How To Drink Alcohol On The Keto Diet

It’s no secret that alcohol and the keto diet don’t always mix well. If you’re trying to stay in ketosis, drinking alcohol can be a bit of a challenge. But it’s not impossible! In this blog post, I will share tips on how to drink alcohol while on the keto diet as well as what type of alcohol is allowed. I’ll also provide a list of keto-friendly alcoholic drinks that you can enjoy without ruining your progress.

✨ Alcohol on keto: What can you drink?

If you’re following the keto diet, you may be wondering if alcohol is allowed. The answer is yes – you can drink alcohol on the keto diet, but there are a few things to keep in mind. There are also a lot of myths and misconceptions about drinking.

Will it kick you out of ketosis?

What is the best alcohol to drink?

What drinks should you definitely avoid?

This guide will cover all of that and more! We will look closely at what alcohol is, how it affects your body, what to drink, and what to avoid.

You will also learn how many carbs are in your favorite mixed drinks. It might even make you rethink ordering that margarita at that Mexican restaurant tonight.

Let’s get started!

➡️ What is alcohol?

Alcohol is a drink that has undergone fermentation and typically acts as a depressant and causes relaxation or drowsiness. It basically slows down your body’s metabolism and nervous system.

“Alcohol” encompasses a wide range of all types of drinks, from mixed drinks such as margaritas to hard liquors like bourbon.

👉 How does alcohol affect your body?

There are a few different ways that alcohol can affect your body, both in the short term and long term. It really comes down to how much and how often you drink.

When alcohol is consumed, your liver will start to break it down into a sugar called acetate. Acetate is then used for energy by your body, which means that fat burning will be put on hold.

Your liver can safely metabolize about one drink per hour. After that, you risk feeling other side effects that people commonly refer to as “feeling buzzed” or drunk.

Short-term side effects of drinking are:

• Loss of coordination
• Trouble concentrating
• Mood swings
• Dulled perception
• Raised blood pressure

If someone is a heavy drinker, bombarding the liver with alcohol can have serious long-term effects such as:

• Memory loss
• Shortened attention span
• Liver fibrosis
• Cancer
• Fatty liver
• Stroke
• Irregular heartbeat

Binge drinking could also lead to alcohol poisoning and even death. For this article, however, we are going to be tackling responsible drinking – drinks in moderation. That means less than four drinks per day.

➕ Health benefits of alcohol

You may have heard that alcohol in moderation has some health benefits, like drinking one glass of wine a day is actually good for you. And that’s true!

Alcohol can improve your cardiovascular health by:

• Increasing HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)
• Reducing the formation of blood clots
• Helping to prevent heart disease, stroke, and diabetes

It can also help to protect your brain from cognitive decline and dementia!

Alcohol can also have positive effects on your mental health by:

• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Improving sleep quality
• Increasing feelings of well-being and happiness

The negative side effects stem from abusing alcohol. So, if you drink more than your body can handle, it will hurt you in the long run. Keep in mind that alcohol can only have these benefits if you drink it in moderation.

What is moderate alcohol consumption?

These limits differ based on your age, activity level, and other factors. According to The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA), it is up to four alcoholic drinks for men and three for women on any single day, and a maximum of 14 drinks for men and seven drinks for women per week.

However, this does depend on your size and body. Four drinks might not affect some people, while it could make them drunk with others. 

⬇️ Will drinking kick you out of ketosis?

It really depends on how much alcohol you’re drinking. One or two drinks shouldn’t affect your ketosis, but if you’re consuming more than that it probably will.

Drinking alcohol could disrupt your keto diet in a couple of ways:

• If you have mixed drinks containing too much sugar, it could throw you out of ketosis.
• If you consume too much alcohol, you might lose your self-control and eat excess carbs.

As with most everything you eat or drink on the keto diet, you may have to track your macros, depending on your goals. Some alcohol has no carbs, and some drinks are mixed with fruit juice and sugary syrups, so you’ll need to watch out for those.

While drinking straight alcohol in moderation is fine, drinking too much and too often or mixing drinks with fruit and sugar will negatively impact your health.

Now that we know a little bit more about alcohol, let’s talk about how to drink responsibly on the keto diet!

🍸 Best alcohol to drink on keto

Now that you know more about alcohol, let’s look at the best types to drink when you are on the keto diet. Keep this list handy, so you know what to drink when you go out next.

The best zero-carb alcohol to drink is straight liquor. You can also have dry wines and the popular spiked seltzer drinks!

Pure alcohol

If you are going to drink while on keto, taking shots of pure alcohol or liquor is your best choice. They don’t have any carbs. So, for example, a ‘Jack On The Rocks’ is better for your diet than a ‘Jack and Coke’.

Here are the main types of alcohol and their carb counts:

• Vodka: 0 grams of net carbs
• Gin: 0 grams of net carbs
• Tequila: 0 grams of net carbs
• Whiskey: 0 grams of net carbs
• Rum: 0 grams of net carbs

Wine does have carbs, but not much. We will dive into that in a bit.

Low-carb mixers

If you aren’t a fan of straight liquor, I don’t blame you. It can be rough! Thankfully, there are some keto-friendly mixers you can use.

• Always choose sugar-free mixers like diet soda. Once in a while, diet soda is okay. Just don’t consume too much since it has aspartame in it.
• Sugar-free seltzer water is another good alternative. Gin and tonic is a keto-friendly mixed drink.
• Another great sugar-free option is to use unsweetened iced tea. Mix in either some rum or bourbon. The flavor is actually rather good!

Need more ideas? Try one of these 30 keto cocktail recipes.

Wine on keto

Five ounces of red or white wine has about 3-4 grams of carbs in it. So yes, wine is safe on keto. Just be careful with how much you are drinking!

Drink dry wines when you are in ketosis – they have less sugar in them. That is what makes them taste so strong. Avoid sweet wines, as they have more sugar in them since they have a shorter fermentation process.

These are the best types of wine you can drink while on the keto diet:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Noir
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Pinot Grigio
• Pinot Blanc

Is White Claw and Truly keto?

White Claw is a really popular spiked seltzer drink, but can you drink it on the keto diet?

They are made with seltzer water, grain-free alcohol, and fruit flavorings and without any added sugars. Most brands have about 5% alcohol per 12-ounce can.

Good news, you can drink both!

Here are the macros in one 12-ounce can:

• White Claw: 2 grams sugar, 2 grams carbs
• Truly: 1 gram sugar, 2 grams carbs

Remember: Always keep track of your macros.

🍹 Worst alcohol to drink on keto

So, that’s what you can safely drink while on the keto diet. Now let’s look at what you should definitely avoid!

The worst alcohol to drink on keto is anything that is high in carbs and sugar. This includes:

• Mixed drinks with fruit juice or soda
• Sweet wine
• Beer
• Flavored hard liquor
• Anything else that contains a lot of carbs or sugar

These drinks will quickly kick you out of ketosis and are best avoided altogether.

Sugary cocktails

Always avoid any sweet mixed drinks. They are usually made with syrups, fruit juices, and other high-carb ingredients. You might be amazed at how many carbs are in your favorite mixed drinks.

Here are the most popular sweet drinks and their macros:

• Margaritas: pre-made margarita mix has 72 grams of sugar per cup
• Sangria: 18 grams of carbs per glass
• Bloody Mary: pre-made bloody mary mix has 11 grams of carbs per cup
• Sex on the Beach: 11 grams of carbs per glass
• Pina Colada: about 32 grams of carbs per cocktail
• Strawberry Daquiri: 31 grams carbs
• Screwdriver: 20 grams of carbs
• Mimosa: 8 grams of carbs in 5 ounces

There are lots of ways to enjoy cocktails when you are on keto. You just have to make them yourself with sugar-free and low-carb ingredients.

Tip: I have an amazing keto cocktail recipe you should try – Keto Champagne Margarita. It’s low-carb and amazing!

Sweet wines

Sweet wines are safe on keto if you track your macros and know you have extra carbs you can consume.

The dangerous thing about sweet wines like Moscato is they taste so good you are more likely to drink more than you should.

These are the dessert wines you should avoid if you are eating low-carb:

• Pink Zinfandel
• Moscato
• Riesling
• Rose
• Port/sherry wine
• Dessert wine
• Wine coolers

Beer on keto

The average beer has about 13 grams of carbs per bottle or can. This is because it’s made from some kind of grain.

If you really enjoy beer, choose light beer. Some light beers like Miller Light only have about 3 grams of carbs per can. There are also low-carb beers you can drink too. Budweiser Select 55 and Miller 64 are the most popular ones.

❌ When to avoid alcohol

Should you avoid alcohol entirely when you are on the keto diet? There are some warning signs to look for.

• If drinking makes you crave food, avoid it. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, and you will be more likely to lose track of what you’re consuming.
• Do you drink to excess? Getting drunk wreaks havoc on your body. It’s best to enjoy one drink at a time if you are going to drink at all. If you think you might have a problem binge drinking, seek help.
• Finally, if you always crave sweeter drinks, maybe stop drinking entirely. As you read above, sweet drinks have too much sugar and carbs to help you stay in ketosis.

🥃 Keto-friendly alcohol brands

Let’s break this down even further! These are our top picks for low-carb and keto alcohol brands that you can confidently drink while on a low-carb diet. Remember to always track your macros, even when you drink alcohol that has almost no carbs.

Vodka

All brands of pure vodka contain zero carbs; you just have to pay attention to how many calories they have. Our favorite brands are smooth and easy to drink.

The best keto vodka brands are:

• Smirnoff: 97 calories
• Grey Goose: 103 calories
• Burnett’s: 96 calories

Whiskey

Whiskey also has zero carbs, but the amount of calories varies by brand.

These are the best types of whiskey by brand name:

• Jack Daniels: 98 calories
• Jim Beam: 104 calories
• Wild Turkey: 104 calories

Tequila

This type of alcohol is used in margaritas and other mixed drinks.

These are the most popular brands of tequila that you can buy:

• Don Julio: 96 calories
• Tres Agaves: 102 calories
• Patron: 103 calories

Rum

A few brands of rum will have extra sugar and carbs, so always try to buy unsweetened or unflavored varieties.

These rums are a must-try:

• Malibu Island Spiced: 0 carbs and 72 calories
• Captain Morgan Spiced: 0.4 grams carbs and 86 calories
• Bacardi Superior: 0 carbs and 96 calories

Hard cider and seltzers

Surprisingly, ciders and seltzers have the most amount of carbs in them.

Here’s a quick look at the most popular brands:

• Truly Spiked: 2 grams carbs and 100 calories
• White Claw: 4 grams carbs and 110 calories
• Spiked Seltzer: 5 grams carbs and 140 calories
• Nauti Seltzer: 5 grams carbs and 110 calories

SkinnyGirl wines

SkinnyGirl has a line of wines that can fit into a low-carb diet, as long as you control how many you drink.

Try these SkinnyGirl drinks:

• SkinnyGirl Prosecco: 2 grams carbs and 100 calories
• SkinnyGirl Pinot Grigio: 4 grams carbs and 100 calories
• SkinnyGirl Chardonnay: 5 grams carbs and 100 calories

💬 FAQs

⚖️ Moderation with keto diet and alcohol

Yes, you can enjoy alcohol while on the keto diet. Just be careful and drink in moderation! Always track your carbs and make sure you aren’t going over and consuming too many carbs.

More keto tips and inspiration

Keep focusing on your health. Here are some more keto resources that you’ll enjoy reading next:

• Keto Diet Rules – What Not To Eat
• What Happens to Your Body When You Go Into Ketosis?
• Keto Pre-Workout: What to Eat Before You Exercise
• High Fiber Keto Foods: Avoid Constipation Naturally
• 10 Low Carb Nut Free Snacks From Amazon