In following a low-carb diet -- either as a weight-loss strategy or because you view it as a healthy lifestyle -- you may not want to give up alcohol. Therefore, you'll need to know which types of alcohol contain carbs and which types don't. It's actually possible to find an alcoholic beverage without any carbohydrates at all, assuming you drink it straight. Of course, mixers for drinks can add grams of carbs, as can any snacks you consume while you're drinking.
Beer
The carbohydrate content of beer varies widely, depending on the type of beer and the brand. Typically, regular beer contains about 5 to 7 g of carbohydrates per 12-oz. bottle or can. However, some beers -- notably darker beer -- contain more carb grams, potentially up to 12 g per 12-oz. serving. Due to the interest in low-carb dieting, some manufacturers produce very-low-carb beers, so you may be able to find a brew with just 2.5 to 3 g of carbohydrates per bottle or can. You always can check the label or contact the manufacturer to get specific numbers for a particular brand of beer.
Wine
Like beers, different wines can vary widely in carbohydrate content, although no wine can have zero carb grams, because the fermentation process always leaves sugar behind. Dessert wines have the highest level of carbs -- between 12 and 14 g per 3.5-oz. serving. Table wines average much lower in carbohydrates: Red wines have about 1.75 g per 3.5-oz. serving, while white wines have even less -- 0.82 g for the same size glass of wine.
Distilled Liquor
Distilled liquor doesn't contain any carbohydrates; even though fermentation and distillation start with high-carbohydrate foods such as sugar, grains and potatoes, the process breaks down those foods into pure alcohol, with no carbs left. Therefore, if you're looking for the lowest possible carbs in an alcoholic beverage, you may want to consider rum, vodka, gin or whiskey. However, mixers such as soda or fruit juice do contain carbs, so watch what you mix with your distilled liquor.
Cordials
Cordials, such as chocolate- and coffee-flavored liqueurs, feature the highest carbohydrate counts of all alcoholic beverages, because they contain large amounts of sugar. For example, coffee-flavored liqueur packs nearly 25 g of carbs in a 1.5-oz. serving. Other flavors of after-dinner liqueurs contain even more -- potentially up to 40 g per serving.
