Hosting a New Year’s party to ring in the new year? Whether you’re hosting a small gathering or going all-out for a big party, drinks are an essential component of a thriving party. Most New Year’s parties start early — which means several hours of sipping on fun, festive cocktails or mixed drinks such as sangria. These delicious drinks taste great in the moment of celebration but are likely to leave you feeling tired and sluggish come New Year’s Day. Sugary alcoholic drinks can make the next-day hangover worse, leaving you feeling bloated and dehydrated.
Whether you’re on a keto diet or just want to wake up feeling great on New Year’s Day, swapping sugary drinks for these low-carb alcoholic drinks is a smart move. With these options, you can hold the sugar and still enjoy a delicious, flavor-packed beverage to celebrate the new year. Below, we’ll dive into everything you need to know to make these low-carb cocktails and outline which sugary
Low-carb alcoholic drinks
Low-carb alcoholic cocktails generally contain many of the same ingredients. In terms of alcohol choice for your cocktails, opt for pure hard liquor such as vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, or tequila. These hard liquors do not contain carbs, making them the perfect base for any keto drink. If you’re looking to cut sugar, some wines and beers are also low in carbs. Champagne is another popular drink served at New Year’s parties, and it tends to be low in sugar, too.
If you plan on serving champagne to say hello to the new year, look for brut or extra brut varieties, which are the lowest in carb and sugar content. Of course, unless you’re planning on taking shots of straight liquor at your New Year’s party, you’ll want to find low-carb cocktail mixers to create a delicious drink for your party.
Standard alcoholic mixers such as Bloody Mary Mix or Margarita Mix contain high amounts of sugar and unhealthy ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup. Instead, using diet soda or juices, seltzer, or diet tonic water as mixers can help you cut down on sugar. Today, some products are even marketed as keto-friendly alcoholic mixers, such as Zevia’s mixers.
Low carb mojito
If you love the sweet and minty taste of a mojito, you’re in luck! This drink can easily be transformed into a low-carb cocktail by swapping out sugary sodas for diet versions. Made with zero-carb liquor such as rum or vodka and diet soda, you can enjoy the fresh, minty taste of a mojito without drinking excessive sugar.
Ingredients:
- 6 mint leaves
- 1.5 oz White Rum or Vodka (use unflavored vodka or rum, if possible)
- 2 teaspoons lime juice fresh
- 1 oz Citrus Fresca Club Soda
- 0.5 oz Diet 7up (or other similar diet, clear soda)
Method:
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Take a cocktail glass and add the mint leaves. You can also serve a mojito in a highball glass.
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Muddle for a few seconds to release the oils.
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Add ice, about halfway, or as much to your preference. Add the rum or vodka, lime juice, club soda, and diet 7up, and stir for a few seconds. Stirring helps to mix the ingredients and chill at the same time. Enjoy!
Low-carb Moscow mule
Served in a copper mug, a Moscow mule is another classic cocktail that is often high in sugar. The cocktail mixer used in this beverage is ginger beer, which often contains a high amount of sugar and carbohydrates. However, a few simple modifications can make it easy to create a low-carb variation of this classic beverage. Here’s how to make a delicious, low-sugar variation of this cocktail.
Ingredients:
- 4 fluid oz vodka
- 1 fluid oz lime juice
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 ½ cups sugar-free ginger beer
- 2 lime wedges for garnish (optional)
Method:
- Pour vodka and lime juice into 2 copper mugs.
- Add ice cubes and sugar-free ginger beer; stir to combine.
- Add lime slices to garnish (optional)
Vodka soda
A vodka soda is perhaps one of the most basic yet classic low-carb cocktails. This drink requires only two simple ingredients, which makes it one of the “cleanest” drinks you can find and one that can help you reduce your next-day hangover symptoms. At nearly zero carbs, a vodka soda is the perfect drink to help you keep on track with your keto diet too. Here’s what you’ll need to make a classic vodka soda:
Ingredients:
- 1 oz of any vodka
- 4 oz of club soda (or any sparkling soda that has no sugar, such as La Croix)
- Lime for garnish (optional)
Note: Any brand of standard vodka can be used to make this drink. You could also use flavored vodkas that have an essence of flavor, such as citron or raspberry vodka. However, make sure to check to ensure your flavored vodka does not have added sugar. Also, adding a squeeze of lime or lemon into the vodka soda itself can give it a bit of added flavor without adding any sugar.
Method:
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Pour vodka and soda water over the ice. Gently stir to combine.
- Squeeze in a lime wedge and enjoy!
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