Keto or ketogenic diet is a popular low-carb diet for losing weight or improving a certain medical condition. This diet includes eating a high amount of fat, moderate protein, and small carbohydrates.
If you follow the keto diet, your body will start a ketosis-a metabolic process that triggers when it starts to burn stored fat instead of carbs and uses it as its energy source.
However, being on a keto diet doesn’t mean you have to give up alcohol. There’s a wide array of great-tasting and low-carb alcoholic drinks that you can consume while on a keto diet.
Liquors like vodka, tequila, gin, whiskey, brandy, and rum don’t contain carbs alone, but when mixed with juices, syrups, and liqueurs for making cocktails and mixed drinks, the carbs amount increases.
Therefore, if you want low-carb, keto-friendly mixed drinks and cocktails, you need to mix them with carbs–free mixers. Some of the best carbs-free mixers include sparkling water, soda water, seltzer water, or unsweetened sugar–free juices.
Let’s learn about keto mixed drinks and how to order these drinks at a bar.
Also check: 20 Best Low Calorie Tequila Drinks
Keto Mixed Drinks to Order At a Bar: 15 Best Options
Classic cocktails and mixed drinks are full of carbohydrates and can easily take you out of ketosis and prevent you from reaching the wanted results with your keto diet.
To avoid this, you can make a few substitutions and make yourself a delicious low-carb version of various classic cocktails and mixed drinks.
The best keto mixed drinks you can order at a bar are the non-carb or low-carb mixed drinks.
These keto drinks below are exactly the drinks you’re looking for; pick your favorite and enjoy.
1. Vodka Collins
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Vodka Collins is a popular refreshing cocktail. It’s made with vodka, simple syrup, lemon juice, and club soda.
This sweet-sour cocktail is easy to make keto-friendly if you skip the simple syrup or use a keto sweetener.
You can also order Vodka Collins at a bar if you ask for vodka over ice and lemon juice garnished with an orange wedge.
This cocktail is keto-friendly and safe for your keto diet.
More: 20 Best Non-Carbonated Alcoholic Drinks
2. Low Carb Cosmopolitan
Classic Cosmopolitan cocktail is another good-tasting drink that has many variations. It’s made with vodka, orange liqueur, lime, and cranberry juice.
You can make this cocktail low-carb if you substitute the orange liqueur with orange extract and the cranberry juice with its sugar-free version. Pour the ingredients into a shaker half-filled with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with a lime slice and serve.
Simple, easy, and great tasting low-carb Cosmopolitan version. If the bartender doesn’t have some of these ingredients, you can make the Low Carb Cosmopolitan at home to enjoy.
3. Bourbon and Water
When you’re on a keto diet, straight liquor such as bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila, brandy, or vodka is a good choice because it doesn’t have hidden carbs.
You can enjoy these liquors as a shot or on the rocks.
A splash of water is usually added to liquors to open their flavors and aroma and reduce alcohol intensity. Bourbon and a splash of water will keep you in ketosis, but only if you drink moderately.
4. Pickleback
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Pickleback is a good-tasting, easy-to-make drink with only two ingredients: Jameson whiskey and pickle juice.
If you think this combination is strange, you must try it to ensure its good flavor.
Pickleback is a simple, popular drink served in many bars, but you can also prepare it at home. Pour one glass of Jameson and another glass of chilled pickle juice.
First, take the whiskey shot, chase it with the pickle juice shot, and enjoy.
5. Gin Martini
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The classic Gin Martini is one of the best cocktails you can order at a bar if you’re on a keto diet because it has a low carbohydrate content.
You can also choose other variations of the martini, like a perfect, dirty martini, vodka martini, or Gibson, which are also keto-friendly.
Gin Martini is a cocktail made with dry vermouth and gin, garnished with olives or a lemon twist. It has a light, refreshing botanical flavor and is a perfect cocktail for your night out.
6. Brandy Separator
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Brandy Separator is the right cocktail if you like the coffee flavor. It’s made with brandy and coffee liqueur, which is not keto-friendly, but there is a good substitution: cold brew coffee or chilled espresso.
You will not get the same sweet flavor as with the coffee liqueur, but you will get the coffee flavor characteristic of this drink. The brandy’s almond, oak, and fresh fruit notes pair well with the coffee flavor.
Brandy Separator is usually served in an old-fashioned glass with ice cubes and without garnish. There is a creamy variation of this cocktail with heavy cream, which has a small amount of carbs and is keto-friendly.
You can also use plant-based milk instead, like soy, coconut, almond, or cashew, and a low-carb sweetener.
7. Scotch and Soda
Scotch and Soda is another keto drink you can order at a bar. It’s made with just two ingredients but has a great flavor. Make sure the soda is unsweetened when ordering this drink at a bar.
Lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, and club soda make good options.
If you’re making this drink at home, you can adjust the amount of soda to your taste. Scotch and Soda is a refreshing drink with light floral, citrus, and dry fruit notes.
It’s served in a highball or old-fashioned glass filled with ice and garnished with lemon wedge or twist.
8. Wine Spritzer
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Dry and sparkling wines make a good option on a keto diet, ad they’re low in carbs. They’re available at bars, so you can order this wine-based drink: Wine Spritzer.
The only thing you should pay close attention to is the type of wine because sweet and dessert wines contain more carbs.
The best keto-friendly white wines are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, or Pinot Grigio, while red wines include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir.
Wine Spritzer is easy to make because all you need is your favorite dry wine and club soda or sparkling water. You can add a citrus garnish as a final touch to this great-tasting refreshing wine-based cocktail.
9. Keto Margarita
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If your favorite drink is Margarita, but you’re on a keto diet, then don’t worry because there is a Keto Margarita that you can order at a bar.
Margarita is a cocktail that has many variations because tequila pairs well with many different fruits. The Classic Margarita has a refreshing citrus flavor. It’s made with only three ingredients-tequila, triple sec-orange flavored liqueur, and lime juice.
The Classic Margarita recipe is a base for other margaritas.
Keto Margarita is naturally sweetened and tastes similar to Classic Margarita. You can make it at home with tequila, fresh lime juice, orange extract, keto simple syrup or other keto sweetener, ice cubes, sea salt, and lime wedges for garnish.
But if you want to order a Keto Margarita at a bar, you need to tell the bartender to omit the orange liqueur, and you can sweeten your cocktail with stevia powder or powdered erythritol.
If you miss the orange flavor, 2-3 drops of freshly squeezed orange juice will do. That way, you will get your Keto Margarita to enjoy.
10. Low Carb Mojito
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Mojito is one of the most popular cocktails that can be transferred into a low-carb cocktail, like many other popular cocktails.
This great-tasting, refreshing cocktail consists of white rum, club soda, lime juice, white sugar, and mint leaves.
Mojito has many variations, and you can easily adjust the ingredients and make them to your taste when preparing it at home. If you want to order Low Carb Mojito at a bar, you can tell the bartender to omit the sugar and use a low-carb sweetener such as erythritol, stevia, allulose, or xylitol.
Your Mojito will have the same taste but fewer carbs.
11. Keto Cuba Libre
Cuba Libre is a simple but great-tasting cocktail. It’s made with three ingredients-white rum, cola, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
Cuba Libre is similar to Rum and Coke. What distinguishes it from it’s the added fresh lime juice that cuts down the sweet cola flavor and lightens up the mixture.
If you’re on a keto diet, you can order Keto Cuba Libre at a bar if it’s made with diet coke instead of regular coke. That way, you will enjoy this cocktail’s refreshing flavor and not worry that you will get out of ketosis.
12. Keto Old Fashioned
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Old Fashioned is one of the oldest cocktails made with bourbon or rye whiskey, bitters, water, sugar, ice, orange peel, and maraschino cherry for garnish.
There are many variations of Old Fashioned made with different ingredients, and Keto Old Fashion is one of them.
It’s easy to make and equally great tasting as the original Old Fashioned.
When ordering Keto Old Fashioned at a bar, ask the bartender to omit the sugar and add some sugar–free sweetener in powder instead.
Bitters also contain carbs, and reducing their amount will also reduce the carbs. When you have your Keto Old Fashioned served, all you have to do is enjoy its taste.
13. Low Carb Moscow Mule
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Moscow Mule is a refreshing cocktail with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice.
It’s traditionally served in a copper mug and garnished with a lime slice. Many variations of Moscow Mule are made with different liquor like bourbon, tequila, dark rum, and Irish whiskey.
But there is also a low-carb variation of Moscow Mule that you can drink on a keto diet. It’s made with sugar-free ginger beer instead of regular ginger beer, while the other ingredients are the same.
So if they have a sugar-free ginger beer at your favorite bar, they will make this cocktail so you can drink some liquor while on a keto diet.
14. Keto Long Island Iced Tea
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Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail made with gin, vodka, white rum, white tequila, triple sec, lemon juice, simple syrup, cola, ice, and a lemon wedge for garnish.
It’s a refreshing good-tasting cocktail that is not keto-friendly because it contains carbs from the triple sec, simple syrup, and cola.
But if Long Island Iced Tea is your favorite cocktail and you want to drink it while you’re on a keto diet, you can order its keto variation at a bar.
It’s made with sugar-free sweetener instead of simple syrup, orange extract instead of triple sec, and diet cola instead of regular cola, while the rest of the ingredients remain the same.
To get this drink, all you have to do is to ask the bartender and wait for a while. Keto Long Island Iced Tea is served with a lemon wedge, the same as its original variation.
15. Low-Carb Raspberry Mimosa
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Mimosa is a fruity, bubbly cocktail perfect for various occasions.
Classic Mimosa recipe is made with chilled freshly squeezed orange juice, sparkling wine, triple sec, and an orange slice for garnish.
Mimosa same, like other classic and popular cocktails, has many variations. Mimosas are made with pineapple, peach, cranberry, raspberry, pomegranate, apple, grapefruit, watermelon, and other fruit juices.
Low-Carb Raspberry Mimosa is one of the many Mimosas.
It’s made with sugar-free raspberry syrup, dry champagne, unsweetened raspberry tea, and fresh raspberries for garnish. You can order Low Carb Raspberry Mimosa at a bar and enjoy its light, fruity, refreshing flavor.
Related Questions
What Alcohol Can I Order at Bar on Keto?
There are many low-carb alcoholic drinks you can order at a bar when you’re on keto. The best option is the spirits like vodka, tequila, gin, whiskey, brandy, rum, white, red, and rose dry wines, sparkling wines, light beers, and low or carb-free mixed drinks and cocktails.
Spirits
Straight spirits such as whiskey, tequila, gin, vodka, brandy, and rum don’t contain carbohydrates and are the best option when ordering alcohol at a bar while on a keto diet. But remember that even though they don’t have carbs, straight liquors contain calories and can add them to your daily intake.
Wine
White, red, rose dry, and sparkling wines are also low in carbs. One glass of these wines has only two carbs, while sweeter, dessert, and fortified wines contain more carbs and are not recommended for you to drink when you’re on a keto diet.
Beer
Beer is high in carbs and is not a good option when you’re on a keto diet, except for light beers, which contain about three carbs per serving.
But not all light beers are low in carbs, so it’s better to read the label to ensure they’re good for you while on a keto diet.
Mixed drinks and cocktails
Mixed drinks and cocktails are also good to drink while on the keto diet if you avoid the ones made with fruit juices, liqueurs, sweetened sodas, and other ingredients with naturally occurring or added sugar.
Mixers like soda water, sparkling water, sugar-free juices and teas, and other low or sugar-free mixers are the best to use while on a keto diet.
How Do You Order Keto Drinks at a Bar?
When ordering keto drinks at a bar, you need to tell the bartender to omit the sweeteners, fruit juices, liqueurs, and other ingredients with high sugar content.
Instead of regular sweeteners, the bartender can use sugar-free sweeteners such as stevia, erythritol, monk fruit sweetener, allulose, or xylitol.
What Mixers Can You Have on Keto?
The best mixers you can have while on keto are free or low-carb. Some of the best carbs-free mixers are sparkling water, soda water, seltzer water, or unsweetened sugar–free juices.
What Should I Order at Pub Keto?
At pub keto, you should order straight spirits such as whiskey, tequila, gin, vodka, brandy, or rum, low or sugar-free mixed drinks and cocktails, white, red, and rose dry wines, sparkling wines, and light beers.
What Alcohol Will Not Kick You Out of Ketosis?
Straight spirits such as whiskey, tequila, gin, vodka, brandy, and rum are the alcohol that will not kick you out of ketosis.
Is Vodka and Diet Sprite Keto-Friendly?
Vodka and diet sprite is a keto-friendly drink because vodka is carbs–free, and diet sprite is sweetened with artificial sweetener –aspartame, and doesn’t contain carbs either.
Summary
If you’re on a keto diet, that doesn’t mean you must stop drinking alcohol.
You can consume many low-carb mixed drinks and cocktails at a bar; you only have to know how to order them.
I’m sure the bartender will prepare you a delicious carb-free drink so you can enjoy it on your night out. Don’t forget to drink moderately to stay in ketosis and continue your keto diet.
