sugar-free drinks with melon flavors and such, I think "Sparkling Ice" is a brand I get. So you could mix Sparkling Ice, Diet Sprite and brandy and get a zero-carb cooler. You could go with different types of alcohol (rum, vodka, gin etc) for different flavor combinations <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Super idea, Lisa. I had tried sangria recipes, but couldn't get one to duplicate that refreshing cooler taste. When I began experimenting, I don't think there were so many choices for flavored waters. Now, I can try your suggestions for an even lower-carb drink and still keep it weak. Thanks!

Yup there are definitely a ton of low-sugar or no-sugar flavored waters on the market now, in a wide variety of flavors. So those are great for drinking alone or in mixed drinks!

So many choices, so little time...

I broke down tonight and had a glass of white wine. It's too hot for Irish Coffee!

I did have a nice treat though, earlier at a dinner party: Malibu Rum and cranberry diet ginger ale. Very tasty and refreshing.

Yum.

ooo that does sound nice!

Wine is VERY good for you, I have tons of pages on the site about wine and health. In moderation of course <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But drinking a glass of wine a day is definitely much better than drinking sodas <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Red or white? A little over 1 gram carb? I thought it was about 3 and had been avoiding it.

I'm just getting back my taste for a glass of anything except tea. A 750 ml bottle of wine is lasting a week now...unprecedented! Me? Sipping? Yep. Don't know what happened, but that's the way it is. I don't mind at all.

Best,
me