Keto Old Fashioned Drink

Introduction to Keto Old Fashioned

The regular version of this drink has too many carbs to be low carb friendly, so making a Keto Old Fashioned has been long overdue. It’s a perfect combination of sweetness with some bitter and spicy ingredients to balance each other out.

Is Old Fashioned a Classic Cocktail?

It’s a simple alcoholic drink that used to be considered a morning thing back in the day when it was just called a “whiskey cocktail”. Time went on and then bartenders began to add more complex ingredients to this classic cocktail. Surprisingly, people loved the original so much that they began to ask for the “old fashioned” version.

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Traditional Old Fashioned Version

Originally, the old fashioned cocktail is made by mixing sugar together with bitters and water, then adding regular whiskey or really good bourbon, garnishing with orange zest, orange peel, or a cocktail cherry. We had to swap out the sugar to make a low-carb, keto old fashioned recipe, but adding stevia in lieu of sugar adds a delicious twist to this classic drink.

Can I Drink Alcohol on Keto?

We know that keto has several restrictions you need to keep in mind, but alcohol is somewhat of a grey area. You can technically drink alcohol on keto as long as you know what to choose and you do it in moderation. The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet. Once you deprive your body of carbs and glucose, it starts to use fat as a source of energy. Then, your liver produces ketones.

Weight Loss on Keto and Drinking

Now, if weight loss is your top reason why you decided to go low-carb, drinking may stall your progress. It doesn’t even matter if they’re low-carb drinks, and here is why – the moment you consume alcohol, your body will try to metabolize it and get rid of it first before it starts burning fat.

Keto Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe

Grab a lowball glass or simply an old fashioned glass and let’s get right to it! If you’re a whiskey bourbon lover, you’ll go nuts for this low-carb drink recipe. After a long day of work and waiting for the kiddos to go to sleep, it’s a heaven-sent. You can get a fancy large ice cube (regular ice cubes are fine too) and garnish it with a bit of orange peel.

Cocktail Ingredients

We used the following ingredients in our Keto Old Fashioned:

• Whiskey: Four Roses, but you’re more than welcome to use anything you like. Rittenhouse Rye is also a good choice.
• Orange Bitters: We don’t use a lot of it, so no need to worry about going over your carb limit.
• Angostura Bitters: All you need is literally two small splashes of these aromatic bitters to give this drink the “oomph” it needs.
• Brown Sugar Replacement Syrup: Regular bourbon old fashioned recipes call for simple syrup, regular sugar, or brown sugar. This drink definitely doesn’t taste the same without it, so we had to make a low-carb, keto-friendly alternative.

Brown Sugar Replacement Syrup Ingredients

• Water: regular water, no fanciness here.
• Stevia: we used Better Stevia, but you can use any other liquid sweetener you want to.
• Molasses: in general, this ingredient is not keto due to a high carb count. However, we only use a tiny bit of it here to darken our keto syrup and give it a bit of that distinct flavor.
• Xanthan Gum: used here to thicken up the liquid and make it into a smooth syrup without starches.

FAQs

Even with easy low-carb recipes as this one, we usually answer a few questions you may have while making our Keto Old Fashioned cocktail recipe.

Is an Orange Peel High in Carbs?

That’s simply a garnish idea and it’s not meant to be eaten, only stirred to give it a bit of flavor. Oranges are not keto, but again, we’re not adding any orange juice here.

Can I Use a Different Keto Sweetener?

In theory, you can. For this Keto Old Fashioned recipe, we used stevia because it’s easier to use when you’re making a syrup. It’s sweet, and there’s no need to worry about dissolving it.

More Keto Drink Ideas

Love a classic cocktail but want to see more options? Check these out:

Have You Tried Our Keto Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe?

Do you drink while on keto at all or have you stopped altogether? Let us know what has been working for you! There’s no one perfect way to do keto and we’d love to know your thoughts. Leave us a comment below!

Nutrition Facts

Keto Old Fashioned

• Calories: 92
• Calories from Fat: 9

• **% Daily Value***:

  • Fat: 1g, 2%
  • Saturated Fat: 1g, 5%
  • Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
  • Monounsaturated Fat: 1g
  • Sodium: 23mg, 1%
  • Potassium: 269mg, 8%
  • Carbohydrates: 5g, 2%
  • Sugar: 14g, 16%
  • Calcium: 47mg, 5%
  • Iron: 1mg, 6%
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the "Brown Sugar" Simple Syrup:

• Water
• Stevia
• Molasses
• Xanthan Gum
  For the Keto Old Fashioned:
• Whiskey
• Orange Bitters
• Angostura Bitters
• Brown Sugar Replacement Syrup

Instructions:

1. Start by making the "brown sugar" simple syrup. To bypass this step, you can simply use stevia instead.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, mix together water, stevia, molasses, and xanthan gum until combined.
3. Set the brown sugar replacement aside.
4. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, whiskey, bitters, and 2 tsp of the brown sugar replacement mixture.
5. Shake until combined and chilled. Pour into an old-fashioned glass over ice and enjoy.