So what exactly are low carb gin drinks? Quite simply they are one of my favorite keto cocktails. I made my favorite gin cocktail, the classic Tom Collins low carb. With only 0.6 carbs per glass you can enjoy them anytime. Hello weekend ! Or hello weeknight !
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Table of Contents
Does alcohol fit with low carb?
Here on Lowcarb-ology.com I have been sharing classic cocktails as quickly as I can make them. I fell in love years ago with this elegant gin cocktail that was so popular in the 1950s and 1960s when I was growing up. I can see why they were a standard at my parents’ cocktail parties! The problem is that when you are trying to go keto, it’s tough. You see, although the actual alcohol has very few, if any carbs, the sour mix and other mix ins contain quite a few. For example, a classic Tom Collins alcoholic drink has over 25 net carbs per serving. The offending ingredient is the sugar ladened simple syrup that the regular recipe calls for.
I don’t know about you but I can’t do that while on a keto diet.
I am not a big drinker. In fact, it has only been in the last few years that I have allowed myself to enjoy wine with dinner or the occasional low carb cocktail. However, because I wanted to be able to get good images, here I am at 11:00 on a Saturday morning sipping my low carb Tom Collins creation and contemplating lunch. As I write this I’m thinking that lunch may well be another Tom Collins. Wow, it’s so good.
What’s in a Tom Collins cocktail?
A regular Tom Collins is made with gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup shaken in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Once you pour it into the glass you add club soda to taste. I usually add quite a lot because I love having the drink to sip on and I think that more than one would be pushing it for me. I think it tastes kind of like a sparkly, tangy lemonade.
The trick to keeping it low carb is to make a batch of your own simple syrup with Erythritol and keep it in your refrigerator for when you want a cocktail. All the flavor without all the sugar. Because that simple syrup is just water and a ton of dissolved sugar. By making your own sugar free syrup, you take control of the net carb count in a keto cocktail.
Pretty darn easy.
Not surprisingly, most of us have only had this delicious gin cocktail made with ready-made mix. If you have never had this delicious gin cocktail made from scratch, trust me you will absolutely love it. If you are looking for a refreshing cocktail, or just want to treat yourself and your friends to a classic, give this low carb Tom Collins a try. Love to know what you think of my cocktail recipe.
NOW Foods Erythritol Natural Sweetener is my goto sweetener for oh so many of my low carb recipes. If you look at the nutrition information, you’ll see it has 0 carbs, 0 cholesterol, it’s 70% as sweet as regular sugar but without actually having sugar in it. Oh and it has 0 calories ! 
Now you know what low carb drink drinks are. They are tasty and low carb when created without all the sugar that you normally find. Please enjoy.
Low Carb Gin Drinks: Tom Collins
Ingredients
- 3 ounces gin
- 2 ounces lemon juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup Use my low carb version below
- 1 slice lemon or lime wedge
- Club Soda to taste
Low Carb Simple Syrup
- 1 cup Erythritol
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Simple Syrup
- Bring Erythritol and water to a boil, boil for 1 minute.
- Cool.
Tom Collins
- Add gin, lemon juice, low-carb syrup, and 1 cup of ice to a shaker.
- Shake until well mixed.
- Strain the liquid into your glass.
- Fill with Club Soda.
- Add a slice of lemon or lime.
Amazing drink. Healthy but classy!