Guide to Low-Carb Alcoholic Spirits

JayBirdAZ

As a 15-year bartender, and someone who has fluctuated 100lbs at least 3 times in 20 years, I can weigh in on this with confidence. It helps to know what the spirit is made of to understand where the inherent calories/carbs may come from.

My best recommendation is well-filtered grain-based vodka. Vodka can be made of light grains or potatoes. Potato vodka, like Chopin, is very smooth but high in starches and other sugars. The same distiller makes Belvedere vodka which is the grain alternative and my favorite. Also look at Vox, Skyy and Smirnoff Black Label (100 proof meaning 50% pure ethanol, so drink responsibly. Most liquor averages about 80 proof, or 40% pure ethanol, which leaves the other 50-60% displaced by purified water, Carmel, sugars and other flavors or fillers so a good rule is clear or "white" liquors over ones with a hue, like whiskey. The exception is Rum. Rum is made from sugar cane and retains higher residual sugars than other distilled spirits. Some argue that since it is complex, natural sugar, it isn't as empty as processed sugar. My instinct and experience tells me otherwise but feel free to judge that for yourself.
The cleanest distilled spirit with the most character is undoubtedly aromatic Gin. Aromatic gins include Tanqueray (green bottles - regular and Tanqueray 10), as well as Bombay Saphire (vs. Bombay Dry) which comes in a light blue bottle vs. clear. Aromatics are cleaner than dry gins in general because they are higher in alcohol content and are almost never adulterated with colors, flavors or other fillers. Instead, in addition to the Juniper berries that give gin its' distinctive base-flavor, aromatics espouse the infusion of botanicals called aromatics which are basically spice-plants that are included in primary distillation. Dry Gins are all a mix of grains and juniper and seldom exceed 80-proof. The cheap ones (like Beefeater, Seagrams, etc) are often smoothed with starches and sugars to make their less-filtered bitterness a bit more barable to drink, and also makes them mix well with popular mixers like tonic and OJ.
Any spirit can be and is usually combined with a mixer to create different specialty drinks, or simple mixes to dull the astringent taste of high-content spirits. This part is pretty obvious. Any soft-drink or juice you avoid normally should still be omitted, like Cola or non-natural juice mixers. Soda water and citrus juice compliment most distilled spirits very well. That part is up to you. Just remember, the cleaner the spirit, the less toxic. The same goes for sugar. Sugar and impurities = hangover.

Finally, tequila. There are two basic schools of tequila/mescal. There is 100% blue agave tequilas which can be silver (clear) and are not aged in wood, Reposado (Rested), which ages 3-9 months in oak casks and finally, Añejo (Aged) which must spend at least a year in oak but often is aged longer. Though the aging process greatly changes flavor, tequila gets its' flavor and sugars from the Agave plant. Because the mash that is produced is high in sugar, tequila is not a good choice for carb-watchers, however, if you prefer it make sure it's a quality, 100% blue agave tequila like Patron, Tesoro or Avion. There are a huge number to choose from but those are popular ones that I like. Avoid cheap tequilas, or Mixto, like Jose Cuervo Gold as they are 60% sugar, water and caramel. (Headaches and empty carbs). I like Patron Silver with soda water and 2 limes and a lemon. Fresh margaritas have a lot of simple syrup and/or corn syrup so unfortunately, those mixers are very counterproductive when watching those ingredients.
The lowest-carb drinks are either grain-vodka or aromatic gin either alone, on the rocks or mixed with soda water and citrus. No matter what you settle on, make sure you are aware of how much you're drinking to avoid negative outcomes and of course, never drink, boat, cycle or operate any dangerous machinery when drinking.
I hope this was helpful. Feel free to add me and ask any questions you'd like. I'll answer what I know honestly and tell you if I don't. Happy travels. Be safe and responsible.