Post #599511 by Limbo Lizard on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 4:24 PM

How about a thread to share recipes (and opinions) of low-carb versions of tiki and other ‘cocktail culture’ favorites, for those of us who subscribe to a low-carb – sometimes called a ‘paleolithic’ - diet or lifestyle? In fact, in reference to this sort of ‘modified paleo lifestyle’, let’s call it ‘Modern Caveman Cocktails’. These recipes might also be of interest to those with diabetes.

I started eating low carb, last fall. Cut sugar and starches, lost 30-odd pounds, and stabilized at my high school weight. More energy, lower blood pressure, blah blah blah. Anyway, I "cheated", when it came to my favorite drinks, complete with sugary flavoring syrups and liqueurs, but have gradually been adapting to sugar-free versions, when I can find high quality ingredients. Some sugar-free flavorings are dreadful!

I’ll start with the...

Low Carb Mai Tai
¼ oz. Monin Sugar Free Sweetener (all the Monin sugar free products are sweetened with Erythritol and Sucralose)
¼ oz. Monin O’free Almond Syrup
½ oz. Monin Sugar Free Triple Sec
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. dark Jamaican rum (Myers’s,… I know, don’t yell)
1 oz. dark Martinique rum (St. James Royal Ambre)
Shake with ice, etc.,… everyone should know the drill, on this one, by now. Of course, different rums can be subbed, as we often do with the traditional Mai Tai recipe.

I may lack the ‘Princess-and-the-Pea’ sensitivities of some, but I find this to be a perfectly palatable Mai Tai, and I’ve been home-mixing and loving the Trader Vic’s version, since the late 70’s. It has only 3 carbohydrate grams, all from the lime. If you’re eating (and drinking) low carb, the alcohol calories do not lead to weight gain, but could inhibit some weight loss, insofar as the body preferentially burns alcohol, followed by fat in the bloodstream, and finally fat stored in the cells.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-11-27 13:29 ]