BENGALURU: With the lockdown being implemented, inevitably, a lot of us are missing out on our gym/workout sessions. While this isn’t really in our control, one can certainly be a little careful with their diet. With the advent of low carb and low-sugar diets, more and more people are jumping on this bandwagon, but one area that people don’t notice or seem to worry about is cocktails.
Be it in a bar (once that actually happens) or a socially distanced Zoom call with friends, people sticking to their low carb diets usually indulge in plain drinks like vodka and water or soda. But what most people don’t realise is that the alcohol itself doesn’t have too many carbs as these are usually stripped away during the distilling process. So, in short, most spirits are usually very low in carbs.
This even includes wine to an extent. Hence, if we want to indulge in cocktails or something a bit more fun, we just need to worry about our mixer, to be honest, that’s fairly easy. Some ingredients are great substitutes and can be swapped out readily. Take watermelon for example. It can double up as a light, sugar substitute in drinks like a mojito, upping the nutrition and lowering the carb content. Similarly, adding watermelon juice to top up instead of lemonade gives a great addition to the flavour.
This can easily be done in classic drinks such as daiquir is and margaritas. Another simple substitute that can be done is using stevia instead of sugar in your favourite cocktails. Stevia isn’t a carbfree replacement but can be used sparingly to replace that flavour if needed. For those who want to try something that is keto-friendly and rich in vitamin C, E, K and B-6, look to the superfood avocado. It adds a creamy texture to cocktails like a rum ‘n’ avocado where you add rum, lime juice, some avocado slices and a touch of milk or mylk alternative to blend and make a creamy and healthy cocktail. On the other hand, there are also some classic cocktails that just work without any mods whatsoever.
The Bloody Mary is a prime example of the same where everything is fresh and almost carb-free making them perfect (physical or virtual) brunch accompaniments. Go crazy with the toppings, my favourite is some crispy smoked bacon. For those wine lovers out there, sangria can be done just this way as well, soak your favorite berries and chopped granny Smith apples in some whiskey overnight and add them to your glass of red or white to add a bit more flavour and kick to that plain ol’ glass. So if you want to stay true to your fitness goals, and not let a pandemic hamper your plans, you have more than enough ways to really tweak your dietfriendly drinks. Cheers. (The author is the head mixologist at Ikigai)