Resources

For most drinks, it’s not the liquor itself that’s high in carbs — it’s the mixers. Whenever possible, opt for diet drinks or unsweetened juices. Be careful about garnishes too — that harmless-looking maraschino cherry has 2 grams of carbs!

Use these sites as reference when you need to look up how many carbs are in various cocktail mixers or garnishes:

• Alcohol Cocktail Supplies Carb Chart: BellaOnline’s Low Carb Site has a chart showing carb counts for various cocktail mixers (includes juice, sodas, and garnishes)
• The Daily Plate: Find nutritional information for just about any food you can imagine (more than 603,600 as of this writing). Search their database when you need to find carb counts for sodas, juices, etc. It can also serve as a handy comparison tool: for example, if you search for “orange juice,” you can sort the search results page to show the brand with the lowest carbs.

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Many hard liquors like vodka, whiskey and rum are naturally carb-free… but things get trickier once you start talking about flavored spirits. And cocktail liqueurs like Kahlua or Bailey’s are a whole different story. Check out the following resources for information on a variety of hard liquors and cocktail liqueurs:

Charts

• Alcohol Facts: Has nutrition info (including carb counts) for 8 spirits, including rums, vodkas, whiskeys and tequila. From the Consumer Federation of America.
• Alcohol Carb Chart: Carb counts for 15 various straight alcohols, including bourbon, brandy, gin, and more.
• Low-Carb Alcoholic Beverages - Drinking Alcoholic Beverages on a Low Carb Diet: Article about drinking on low-carb diet. Includes carb counts for 14 types of liqueurs, such as Amaretto, Kahlua, Triple Sec and more.
• Atkins Cocktail Liqueur Carb Count Chart: 16 different liqueurs (including Bailey’s, Grand Marnier, Southern Comfort, etc.) with carb counts for each.

Info on Specific Spirits

• Flavored Vodkas on Low Carb: Info on flavored vodkas from Absolut.
• Smirnoff Low Carb Information: Carb counts for various Smirnoff products
• Rum Carb Counts and Nutrition: Carb counts for 14 different types of rums, including straight and flavored rums.
• Low Carb Bacardi Silver: Reviews of Bacardi Silver, along with carb counts for it and a few other Bacardi rums.
• Jagermeister Carb Counts: Info from Jägermeister on carb counts in their liquor.
• Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky: Carb counts & nutritional info on Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky
• Whisky / Whiskey / Bourbon Low Carb Information: Carb counts for 14 whiskeys, along with descriptions of each.
• Peach Schnapps Low Carb Information: Info on schnapps and carb count for DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps.
• Low Carb Brandy / Cognac: Explanation of what brandy & cognac are, how they’re made, and how many carbs they have.

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Some evidence shows that drinking moderate amounts of red wine may be good for you — helping raise “good” cholesterol while lowering risks of heart disease and cancer. (Read more about wine’s health benefits.)

No matter your reason, if wine is your low-carb drink of choice, you’ll want to pick the best one for your diet. Here are some resources to help:

Charts

• Alcohol Facts: Has nutritional info, including carb counts, for 5 wines (2 Merlots, 2 Cabernet Sauvignons and a Chardonnay). From the Consumer Federation of America.
• Low Carb Alcohol - Beer and Wine Carb Counts: Includes carb counts for 27 varieties of wines.
• About.com Low Carb Alcoholic Beverages - Drinking Alcoholic Beverages on a Low Carb Diet: Includes carb counts for 7 types of wines, along with a discussion about alcohol vs. carbs.

Info on Specific Wines

• White Zinfandel: Carb counts for 3 different white zinfandel wines, with additional info on how white zins are created.
• Champagne and Sparkling Wine: Info about how Champagne is produced and general guidelines on how many carbs you’ll find in a glass. Includes info on which kinds are drier and sweeter.
• Port Wine: Definition of where/how port wine is made, plus a “guesstimate” on how many carbs per glass.

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If you’re wondering how many carbs are in a particular brand of beer, Skilnik’s new book is one option. But there are also several online resources that list nutritional information for beers. Here are a few places to try:

Charts

• Beer Calories, Beer Alcohol, Beer Carbohydrates: Lists calories and carb counts for hundreds of beers.
• Realbeer.com: Beer Alcohol Content And Carbs In Beer: Lists calories and alcohol content for hundreds of beers. Includes carb counts on a few of them. 2 pages (A-L, M-Z).
• Alcohol Facts: Has nutritional info, including carb counts, for 13 beers and malt beverages. From the Consumer Federation of America.
• Low Carb Alcohol - Beer and Wine Carb Counts: Includes carb counts for 45 varieties of beer.
• Low Carb Beer Comparison Chart: Chart with carb and nutrient counts for 30 different beers, many with links to reviews.

Articles & Reviews

• The Low Carb Luxury Newsletter: Low Carb Beer: Includes a list of beers with carb counts and reviews.
• About.com Low Carb Alcoholic Beverages: Includes carb counts for 4 types of beers, plus background info on where the carbs come from.
• Low Carb Friends: How do the following Low Carb Beers taste to you?: Forum members share their opinions on the taste of several low-carb beers. Includes carb counts.

Info on Specific Beers

• No Alcohol Low Carb Beer: If you’re trying to cut carbs and alcohol, check out this info on how non-alcoholic beers are made. Includes carb counts for Busch NA and O’Doul’s.
• Cisk Excel the new low carb beer: Press release for Cisk Excel beer. Includes carb count.
• Pure Blonde: Foster’s official page for their Pure Blonde beer. Includes carb counts and other nutritional information.

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