15 Spectacular Keto Alcohol Recipes
From margaritas at your Cinco de Mayo party to hot buttered rum on New Year’s Eve, this list has all the keto alcohol recipes you need for fun and festive occasions.
If you like your drinks sweet, add a keto-friendly sweetener to taste. Click here to read about all your options.
SweetLeaf is the brand of stevia extract that I like to use for beverages because it adds pure sweetness without the herbal aftertaste. Perfect for cocktails.
What are you in the mood for? Open your liquor cabinet, and let’s get started!
Keto Alcohol Recipes
Sugar-Free Margarita
Image and recipe courtesy of Verywellfit
Skip the sugary triple sec and go straight to the bold flavor of a classic margarita. This recipes calls for orange extract (look for it in the baking aisle near the vanilla extract). Add a high-quality tequila and some freshly-squeezed lime juice. Coat the rim of your glass in salt and garnish with a slice of lime.
Serve your margaritas with savory keto tortilla chips. (Yes, keto tortilla chips!!)
Low Carb Old-Fashioned Cocktail
Image and recipe courtesy of Lowcarbhighparty
Like fedoras and ragtime music, this cocktail is a classic.
The traditional definition of a cocktail is a drink made from spirits, bitters, sugar, and water. This recipe calls for Splenda instead of sugar, but you can use stevia or any other keto-friendly sweetener.
Low Carb Cosmopolitan
Image and recipe courtesy of Verywellfit
If you love the sweet-tart taste of a cosmopolitan, you’re in luck. This recipe combines the bold flavors of fresh lime, pure cranberry juice, and orange extract into a bombshell of fruity goodness. Add some shaved ice for a festive twist.
Low Carb Red Sangria
Image and recipe courtesy of Lowcarb-ology
On hot summer afternoons, a cool glass of sangria is just what you need. Pull up a chair on the patio and enjoy the sound of birds and crickets. Or invite a few friends over and serve this beautiful beverage in an elegant glass pitcher.
All you need is red wine, Absolut Citron, ice, and berry-flavored Talking Rain (or sparkling water + powdered zero-carb water enhancer).
Low Carb Moscow Mule
Image and recipe courtesy of Ibreatheimhungry
The distinctive copper mug isn’t the only great thing about this drink. Invented in Manhattan during the 1940s, the Moscow Mule offers a ginger-lime kick that’s been popular since your granddaddy was a dapper young fella.
This keto alcohol recipe includes directions for making a simple syrup from a granulated sugar substitute like Swerve. But you can skip that step by using a sugar-free ginger ale like this one.
One last tip. If you decide to pick up some sassy copper mugs of your own, look for the ones that are only copper on the outside; the inside and lip should be made of stainless steel or nickel. The acidity of this drink causes a small amount of copper to dissolve into the beverage, which is a health concern (you can read about it on Snopes). Here’s a handsome set of food-safe Moscow Mule copper mugs.
Hibiscus Tea Cocktail
Image and recipe courtesy of Delicioustabe
This ruby-red cocktail might actually qualify as a health tonic!
Hibiscus flower tea offers an amazing range of health benefits. For example, a number of studies have shown that hibiscus lowers blood pressure. It also contains bioflavonoids that serve as a natural remedy for depression and antioxidants that protect your body against free radical damage.
Even more amazing, hibiscus helps lower insulin resistance (a major problem for pre-diabetics and for many folks who have difficulty losing weight). It also speeds up metabolism! You can read about it here.
This recipe calls for conventional grocery store teabags. But it’s much more tasty if you get fresh hibiscus tea from a quality herbal supplier (and if you’re hoping for health benefits, that’s the only way to go).
This hibiscus tea blend is potent and delicious. You can also get pure hibiscus flowers, not blended with other flavors.
But enough about health benefits. Bring out the cocktail glasses!
Low Carb Tom Collins
Image and recipe courtesy of Verywellfit
Who can resist this sparkling lemonade with a pleasing hint of fragrant juniper? It’s a refreshing way to cool down on an August afternoon.
The first Tom Collins recipe was published in the Steward and Barkeeper’s Manual of 1869. That version called for a teaspoon of sugar, but this keto alcohol recipe is carb-free, as long as you use plain seltzer water instead of sugar-laden tonic water. Gin, like other hard alcohols, contains zero carbs.
Kamikaze Shot: Low Carb & Sugar-Free
Image and recipe courtesy of Ketogasm
Did you know that “kamikaze” is a Japanese word meaning “divine wind”? You’ll be blown away by this sweet and simple cocktail. It’s a fun way to get your party started!
A traditional Kamikaze is made from equal parts vodka, triple sec, and lime juice. This keto version calls for ice, lime juice, stevia, and vodka. So if you love that orange-y flavor, I recommend using the SweetLeaf orange-flavored liquid stevia.
Grapefruit Ginger Fizz
Image and recipe courtesy of Mylifecookbook
Zesty and fruity, this ginger-and-grapefruit cocktail can be served as a refreshing punch the next time you have friends over. (In which case, you might want to adjust the ratio of seltzer to alcohol so your guests can drink it more freely).
This recipe shows you how to create a sugar-free simple syrup. It’s delicious as is, or you can use my personal variation. I like to infuse the vodka with grapefruit zest.
To do this, place the zest of two grapefruits into a pint-sized mason jar. Fill the jar 3/4 full with vodka. Place a plastic sandwich baggie over the top (you don’t want the metal lid to touch your tincture) and screw the lid on. Shake and let stand for a few minutes while you get the other ingredients ready.
You can enjoy this grapefruit-infused vodka immediately. If you don’t use it all, just leave the grapefruit zest in the jar. The flavor will continue to deepen over the next few days. (And don’t worry; the zest will be preserved in the alcohol, so you don’t need to remove it.)
I recommend adding a couple slices of fresh ginger root to each glass before serving. Alternatively, you could get that gingery flavor from a stevia-sweetened ginger ale.
Low Carb Cherry Gin Fizz
Image and recipe courtesy of Lowcarb-ology
Impress your guests with this authentic Cherry Gin Fizz, the sophisticated cousin of the Tom Collins. The preparation is a little more involved than some of the other recipes in this collection, but it’s totally worth it. The dramatic two-tone presentation of this beautiful cocktail will establish your reputation as a mixology master.
Spicy Margarita
Image and recipe courtesy of Ketodietapp
Here’s an adventurous twist on the classic margarita. Muddled with jalapeno, this drink offers a truly unique hot-and-cold experience that will fascinate your palate. Do you dare? (Psst! Do you need some keto fajitas to go with your spicy margarita?)
Grape Nehi Cocktail
Image and recipe courtesy of Lowcarb-ology
A fruity drink with a nostalgic name inspired by the Depression-era soda beverage company. (The brand name “Nehi” is pronounced “knee-high,” and their logo was a picture of a seated woman’s legs with her skirt lifted high enough to display her stockings up to her knees — scandalous!)
This flirty cocktail is grape-o-licious, and it makes a great conversation starter!
Refreshing Low-Carb Daiquiri
Image and recipe courtesy of Ketodietapp
The favorite drink of Ernest Hemingway and President John F. Kennedy, a daquiri is like a Caribbean vacation in a frosty glass. This combination of rum and citrus is a match made in heaven. So grab your hammock and queue up the rumba music, because it’s time for some serious relaxation.
Low Carb Caribbean Rum Punch
Image and recipe courtesy of Lowcarb-ology
On the island of Barbados, the recipe for authentic Caribbean rum punch has been immortalized in this little ditty:
One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak.
In other words: one part lime juice, two parts sweetener, three parts rum, and four parts water.
This keto alcohol recipe reinterprets that classic flavor combination into a Caribbean rum punch that won’t increase your waistline.
Keto Hot Buttered Rum Mix
Image and recipe courtesy of Peaceloveandlowcarb
On a cold winter’s night, the only thing better than hot apple cider is a mug of hot buttered rum! Cozy up to the fireplace with a mug in your hands, inhale the enchanting scent of maple syrup, and revel in the fact that your favorite holiday treat is now keto friendly!
This recipe calls for a sugar-free maple syrup sweetened with maltitol. But if that doesn’t agree with your tummy, try this unsweetened maple extract.
Get Your Party Started
Are you feeling inspired? Now you have a keto alcohol recipe for every festive occasion. Your next party will be a hit, even if your guests aren’t familiar with the keto lifestyle. Who knows? Your spectacular low carb cocktails might convince them to give keto a try.