Alcohol on Keto: What to Drink and What to Skip

By the DrinkLeader team · Published 2026-09-26 · Data updated 2026-09-26 · 7 min read

On keto, the best alcohol choices are plain distilled spirits (gin, vodka, whiskey, tequila, rum) with a zero-sugar mixer, followed by hard seltzer and dry wine. Skip liqueurs, sweet cocktails, cider and most regular beer. The reason is carbs: spirits list about 0g, while a typical beer averages 13.1g and a hard cider 20.5g per serving in the DrinkLeader catalog.

This page compares carbs. It is information, not medical advice; talk to a clinician about alcohol and your own health, diet or medications.

How DrinkLeader defines keto-friendly and low-carb

Keto plans differ, but they all cap daily carbs at a small number. To make drinks comparable we use two bands per listed serving:

• Keto-friendly: 2g of carbs or less. Small enough to fit almost any budget.
• Low-carb: 5g or less. Fits if you plan for it and count it against the day.

These are our own site thresholds, not medical standards. Always compare the serving size: a listed 12oz beer, a 5oz wine pour and a 1.5oz spirit shot are the amounts that the NIAAA describes as roughly one US standard drink (about 14g of pure alcohol).

Best types of alcohol for keto

Spirits

Distillation strips out sugars, so unflavored spirits sit at or near zero carbs. Per serving, the catalog averages are 0.0g for gin (62 drinks), 0.6g for vodka (80), 0.6g for whiskey (186), 0.2g for tequila (110) and 0.6g for rum (114). They are not calorie-free, though: the average vodka lists about 95 calories.

Browse the type pages for the full rankings: vodka, gin, whiskey, tequila.

Hard seltzer

Hard seltzer is the easiest grab-and-go option: 291 of 298 listed seltzers are at 5g or less, with a 2.3g average. Individual products vary, so check the table before assuming.

Wine

Wine averages 4.7g per listed serving, and 209 of 259 wines are at 5g or less. Dry wines fit better than sweet or dessert wines because less sugar remains after fermentation. See keto wine.

Beer

Only 54 of 887 beers reach 5g or less. If you want one, see our low-carb beer guide.

What to skip

• Liqueurs (avg 9.8g): sugar is added on purpose. Only 27 of 160 are at 5g or less.
• Hard cider (avg 20.5g): only 5 of 93 are at 5g or less.
• Canned cocktails (avg 13.7g): very mixed. Some are spirit and soda; others are sweet and reach 120g. Read the number.
• Sweet mixers: juice, cola, regular tonic, sweet-and-sour mix and flavored syrups. Sugar in the mixer is usually more than in the spirit.
• Flavored spirits can list several grams. The vodka with the most carbs in the catalog lists 8.0g.

How to order at a bar

1. Ask for a single spirit with soda water and lime, such as gin and soda or vodka soda.
2. Say "no juice, no simple syrup, no sweet-and-sour." Ask what is in the mixer if you are unsure.
3. Choose tequila or whiskey neat, on the rocks or with soda.
4. Order a dry wine by the glass, or a hard seltzer or light beer only after checking its listed carbs.
5. Watch the pour: a generous bar pour holds more than the 1.5oz standard, and so more calories.

Sample low-carb orders

These combinations are built from the types above, not from any specific product claim. Check the label of what you actually pour.

• Gin or vodka with soda water and lime. The base averages 0.6g of carbs or less, and soda water adds none.
• Tequila with soda and lime. Order it as a "tequila soda" rather than a margarita, which usually includes sweet mix or syrup.
• Whiskey neat or on the rocks. Avoid ginger ale and sweet vermouth.
• A hard seltzer. Choose one from the top-scoring table above.
• A glass of dry wine. A standard pour is 5oz, per the NIAAA.

Reading labels and menus

Look at the carbs per serving and the serving size together. Menu descriptions such as "skinny", "light" or "zero sugar" are not standardized, so use the number. Cocktail menus rarely list carbs; simple drinks with one spirit and soda are the safest guess, and anything named for a fruit, cream or candy usually contains sugar. For packaged drinks, see whether the catalog lists the product in the under 2g of carbs list.

Finding a specific drink

Start with the best keto drinks ranking, or use the under 2g carbs list and zero-carb list. Scores and numbers are described on our methodology page.

The CDC defines moderate drinking as up to two drinks a day for men and one for women. Listing a drink as low-carb does not make it healthy, and lower carbs do not change how much alcohol you are consuming.