Marlene Koch - Low-Carb Cocktails: All the Fun and Taste Without the Carbs

Low-Carb Cocktails

Also by Marlene Koch

Fantastic Food with Splenda: 160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar, Carbohydrates, Fat, and Calories

Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda: Sweet Treats Low in Sugar, Fat, and Calories

50 Splenda Recipes: Favorites from Fantastic Food with Splenda and Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda

Low-Carb Cocktails

All the Fun and Taste
Without the Carbs

Marlene and Chuck Koch

illustrations by Christopher Dollbaum

Copyright 2004 by Marlene Koch and Charles Koch

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

M. Evans and Company, Inc.
216 East 49th Street
New York, NY 10017

This book offers beverages that should be enjoyed as part of an overall healthy diet and is not intended as a dietary prescription. Persons with health concerns should seek the advice of a qualified professional, such as a physician or registered dietitian, for a personalized diet plan. Even though the FDA has determined sucralose to be safe for everyone, persons consuming Splenda do so at their own risk. Neither the authors nor the publisher is liable for the product and neither is in any way affiliated with the manufacturer, McNeil Specialty Products

Splenda is a registered trademark of McNeil Specialty Products Company, a Division of McNeil-PPc Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-59077-061-0

Contents

We dedicate this book to our family, friends, and neighbors, who have shared good times, wonderful food, and fabulous libations with us over the years. You have inspired us in countless ways to create and continually explore new and exciting ways to entertain youand, thus, ourselves. Salut!

Introduction

Celebrating with a cocktail is a wonderful part of life, but if your lifestyle includes watching your carbs, this can create quite a dilemma. But worry no more, that conflict no longer exists, because we have made it possible for you to enjoy many of your favorite libations, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic, while still living your low-carb lifestyle.

We developed the recipes in this book because we, like you, didnt want to give up the occasional cocktail, pass on enjoying the wonderfully delicious specialty drinks that are the current rage, or give up enjoying eggnog and other festive drinks during the holidays. So, out of necessity, we have developed great-tasting low-carb cocktails that range from classics like the Perfect Manhattan to bar favorites like the Margaritas and Long Island Iced Tea. For lazing by the pool, there is a cool and creamy Pia Colada, and for holiday parties, a Killer Eggnog. In addition, youll also enjoy luscious novelty drinks like the ultrahip Lemon Drop and our original fruity creation called the Chuck Wagon. Were confident that with the more than 60 cocktails in this book, including amazing recipes for low-carb Coffee Liqueur (Mock Kahlua) and Orange Liqueur (Mock Grand Marnier), as well as suggestions for nonalcoholic versions of some of them, youll definitely be ready to serve great-tasting drinks to all your friends (and yourself) for every occasion.

Last, but not least, not only have all the recipes been professionally analyzed, but you will also find a chapter on Carbohydrates and Alcohol that will help you understand how cocktails can fit into your low-carb diet, as well as a chapter on Cocktail Basics that includes ingredients to help you create all the taste without the carbs cocktails.

Cheers! (and remember to drink responsibly)

Part One

The good news is that most straight alcohol spirits have little or no carbs! Alcohol does not metabolize as carbohydrate (to produce sugar), nor does it metabolize as a protein or fat. Technically speaking, alcohol is in a class by itself. But, on the other hand, alcohol is metabolized exclusively for energy and provides 7 calories per gram as a readily available fuel source (meaning that your body will use it for energy before using your stored fat). Its for this reason that many low-carb diets restrict the drinking of alcohol in the initial, or induction, phase. Once youre beyond that dieting phase (or if youre watching your weight by simply restricting your carb intake), drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation should present no problem as long as you keep track of the carbs. We know this sounds easy, but its not as easy as you think when you start trying to add up the carbs in the alcohol with those additional calories found in the sugary mixers, liqueurs, and juices that often make up a cocktail. But were here to do all that for you. Not only have we creatively curbed these extra carbs so you can enjoy our delicious drinks as part of your low-carb lifestyle, but weve conveniently included the total number of carbs for each recipe so you can easily keep within the guidelines of your particular diet.

The following chart is included to help you understand which types of alcohol contain the most carbohydrates and calories. This information will help you stay within your daily carb or calorie count when drinking straight liquors, wine, or beer or developing your own recipes. The following chart shows that distilled spirits like gin and vodka have no carbohydrates, but they do have calories. Wine has only 1 to 2 grams of carb per serving, followed by light beers, which currently range from as low as a mere 2.6 grams to as high as 6.7 grams per bottle. On the other end of the alcohol spectrum, note the high number of carbs in sweet wines and commercially produced sugary, syrupy liqueurs.