Low Carb Cocktails For The Holidays

Why make these low carb cocktails?

Celebrating holidays and special occasions may be tough for those on the keto diet. Your favorite high-carb drinks are off limits. And keto-friendly alcohol are usually hard liquors, which not everyone’s a fan of. Fortunately, low carb cocktails offer the best of both worlds, so you can enjoy alcohol with a lot more flavor!  

You don’t need to be a bartender to make any of these cocktails. These are all easy to make and won’t take more than 5-10 minutes of your time. All recipes are good for 2 servings, so it’s perfect for sharing with your special someone (do try not to drink both servings yourself). Whether you’re celebrating the holidays alone, with a date, or with your entire family, everyone will love these low carb cocktails!

 

Nutrition Info

Keto Hot Butter Rum	Calories	Fats (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Net Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
1 stick (8 tbsp) butter	814	92.1	0.1	0	0.1	1
½ cup granulated erythritol	0	0	0	0	0	0
1½ tbsp sugar-free maple syrup	15	0	6	0	6	0
½ tsp vanilla extract	6	0	0.3	0	0.3	0
½ cup heavy cream	207	22.2	1.7	0	1.7	1.2
¼ tsp ground nutmeg	3	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.2	0
¼ tsp ground cinnamon	1	0	0.5	0.3	0.2	0
1/8 tsp ground cloves	1	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.1	0
60ml rum	130	0	0	0	0	0
1 cup water	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	1177	114.6	9.1	0.5	8.6	2.2
Per Serving (<2)	589	57.3	4.6	0.3	4.3	1.1

 

Keto Strawberry Basil Bourbon Crash	Calories	Fats (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Net Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
6 frozen strawberries	23	0.2	5.5	1.4	4.1	0.5
6 basil leaves (add extra for garnish if desired)	1	0	0.1	0.1	0	0.1
2 tsp powdered erythritol	0	0	0	0	0	0
120 ml bourbon	261	0	0	0	0	0
60 ml fresh lemon juice	15	0.5	1.3	0.3	1	0.5
Pinch of ground black pepper	0	0	0.1	0	0	0
Total	300	0.7	7	1.8	5.1	1.1
Per Serving (<2)	150	0.4	3.5	0.9	2.6	0.6

 

Keto Berry Cooler	Calories	Fats (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Net Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
½ cup cranberries, (optionally, include extra for garnish)	30	0	5	2	3	0
4 tsp powdered erythritol	0	0	0	0	0	0
60 ml dry gin	148	0	0	0	0	0
4 lemon wedges	8	0.1	2.6	0.8	1.8	0.3
2 tbsp lemon juice	7	0.2	0.6	0.1	0.5	0.2
120ml Prosecco	75	0	1	0	1	0
Total	268	0.3	9.2	2.9	6.3	0.5
Per Serving (<2)	134	0.2	4.6	1.5	3.2	0.3

So, what’s the right keto cocktail for you?

The answer depends on you. You can make all 3 if you like. But to help you make a more informed decision, here’s a table summarizing the different macronutrients of each low carb cocktail recipe.  

Keto Cocktail	Calories	Fat	Net carbs	Protein
Keto Hot Butter Rum	589	57.3g	4.3g	1.1
Keto Strawberry Basil Bourbon Crash	150	0.4	2.6	0.6
Keto Berry Cooler	134	0.2	3.2	0.3

Here are a few tips to help you make the right choice:

Choose Keto Hot Butter Rum if you want to serve up something hot, especially if it’s snowing outside. It’s the perfect, creamy, decadent holiday cocktail. The non-keto version is usually loaded with sugar, but it’s not something you need to worry about in this recipe. Now, mind you, it does have a lot more calories, fats, and net carbs than the other 2 cocktails. So, I highly recommend you plan out your daily macros to not get kicked out of ketosis, especially if you’re going to be pairing it up with some yummy treats later on.

Choose Keto Strawberry Basil Bourbon Crash if you like the taste of strawberry and basil, or if you’re a bourbon fan. As you can see on the table, this is the lowest carb option at only 2.6g net carbs per serving. This drink is perfect for drinking on a warm, sunny day but it will still work as the perfect holiday drink, too!

Choose Keto Berry Cooler if you’re a fan of cranberries and/or the Italian prosecco (made from grapes). Unlike rum and bourbon which have 40% ABV (alcohol by volume), prosecco has only 12% ABV. Personally, I find this to be the tastiest of the bunch thanks to the fun, fruity flavors all mixed in together.

Drinking alcohol responsibly while on keto…

I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer here, but on keto, you need to watch your alcohol intake. When you’re in ketosis, your body’s alcohol tolerance is very low. This is due to the lack of carbs present in your body. So, drinking alcohol means that you’re going to feel its effects faster and stronger than in your pre-keto days.  

Strong hangovers are to be expected on keto. If you can’t handle being hungover, stick to one serving of Keto Berry Cooler, or maybe a couple of sips of either Keto Hot Butter Rum or Keto Strawberry Basil Bourbon Crash. Try your best to stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water will help your body flush out all the toxins faster (because alcohol is a toxin).

What if I don’t drink alcohol?

For anyone not interested in drinking alcohol on keto – mocktails are for you! These are fake cocktails that don’t contain any alcohol, so you’re not going to get any buzz from drinking these. You can play around with different ingredients. But for starters you can mix low carb fruit (berries, lime, lemon) with diet tonic, seltzer, club soda or sparkling water, and serve over crushed ice.

What to serve with low carb cocktails?

You can serve the usual cheeseboard, charcuterie, and mixed nuts with your keto cocktails (or mocktails if you don’t wish to imbibe). If you’ve got a bit more time to prepare, consider making these keto-friendly recipes for your party!

Keto Deviled Eggs – bite size and oh so tasty, perfect for any occasion!

Oven-Fried Keto Sriracha Buffalo Wings – because who can resist buffalo wings when you’ve got great company?!

Christmas Keto Pigs in Blankets with Fondue – nope, you don’t need a plate to eat this, only fingers!

Keto Broccoli Cheddar Egg Muffins – easy to make and fun to eat!

Now over to you…

Have you tried any of these low carb cocktails before – or are you planning to make these soon? Feel free to make adjustments as you see fit, all these recipes are versatile. Drop a line in the comments below if you found our recipes helpful, we’d love to hear from you!