What Keto Alcohol Can I Drink?

What do you see wrong with this senario - lemon water during happy hour, toasting with club soda or black coffee with a fabulous steak dinner? Did you notice the absence of keto alcohol?

Is it even permissible to drink alcohol on the ketogenic diet? If so, what’s your pleasure? Is it an approved Keto alcohol? Further, how can you determine which types of alcohol Keto-compliant?

Confusing? You bet your strappy sandals it is. Just count yourself one among many perplexed Keto dieters.

Let’s look at the particulars of Keto alcohol.

What is the Stance on Keto Alcohol?

Alcohol is certainly not encouraged, but you may drink spirits in moderation. A couple of drinks may not bounce you out of ketosis, provided you only drink Keto alcohol. Alcoholic beverages will, however, deter your weight loss progress.

So, think before you drink!

Note: Scientists are singing a different song these days. In addition to health issues brought on by drinking alcohol excessively, researchers are finding that even moderate drinking is harmful to our health.

Alcohol is toxic. Your body has no provision for alcohol storage; therefore, your liver processes alcohol immediately. In the meantime, it puts a temporary hiatus on regular fat burning, which will negatively impact your weight loss endeavors.

In light of these studies, the current limit of alcohol drinks you can safely consume is one a day for females and two for men.

What’s the Word on Keto Alcohol?

Have you heard the phrase, “drinking your dinner”? Well, remember it, because you are at choice to either eat or drink your carb allowance.

High carb alcoholic drinks can kick you out of ketosis. The rule on Keto alcohol is to choose first from clear liquors, which usually do not contain carbs unlike most other types of alcoholic beverages. Do you have the courage of pursuit to change your alcoholic preferences?

Decision made? Great!

It is as essential to learn about Keto alcohol as it was to study Keto foods.

What Defines Clear Liquors?

If you decide to only drink Keto alcohol, explore the following clear liquors to see if you fancy any of them. Clear unflavored liquors are about 40 percent alcohol and generally do not contain carbs.

Ready to get busy with it? Let's take a look at what alcohol we can add to our keto shopping list!

Scotch Whiskey is an acquired taste. There are zero carbs in a serving of scotch. It is reputed that scotch drinkers have class. Perhaps because it is one of the most expensive ways to drink something that tastes like cough syrup packed with pepper.

Vodka is reputed to be flavorless, odorless and colorless. Some prefer vodka because other people won’t smell alcohol on their breath.

Rum (clear) is rife with flavor from coriander seeds to sugary pineapple with nuances of licorice, allspice and banana peeling. The typical rum and coke drink contains a whopping 12 carb grams. Drink it straight and there are no carbs.

Gin in its original form contains eight botanicals. Flavors in gin range from floral to citrusy, juniper to coriander.

Tequila comes in several types. Clear tequila will have notes of pepper, citrus or floral.

Keto Alcohol – Dark Liquors

Whiskey (Jack Daniels) may begin clear but take on the color of the oak barrels where it is stored for aging. Flavors, such as vanilla and caramel intermingle with an earthy scent. No carbs.

Brandy (Korbel) matures in quasi-charred American oak barrels that lend it their deep color. Its interesting taste combines apricot and caramel with traces of oak. Low carb with 1 gram per 1.5 ounces.

Cognac (Hennessy) emits nutty, woodsy aromas. Taste is rich in apple, grape, citrus and cinnamon candy. No carbs.

Note: It is not yet mandatory for manufacturers of alcoholic beverages to label their bottles with nutrition data. Therefore, we’ve provided data on several brand names of Keto alcohol.

Monitor the Mixers

If you aren’t a fan of liquor that is straight or mixed with water, be cautious because mixers like sodas, syrups, fruit juices, etc. cause your carb count to soar.

Several mixers or chasers you may use with Keto alcohol include sparkling water, diet soda, club soda and Crystal Light.

What About Wine?

Come on, get happy! You can enjoy a glass of wine with that sumptuous steak dinner, as long as it is low carb. Dry wines are optimal since they typically present with two net carb grams per glass.

Merlot with its 3.7 grams of carbs marries well with steak. One glass of Merlot with dinner will not bankrupt your carbohydrate allowance. Save your keto coffee for after the meal.

Wine enthusiasts report Merlot has a “soft” taste. See if your palate picks up on cocoa, cherries, plums or blackberries.

Chardonnay is typically a dry, full-bodied wine. Among its distinguishing flavors are lemon, apple, pineapple or papaya, with traces of vanilla if it was matured in oak barrels. Try to discern its “buttery” taste. You’ll expend about 3.2 carb grams per serving.

Pinot Blanc contains 3.8 carb grams per glass. Want to be the envy of your friends? In establishments where Chardonnay is not available, order Pinot Blanc. (Experts consider Pinot Blanc the pinch-hitter for Chardonnay.)

Crisp and clean wine with plush flavors of cinnamon, apples, melon and pear.

Is Beer Off the Keto Table?

Of all the alcohol in all the bars, backyard barbeques and celebrations, beer is preferred by the most people. It’s refreshing on a hot summer afternoon, relaxing after a stressful workday, plus beer drinkers adore its taste. Beer is so well loved; April 7 has been designated as National Beer Day.

There is a caveat – most beer is off-limits on a ketogenic diet. Regular beers deliver about 12 carb grams per 12-ounce can. On average, light beers contain about 6 grams of carbs. Ultra-light beer contains a respectable 2.5 carb grams.

Even though the Keto alcohol guide lists several brands of low-carb beers, don’t do the happy dance just yet. As you are aware, the key to Keto alcohol is moderation.

So, considering beer is conducive to guzzling and wine is best for sipping, which would you drink the most of?

After too many beers the consequences are terrible.

• • It’s been proven that Keto dieters suffer extreme hangovers. Drink more water than beer to keep yourself hydrated.
  • Too many carbs can zap you out of your hard-earned ketosis.
  • Your weight loss efforts will take a hike.

So, do you agree drinking beer on a ketogenic diet is likely not the best idea you’ve ever had?

However, If you’re not ready to put down your beer can just yet, here are several low carb beers that qualify as Keto alcohol.

Carb grams per 12-ounces:

• • Bud Select = 1.9
  • Miller Lite = 3.2
  • Corona Premier = 2.6
  • Michelob Ultra = 2.6

Is Champagne the Top Contender of Keto Alcohols?

Pop the cork, raise your flutes and say with me: Salute! (Italian for Cheers). Isn’t it wonderful to make the New Year welcome with a glass of bubbly vs. Club Soda?

Just be mindful that the net carbs in various champagnes fluctuate. Here are several low-carb options:

• • Brut Nature heads the pack at one carb gram per 5-ounce glass.
  • Extra Brut also has one carb per 5-ounce serving.
  • Brut has a touch of sweetness, but still comes in at one to one and one-half carb grams per 5-ounce glass.

Timely Tips About Keto Alcohol

Avoid Alcohol When Beginning Your Keto Diet

Keto neither forbids nor fosters alcohol.

There is a glut of busy work involved in the beginning of your Keto diet plan - reading a lot of food labels, restocking the pantry and fridge with low carb foods, planning meals and so on.

The real deal is that when you begin your Keto diet, you are just not ready to add alcohol into the mix. So, cut yourself a break and try to avoid alcohol until you’re comfortable with eating the low-carb way.

Then, study this article to learn about Keto alcohol.

Eat Before Imbibing in Keto Alcohol

When alcohol will be available where you are going, eat a nutritious high-fat meal before leaving. Otherwise, it’s tempting to succumb to crunchy munchies that aren’t permissible on your Keto diet, like yum-yum nachos, chips and dips, loaded potato skins, etc.

Be mindful that the body metabolizes liquor the same as carbs. Drinking alcohol accompanied by high carb snacks is a double whammy; ketosis will be kicked to the curb and weight loss efforts will be snail-paced.

Avert Umbrella Drinks

Fancy, fruity, flavored drinks, garnished with cutesy little umbrellas, like the Mai Tai or Pina Colada are best averted. Also, flavored drinks are sugar-laden, which escalates their carb count.

If your go-to drink is flavored, it may be worth some sleuthing. Did you know that Pina Colada in the can contains a whopping 61 carb grams? Eek!

Do you favor flavored vodka? Some vodkas, such as Absolut have no carbs. However, Pinnacle, whipped cream flavor, weighs in at 8 grams of carbs.

Are Sweet Drinks Forbidden?

Here, the old adage, “when in doubt leave it out” is applicable. Sugar is sweet, no matter where you put it and is included in the carb count. You can easily see that added sugar propels the carb count of alcohol that is low carb.

For instance, straight tequila does not contain carbs. But if you drink a 7- ounce margarita, you’ll consume 33 grams of carbs.

Avoid sweet drinks using juice, sodas, syrups, etc. as mixers:

• • Pina Colada with 32 carb grams in 4.5-ounces
  • Bloody Mary with 10 carb grams in one cup
  • Whiskey Sour with 14 carb grams in 3.5-ounces
  • Daiquiri with 33 carb grams in 6.8-ounce can

Also, eschew sweet wines like Zinfandel, dessert wines like Sauternes and fortified wines such as Sherry.

Do Liqueurs Qualify as Keto Alcohol?

Argh! When you’re out with friends do you relish an after-dinner coffee drink? Liqueurs, which are typically in these coffee drinks, are sweetened liquors. While they contain less alcohol, these are high carb frivolities you can’t afford on your Keto diet plan.

• • Amaretto = 17 carb grams per ounce
  • Baileys Irish Cream = 5.5 carb grams per ounce
  • Frangelico = 11 carb grams per ounce
  • Kahlua = 17 carb grams per ounce

Alternatives:

Brandy is a popular after-dinner drink, with no carbs. Note the alcohol content in Brandy can range from 35 - 60 percent. Vermouth is also a Keto alcohol you may enjoy after dinner. Just ensure you order plain Vermouth. at 1 carb gram per ounce, instead of the sweetened variety at 4 grams of carbs per ounce.

Alcohol and Weight Gain

We’ve already discussed that the body will process alcohol before burning fats, which hampers weight loss. But, did you know that alcohol contains empty calories?

Empty calories have few, if any nutrients. The ketogenic diet doesn’t dwell on counting calories, yet experience dictates an excessive calorie intake contributes to weight gain.

Even Keto alcohol is abundant in empty calories. When – oh my goodness – you mix alcohol with sweet sodas or fruit juices, calories and carbs shoot up like Jack’s beanstalk.

Further, if your alcohol of choice is beer, expect to grow a beer gut, because your body prefers to store accumulated fat in your abdomen.

Are There Cheat Days on Keto?

Keto is one of, if not the toughest diet to follow. It demands total fidelity and presents with zero flexibility. Keto entertains no tolerance for cheat days.

Even cheating a little bit, such as doing the town on Saturday night, but being “good” the rest of the week is not Keto-compliant. Whether you consume Keto alcohol or not, drinking to excess can wreck the ketosis you’ve worked so hard to attain.

Inevitably some numbers person will determine that he can “save” all his weekday drinks for the weekend. Wrong!

Cheating on Keto is truly a case of cheating yourself.

Final Thoughts

Go for the gusto with Keto. Follow the Keto dietary rules. If you drink alcoholic beverages, drink Keto alcohol.

Have you long believed there is a thin person inside you clamoring to get out? Do Keto, wait and see. You are becoming a thinner, healthier version of yourself. And that, Keto dears, deserves a champagne toast with your favorite keto alcohol.