Boozy Ketones
BK Keto Cocktails
About Us
Hi! We're Lisa and Erika; two sisters who love the Keto lifestyle and our cocktails. We hate how sugared up and carb loaded they can be and wanted to find a way to fit them in our lifestyle. Our goal is to create low carb/sugarfree/keto cocktails cocktails under 5 carbs so that you can have your low carb lifestyle AND your fun. We take our booze very seriously and hope you will join us in our experiments! Cheers!
Lisa & Erika
What is best?
Drinking wine and alcohol on keto is fine! There are plenty of low carb alcohols and wines that are keto friendly, and most are 0 carbs per serving. Really, it’s the mixers you need to watch out for.
Traditional margaritas, mojitos, craft beers, and moscatos can have upwards of 30 carbs per drink! It’s pretty easy to ketofy these at home, where you have complete control. At a restaurant where you only have the good faith of your server, it can be tricky. You can order vodka or tequila with soda water or diet tonic when you're in a pinch for zero carbs. Boring, but fine. Dirty gin martinis with some olives are 1 carb and are delicious (and come with a snack!). You can keep stevia or monk fruit drops in your purse, ask the bartender to leave out the simple syrup, and take the sweetening into your own hands. If you are looking to drink wine, stick to the dry versions listed in the Keto Alcohol Guide. Reds, whites, Brut and Extra Brut rose' and sparkling wines are around 2-5 carbs per 5 oz. Resiling, moscatos, sweet reds, and liquers are all very high in sugar. Leave em and avoid a headache of regret.
Plan ahead
Drinking lowers your inhibitions, obvs. Be prepared and have some keto approved snacks ready when hunger strikes. Meat and cheese plates, wings, veggie trays, spinach dip with fathead bread, pork rinds and dip, and dipping peanut butter straight out of the jar have saved us so many times.
Drinking and Ketosis
Can drinking kick you out of ketosis?
The answer is yes, sometimes it can, if you aren’t careful. We didn’t drink much in the beginning weeks of keto while our bodies got nice and fat adapted.
After your body is fat adapted (4-6 weeks, though everyone is different) you have the metabolic machinery to be more flexible with the extra carbs here and there, and it’s easier to get back into ketosis if you do get kicked out. I can tell if I get kicked out of ketosis without even testing my ketones because of the way I feel- bloated, heavy, snacky, and less energetic. 90% of the time I can safely have a few drinks and either stay in ketosis or get back in after I burn through the alcohol.
The greater risk of being kicked out of ketosis is from sugary mixers, wines, and liqueurs, drunken bad food decisions and carb binges. Don’t do it! Make sure you have plenty of keto-friendly snacks on hand when you are drinking alcohol and drink plenty of water and electrolytes.
One more thing- because of the low amounts of carbohydrates consumed on the Keto diet, your liver has minimal amounts of glycogen to process. While drinking, normally glycogen gets processed first and alcohol second, but now alcohol gets put in the front of the line and goes straight into your blood stream. This decreases your tolerance big time (2 shot Sally is my new nickname). It’s great because that means less calories for the same effect. It’s not great if you are just getting used to this new way your body works. You also have less electrolyte storage from keto (more on that later), so that can contribute to hangovers. Be careful!
Per usual with this Keto life, planning= success. If you mess up here and there, it’s fine. Promise. Get back on the train, live your life, and make this a way of living that is sustainable. Keto is not depriving; it’s quite fun in fact. There is a way to enjoy or sub out almost everything. Let’s experiment!
Cheers!
Get your electrolytes in!
This is important
Electrolytes are key when you are drinking on the keto diet. Because of the lack of glycogen your body stores less water which then store less electrolytes. Those stores are further depleted when you drink, so pay attention! Find a source of electrolyte replacement and keep it handy. There are plenty of ways to do this without hitting the Gatorade. Some of our favorite sugarfree electrolyte products are Ultima, Everly, and Ketobeam. Ketobeam in particular gives your body the nutrients you need, and makes you feel so good! We take a shot of Electrolyze and Micro-boost daily, and double up the night of drinking and the morning after. If we accidentally drink too much, the hangover is substantially less.
Click below to be directed to their website
Wine
Yes, drink the Wine!
Wine is a staple in our lives, and the majority of wines are low in carbs and perfectly acceptable on the Keto diet. The carbs in wine come from residual sugars. Dry wines have the least amount of residual sugar at less than 2g/L. Dry red and white wines are typically 2-4 carbs per 5 oz, and some companies are getting onboard and marketing low sugar wines that are as low as .24 carbs per 5 oz! With wine, you just need to know what to look for. Many cheaper wines (under $10 per bottle) add sugar to the bottle after production to cover up poor quality. Try to go for mid range stuff, and look for organic if you can find it. The lack of pesticides and chemicals will decrease the chances of negative effects (wine flu!). It’s like buying meat; you want to try to get the best you can afford, but even the cheapest is better than sugar laden alternatives.
Common low carb white wines:
Sauvignon Blanc (3 carbs)-fruity and flirty
Chardonnay (3.8 carbs) buttery and rich
Pinot Grigio (3.2 carbs)- zesty and fresh
Common low carb red wines:
Merlot (3.5 carbs) soft and supple, flavors of chocolate and cherry
Pino Nior (3 carbs) dry and fruity
Cabernet (3.8 carbs) dry, medium bodied
Malbec (4 carbs) robust and full-bodied, smoky finish
Rose’ has the same rules, just make sure it’s dry.
Enjoy, and DRINK THAT WINE!
Boozy Tip
STAY AWAY FROM: Moscato, Riesling, Zinfandel, some sweet red blends, and fortified wines such as Port, Sherry, Marsala, and Vermouth (though an ounce of vermouth in a martini is only 2 carbs). Drinking a glass of wine a night is highly unlikely to knock you out of ketosis, but everyone is different. Be prepared, drink some water, and if you want the wine, drink it. This Keto thing is a lifestyle, after all.
Infuse Your Booze
Infusions are our absolute favorite way to add fresh, real flavor our cocktails for minimal carbs. We hate that fake flavor and mass amount of sugar that comes with traditionally flavored alcohols. Infusing is simple to do, tastes fresh and delicious, and will give you a unique alcohol that is so fun to experiment with. You can infuse anything- apples and cinnamon for a fall moscow mules and martinis, jalepeno and pineapple tequila for an out of this world margarita or bloody mary, basil and strawberries with vodka, mint and blueberries with rum, BACON IN WHISKEY, ANYTHING!!!
Some infusions our favorite infusions are apple pie vodka, (pictured) ginger lime gin, cherry pie bourbon, coffee whiskey, limoncello, orange citrus vodka, cinnamon ginger pear gin, and jalapeño tequila. The options are endless. We like to use whatever fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are in season and mix away!
Infusion times are the only tricky parts here. Usually, the fresher/softer the ingredient, the shorter the times. The harder (cinnamon sticks, orange peels, etc), the longer. Feel free to contact us for some guidance.
Boozy Tip:
Add your favorite spirit in a mason jar and add your choice fruits, herbs, vegetables, etc. Let sit for a few days up to a few weeks and you have an infusion!