Sugar-Free Summer Cocktails

It’s a looong hot summer, so you’d better to cool yourself with some of the coolest sugar-free low-carb drinks. If you don’t get chilled (out) with these, it would be worth thinking of moving to the North Pole!

I’ve collected a bunch of various drink recipes, some of them are my low-carb versions of classic drinks, some are my wild, new creations. Enjoy!

Update: You might want to check my drink book (in Kindle format here) for more refreshing summer drink recipes! Over 40 recipes, plenty of variations, each serving under 1 gram net carbs!

Sugar-Free Mint Julep

 

Let’s start with an old, refreshing favorite — this time sweetened with stevia instead of syrup. By the way, liquid stevia is a very handy sweetener, it comes ready in a bottle and you don’t have to cook it like sugar syrup.

 

Sugar-Free Mint Julep 2 mint sprigs 5–10 drops liquid stevia crushed ice 2 oz = 60 ml bourbon   Directions Place the mint leaves from 1 mint sprig and the stevia in an old-fashioned glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour bourbon over the ice. Garnish with the remaining mint sprig.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving:	0.1 g	0.0 g	1.0 g	140 kcal

 

 

Low-Carb Long Drink “Lonkero”

 

Next a Finnish favorite, long drink “lonkero“, which was first introduced into the 1952 Olympics. Usually lonkero is sweetened with sugar, or I guess nowadays it contains whatever super unhealthy syrup and other artificial flavorings. Because I’m not in favor of industrial unhealthy stuff, I created a sugar-free syrup-free version of this extra refreshing drink which we Finns love to drink especially after sauna, or actually at any time in the summer.

Currently there do exist numerous different flavors of lonkeros, but I stuck with the basic version, although in the photo above I used red grapefruit juice instead of white grapefruit juice.

 

Low-Carb Long Drink “Lonkero” 1 tablespoon gin 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed juice from organic white grapefruit or red grapefruit 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice from organic lemon 10 drops liquid stevia 1 cup = 240 ml sparkling water   Directions Combine the gin, juices and the stevia in a highball glass. Stir. Add the sparkling water and stir gently.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving:	0.2 g	0.1 g	4.1 g	53 kcal

 

Sugar-Free Vodka Collins

 

Here is again an old classic, which I converted into low-carb. The low-carb versions I’ve seen before contain Splenda or other artificial sweeteners. Because to my knowledge stevia is much safer, I chose that to sweeten my Vodka Collins. I also modified this drink to contain a bit less alcohol — you won’t feel too dizzy after enjoying this chilling and refreshing golden oldie. This is one of the best sugar-free vodka drinks I’ve ever tried!

 

Sugar-Free Vodka Collins 1 oz = 30 ml vodka 1 oz = 30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice from organic lemon 10 drops liquid stevia 4 oz = 115 ml sparkling water   Directions Fill a shaker or jar with crushed ice. Add the vodka, lemon juice and the stevia, close the shaker or the jar tightly and shake vigorously. Strain into an old-fashioned glass. Add the sparkling water and stir.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving:	0.1 g	0.0 g	0.5 g	75 kcal

 

Raspberry Surprise

 

This fruity drink is developed completely by me. It all started from my craving for a fruity, fresh and long drink. Fresh raspberries are both fruity and very low in carbs. Flavor bursting raspberry juice, sweetened with vanilla stevia, a tiny bite from lime and lots of refreshing, ice-cold sparkling water create a perfect drink for any hot summer day.

 

Raspberry Surprise 1–2 oz = 30–60 ml light rum 2 oz = 60 g fresh organic raspberries, crushed 20 drops vanilla stevia 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice from organic lime 3/4 cup = 180 ml ice-cold sparkling water   Directions Combine the rum, raspberries, vanilla stevia and the lime juice in a small bowl. Mix well. Press the mixture carefully through a sieve or a (tea) strainer so that you get as much liquid as possible. Pour the mixture into a highball glass. Add the sparkling water and stir gently.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving, if 1 oz (30 ml) rum used:	0.6 g	0.5 g	2.5 g	94 kcal
One serving, if 2 oz (60 ml) rum used:	0.6 g	0.5 g	2.5 g	163 kcal

 

Merry Cherry Berry

 

Here is again a drink developed by me. iHerb sells lovely cherry flavor, and I thought I simply have to use it for a luscious, short drink. Here is the tasty result, sip it slowly and feel the cheery taste of summer!

 

Merry Cherry Berry 2 teaspoons cherry flavor 20 drops berry-flavored stevia 2 oz = 60 ml light rum 1/4 cup = 60 ml crushed ice   Directions Shake all the ingredients in a shaker or in a tightly covered jar. Strain into a cocktail glass.

 


 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving:	0.1 g	0.0 g	0.1 g	138 kcal

 

Citrus Explosion Martini

 

Let your taste buds explode with this triple citrus martini! This drink is again developed by me — though I don’t wonder if somebody somewhere has come to similar ideas, this drink is simply a winner. I dare you to try!

 

Citrus Explosion Martini 2 oz = 60 ml vodka 1 teaspoon freshly grated organic lemon peel, only the yellow part 1 teaspoon freshly grated organic lime peel, only the green part 1 teaspoon freshly grated organic orange peel, only the orange part 20 drops liquid stevia   Directions Start preparing the drink on the previous day. Combine the vodka and the peels in a small jar. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Next day, when ready to prepare the drink, take the jar and strain the contents into a shaker with ice. Add the stevia, close the lid and shake vigorously. Strain the contents into a chilled cocktail glass.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving:	0.1 g	0.1 g	0.1 g	138 kcal

 

Sugar-Free Russian Coffee

 

It’s time for dessert. What would be a better end to a summer dinner than a slushy combination of coffee, cream and vodka? — Nothing! All served in one, chilly and refreshing drink.

 

Sugar-Free Russian Coffee 1 cup = 240 ml crushed ice 1 oz = 30 ml vodka 1 oz = 30 ml organic heavy cream 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (can be also decaffeinated) 15 drops liquid stevia   Directions Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled highball glass.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving:	0.6 g	10.5 g	0.9 g	168 kcal

 

Cherry Apple Drink

 

My husband — who is German — loves Apfelschorle, a traditional German drink, which consists of half apple juice and half sparkling water. Because apple juice has quite some carbs, I developed this drink of lesser carbs for my family. Well, my husband still sticks to the traditional Apfelschorle, but I and my son could gulp down gallons of this tasty cherry and apple flavored drink.

 

Cherry Apple Drink 2 teaspoons cherry-flavored stevia crystals 1 1/4 cup = 300 ml organic freshly pressed apple juice 4 cups = 950 ml ice-cold sparkling water   Directions Combine the stevia crystals and the apple juice in a pitcher. Stir until the crystals are dissolved. Pour in the sparkling water and stir gently.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
In total:	0.3 g	0.3 g	33.0 g	138 kcal
Per serving if 4 servings in total:	0.1 g	0.1 g	8.3 g	35 kcal
Per serving if 6 servings in total:	0.1 g	0.1 g	5.5 g	23 kcal

 

Liquid Dessert (Creamy Cherry Cinnamon Drink)

 

For those who try to avoid alcohol I developed this sweet and creamy drink — dessert in fluid form. Actually, the cherry flavor has a trace of alcohol, like most of the flavors and extracts, so if you are completely avoiding alcohol, you might want to search for a cherry flavor which contains absolutely no alcohol whatsoever. Cinnamon gives a surprising and exciting note, which goes perfectly with cherry and heavy cream. This drink you simply cannot miss!

 

Liquid Dessert (Creamy Cherry Cinnamon Drink) 2 oz = 60 ml organic heavy cream 1 teaspoon cherry flavor 10 drops alcohol-free vanilla stevia a couple of shakes ground cinnamon (or ground ginger)   Directions Shake all the ingredients in a shaker or in a tightly covered jar. Pour into a small glass.

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
One serving:	1.3 g	21.1 g	1.9 g	203 kcal

 

For these recipes I got some inspiration from books Low-Carb Cocktails by Dr. Douglas J. Markham and 1001 Cocktails, the Finnish edition. Even these drinks are tasty, refreshing and easy to gulp down, they should be enjoyed in moderation.

Like you might have noticed, this blog post is quite much different from all my other blog posts. I just wanted to try out something else. However, this way turned out to be enormously laborious, so I keep these multiple recipes containing blog posts to the minimum in the future, even I have to say that I enjoyed every second of developing these recipes and taking the photos in my summer cottage in the middle of nowhere.

P.S. A Canadian magazine Marine Matters is celebrating their first anniversary and they have my cupcake photo as their magazine cover. You might want to check the July issue, it’s free, great quality and also interesting for non-mariners.