20 Low-Carb Cocktails That Won't Mess With Your Keto Lifestyle

All hail the vodka (or gin!) martini! "Since martinis don’t contain juices, syrup and sugar like other cocktails do, a single martini is less than 1g of net carbs," the blog KetoConnect shared. "It doesn’t matter if you’re using gin or vodka, on keto you can enjoy both."

"A traditional bourbon old fashioned (depending on the amount of different ingredients used) can have anywhere from 5 grams to 10 grams of carbohydrates," shares Logan Childress of Better Than Bread Keto. "Traditional recipes use sugar to sweeten the drink, which certainly doesn’t help the carb count." Our fix? Just swap out the brown sugar in our recipe for a low-carb sweetener. Childress uses Lakanto Liquid Monkfruit Sweetener in her recipe, but something like Stevia works, too.

Dry sparkling wine—like prosecco or Champagne—is super low in carbs (about one gram per glass). St. Germain has no carbs, as well as the soda water, so in total, the classic St. Germain Spritz is a perfect low-carb cocktail without any adjustments.

While our Spiked Sparkling Basil Lemonade uses regular lemonade, you can easily use a low-carb alternative. Make your own lemonade with a low-carb sweetener instead of sugar, or buy a lemonade mix that is low-carb, like this True Lemon one. This way, you'll be sipping on a perfect-for-summer quaff in no time. And just be sure to skip the sugar on the rim!

What's a plate of keto tacos without a margarita to match? Our skinny margarita uses fresh orange juice and a touch of agave in place of sugary orange liqueurs like Cointreau or Triple Sec.

If you want to minimize sugar as much as possible, this recipe by Laura Dolson replaces orange liqueur with orange extract.

If you don't already know, now you do: LaCroix cocktails are pretty much the easiest and most refreshing drink you can make. Plus, sparkling water has no carbs. Pick your pleasure, add a splash of vodka, and stir.

Homemade low-sugar ginger syrup, lime juice, mint leaves, diet ginger ale, and vodka make a supreme low-carb alternative for Sunday Funday. Follow this recipe from keto blogger I Breathe I'm Hungry.

"Since I love the ginger flavor and sugar free ginger beer is pretty much impossible to find, I made a concentrated sugar free ginger syrup, which I added to vodka, lime juice, and diet ginger ale," author Mellissa Sevigny wrote.

Okay, so a classic Manhattan is not low-carb because of one of its essential ingredients, sugary sweet vermouth. Here's how you can lower the carbs: Swap out the sweet for the dry vermouth and replace the maraschino cherry with an orange peel.

Your classic Cosmopolitan has vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and lime. Swap out the Cointreau for orange extract and use sugar-free cranberry juice along with your favorite sweetener to get the carbs down, as this recipe from Tasty Low Carb did.

"The sugar [in a classic Cosmo] comes from the triple sec and cranberry juice," the blog's authors Joanie and Chris Pogozelski shared. "The lime juice adds some carbs, but the sugar is the problem with the traditional recipe.

Make a low-carb version of the classic Dark 'N' Stormy with dark rum, sugar-free ginger beer, and lime. Blend it with ice for a frozen treat per Lowcarb-Ology's recipe.

"The Dark and Stormy cocktail is just about as easy as it gets to make and this low-carb recipe is every bit as good as the original," the author writes. "The lime juice accounts for the 1.5 carbs in this drink."

Everybody likes their Bloody Mary a different way. Some like it spicy or sweet, others prefer it overflowing with garnish or with a simple celery stalk. However you drink it, make it low-carb with unsweetened tomato juice.

"Typically tomato juice does contain some carbs, especially if it is sweetened with sugar," Valerie Skinner of Thyme and Joy wrote. "If you use unsweetened tomato juice and sauces that don’t contain sugar you can keep it low-carb or keto." From there, you can add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, black pepper, olives, celery, hot peppers, and so much more.

A classic gin fizz is super simple—gin, lemon juice, egg whites, seltzer, and simple syrup. So, it is inherently low-ish in carbs. Make the swap for low-carb sweetener instead of traditional simple syrup, and get the carb count even lower.

A paloma is a super refreshing summer cocktail that can easily be made low-carb. For a less sweet version, just leave out the agave syrup and swap out the grapefruit juice for a low-sugar alternative."Thanks to the existence of sugar free grapefruit flavored soda, making a Keto Paloma Cocktail is a pretty easy undertaking," Mellissa Sevigny of I Breathe I'm Hungry wrote.

A traditional piña colada is packed with sugar, and therefore carbs. But this recipe from KetoDiet clocks in at about 8 net carbs—which, while perhaps not great for an everyday keto treat, makes for a reasonable splurge."For those of you that that are on 'extra low-carb,' use a few drops of natural alcohol-based food extract instead of fresh pineapple," author Martina Slajerova suggested, noting the carb count would lower to 4.3 with that change.

Make a keto-friendly "Splendito"—that's a sugar-free mojito—that's delicious, low on carbs, and super simple to make. "To keep the sweetness, but decrease the amount of sugar and carbs, I discovered you can replace the sugar with Diet 7up for a low-carb, no sugar mojito," Aneesha Gupta of Spice Cravings wrote. "It is just as delicious (if not more!) and keeps the carbohydrates count in check."

Another low-carb version of the mojito swaps rum for vodka to keep the calories light. The lime, mint, soda, and vodka make this a perfect drink for patio weather. "This drink is so incredible; I have a hard time wanting to experiment with other cocktails now," Tasha Metcalf of Ketogasm wrote. "I mean, how can you top perfection?"

This powerful elixir used to be banned in the U.S., but it's made a comeback in recent years—and good news for keto fans, it's particularly great in a low-carb cocktail. Mix it with soda, or sip a little on its own.

Red wine, club soda, citron vodka, berry water enhancer, and limes make this the perfect stand-in for sangria. "To make my low-carb sangria, I decided to try my secret for great keto cocktails: sugar free water enhancers and some flavored vodka to mimic the super fruity flavor," Lowcarb-ology wrote. Make a batch so you can easily pour from a pitcher instead of mixing a new drink every time.

Forget lemon drops—this kamikaze shot is a low-carb alternative that uses Splenda and vodka to pack the same tart punch without the carbs.

A shot of rum, vodka, gin, tequila, and whiskey all ring up to zero carbs, so when in doubt, go for a tasty shot of liquor.