Toast to Summer With These 20 Low-Carb Cocktails—Plus Mixology Tips and Tricks
Ready to celebrate the arrival of summer with a cold adult beverage? While a beer or a Bloody Mary might sound divine, those types of alcoholic drinks may contain too many grams of carbs for keto or low-carb dieters. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to sip water or plain club soda when you’re socializing with friends and family this summer.
These 20 low-carb cocktail recipes feature fresh ingredients, are incredibly easy to make and taste even better (and are better for you) than traditional non-keto-friendly drinks. So as the temperature rises, cool off with some of the best low-carb cocktails (and mocktails) that will allow you to go bottoms-up, guilt-free.
But before we explore these different drink recipes, let’s go over some tips and tricks that can make your home mixology experience a little easier if you’re trying to limit your intake of carbohydrates.
5 low-carb cocktail tips and tricks
The alcoholic drinks you order in bars or restaurants might not align with your dietary goals. To stay on track with your low-carb or keto diet, here are some useful tips and tricks you should follow to ensure your cocktails won’t mess with your macros:
- Work with low-glycemic sugar substitutes as sweeteners. Ideal options include monk fruit, erythritol, xylitol and allulose. Not only can you mix them into a drink, but you can also use these options to create a simple syrup that won’t cause an insulin spike.
- Use low-carb fruits and produce. To be safe, stick to strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cucumbers, lemon and lime. And, don’t be afraid to use herbs like mint, basil or thyme for a unique flavor twist.
- Opt for natural, no-sugar-added bubbly water to add fizz and additional flavor. Just make sure to check product labels carefully before you buy, in case there are any hidden ingredients.
- Choose your liquor wisely. Pure forms of alcohol like whiskey, gin, tequila, rum and vodka typically fall into the keto-friendly category. Spoiler alert: Drinking white wine, red wine and beer might not be the best choice if you’re trying to watch your carb count.
- Avoid liqueurs that can add sugar and carbs. That means saying no to popular choices like Amaretto, Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua and Sambuca.
Low-carb Bulletproof cocktail mix-ins
Let Bulletproof enhance your low-carb alcohol drink experience with tasty mix-ins that provide added flavor, while supporting your brain and body. Add the following ingredients for an extra boost:
- Bulletproof Creamer: Whether you prefer the flavor of French Vanilla or Hazelnut (or keep it traditional with our top-selling Original), you can’t go wrong with a creamer that’s made with grass-fed butter and MCT oil.
- Bulletproof Collagen Protein: Because Unflavored Collagen is tasteless, it can adapt to your cocktail accents of choice. If you want flavor and all nine essential amino acids in one product, give Vanilla Bean Energy Collagen Protein a try. Or, if your microbiome could use some love, Unflavored Gut Health Collagen Protein can deliver the prebiotics and probiotics you need.
Low-Carb vodka drinks
Vodka is typically the top choice for those following a low-carb diet. Available in a variety of flavors, here are some creative ways to incorporate vodka in cocktails that are ideally suited for summer.
1. Unfairly Simple Vodka Cocktail
Although it only contains a few ingredients, this ketogenic cocktail makes every one of them count. Grain-free and gluten-free potato vodka keeps the carb count at zero. Fresh lemon juice (or lime) adds a zesty punch. Meanwhile, it contains ingredients like Bulletproof Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil that help provide energy for your brain and body to keep the party going!
2. Skinny Mango Vodka Cocktail
Transport yourself to a tropical getaway with this mango-inspired low-carb cocktail from Fresh Simple Home. The combination of Absolut Mango Vodka, MiO Lemonade Drops and sparkling water creates a refreshing experience for a hot summer day. Don’t forget to garnish with a sliced lemon finish!
3. Spicy Jalapeno Basil Moscow Mule
Want to give your taste buds a wake-up call? Kick the spice factor up a notch with this low-carb version of a traditional Moscow mule from The Short Order Cook. Sliced jalapenos and pepper vodka bring plenty of heat that balances out with fresh basil and lime juice. To keep things keto-friendly, make sure to go with a diet ginger beer that doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners.
4. Refreshing Cucumber Mint Vodka Cocktail
Looking for something with a little less zing? Chill out with this cucumber-laced cocktail from Food Wine Sunshine. Fresh mint leaves enhance the natural sweetness of the cucumber to create a cool-as-a-cucumber adult drink that’s perfect for a day by the pool.
Low-carb margarita recipes
Margaritas are the ideal summertime cocktail. However, they often contain too much sugar for keto dieters. But if you follow these low-carb recipes for healthier margaritas, you can sip away, without all the guilt.
5. Keto Muddled Strawberry Margarita
Although this drink requires a little bit of elbow grease to concoct, the end result is absolutely worth it. By the time you take your first sip, you’ll be glad you put in the effort to muddle fresh strawberries with xylitol (a no-sugar sweetener). After all, nothing beats sipping on a fruity drink during the summer heat.
6. Spicy Collagen Margarita
With only 2.4 grams of net carbs per serving, this margarita recipe definitely falls into the keto-friendly category. However, when it comes to the flavor profile, it’s completely different than the strawberry-inspired one outlined above.
Rather than being sweet, this recipe falls on the spicier spectrum and pops with jalapeno. Plus, a flavorless ingredient provides the building blocks for healthy skin, bones and joints: Unflavored Collagen Peptides.
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7. Skinny Blackberry Margarita
Want to impress your friends with a low-carb drink they won’t find at their local bar? This skinny margarita recipe from We Dish It Up! relies on an easy-to-make simple syrup crafted from crushed blackberries and monk fruit.
Once you pour the final product into a salt-rimmed glass (reminder: sugar-rimmed is a keto no-go!), it’s time to sit back, sip and enjoy!
Low-carb frozen drinks, slushies and spritzers
When the thermometer’s on the rise, it’s time to take your internal temperature down. Cool off with these keto-friendly frozen drinks, slushies and spritzers.
8. Keto Strawberry Daiquiri
Nothing beats a frozen drink during the hot summer months. While a daiquiri may not seem like a logical choice if you’re following a keto diet, this recipe from Keto Focus won’t mess with your macros or meal plan.
When you blend white rum, lime juice, strawberries and monk fruit sweetener with ice, you’ll be left with a low-carb cocktail that’s too easy to slurp. Watch out for that brain freeze!
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9. Keto Hard Seltzer Strawberry Slushy
The White Claw craze is real, people. So why not find a way to incorporate your favorite hard seltzer (Truly is another keto-friendly top choice) into a keto cocktail?
This simple strawberry slushy recipe keeps the carb count in check by using not only seltzer, but also sugar-free ginger ale. Perfect for a day by the pool, let your blender do the work while you stay busy soaking up the sun.
10. Strawberry Rose Vodka Spritzer
If you don’t count ice, this recipe from Style on Main only contains three ingredients. Between sugar-free Smirnoff Strawberry and Rose vodka, freshly-brewed hibiscus tea and an ounce of passion fruit sparkling water, this zero-carb cocktail won’t leave you disappointed in the least bit.
11. Keto Pina Colada
Keto drinks like this recipe will make you forget you’re on a diet in the first place. Coconut milk, sparkling water, rum and a pina colada extract (along with a keto-friendly sweetener) come together to form that unmistakable taste of tropical paradise.
…Who’s ready for those beach vibes?
12. Tequila Spritzer
Food Wine Sunshine keeps it incredibly simple with this delicious tequila spritzer recipe. Plus, using infused ice cubes gives this drink a classy touch with flavor that lasts.
Gin and rum-based low carb alcohol drinks
Looking for an upgrade from gin and tonic? Ready to ditch rum and Coke? Switch things up a bit with these low-carb cocktail recipes that feature either gin or rum.
13. Keto Mojito
Serve up minty goodness with a side of wellness. Harmony and happy hour join forces in this keto-friendly mojito, which marries Cuban-style rum, Collagen Peptides, soda water and fresh mint. Kick back, sip and simply enjoy the good vibes…
14. Keto Raspberry Thyme Gin Fizz
Give summer a warm welcome with a refreshing keto cocktail you should probably prep by the pitcher. Because once your friends and family take their first sip of this raspberry- and thyme-infused drink, it won’t be long before you hear “refill!”
15. Keto White Russian
When it comes to keto recipes, it doesn’t get any simpler than this three-ingredient cocktail. Indulge in the delicious benefits of Chocolate Collagen Peptides without any of the sugar from the original recipe.
Low-carb mocktails
Planning to ditch the booze this summer? You have our support! Cheers to mocktails with these five low-carb drink recipes that taste great and don’t contain a single drop of liquor.
16. Mint Mojito Iced Bulletproof Coffee
Need to cool down and turn up at the same time? There’s no better way than to combine the classic flavors of a mint mojito with the energy-providing power of iced Bulletproof Coffee. Plus, a scoop of Unflavored Collagen Peptides gives this low-carb cocktail a beneficial boost. Talk about a delicious way to support your journey through ketosis!
17. Sugar-Free Keto Lemonade Three Ways
Is there anything better on a scorching summer afternoon than a glass of ice-cold lemonade? To keep things keto-friendly, swap out sugar for a sweetener like stevia or xylitol. Once you’ve adjusted your base to get the right balance, feel free to get creative with other mix-ins. Whether you add basil, raspberries or just stick with good ole’ lemonade, you can sip with confidence knowing you’re cooling down with a low-carb drink that won’t knock your blood sugar out of whack.
18. Ginger-Mint Green Tea Cooler
Although it tastes complex, don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll have to spend a ton of time in the kitchen crafting this green tea mocktail. Within 20 minutes, you’ll have a minty-sweet base ready to be poured over ice. Top your cooler off with mint leaves and citrus slices to complete this sugar-free cooler.
19. Cucumber Tom Collins Mocktail
A typical Tom Collins doesn’t fit well within a low-carb diet. However, this alcohol-free version from Always Use Butter removes any worries about sugar and carb counts by using three familiar ingredients: lemon, cucumber and soda water. Once you have everything ready to go, let your shaker do the work. Then, all you have to do is find a comfy spot to relax and savor every last drop!
20. Sparkling Raspberry Limeade Mocktail
This delicious mocktail from Low Carb Yum is fruity and sweet without any added sugar. Flavored sparkling water, frozen raspberries, lime juice and crushed ice come together to create a light, low-carb drink that tastes great and won’t have you feeling bloated (or buzzed).
Still have some hesitations about drinking on the keto diet? Check out our guide on alcohol and ketosis for answers to all your questions.
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