Modern Caveman Cocktails: Low Carb 'Paleo' Drink Recipes

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 ]

How's that Monin sugar free sweetener taste on it's own? Have you tried stevia?

We make Low Carb Margaritas

3 oz Tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 pack of zero calorie sweetener of your choice
1 tsp Orange Extract to taste

On 2011-08-01 08:35, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
How's that Monin sugar free sweetener taste on it's own? Have you tried stevia?

It's good, and tastes like the bar syrup made by heating to a boil, where some of the sucrose is split into dextrose and fructose. It even has a little thickness to it, like gomme syrup. I've used it with good results in several drinks in which sugar syrup is a major ingredient - Whiskey Sours, Rangoon Gimlet, etc. I would say you might even go a little light on the amount you use, compared to the amount of regular bar syrup called for in a recipe.

I haven't tried a Margarita, yet, but now that Swanky put it in my head, I expect I'll have to pick up a sack of limes and make a pitcher, this evening. Swanky's is a rather drier recipe than the recipe we use for making a pitcher to take to the hot tub. Ours does hold up well to dilution, though - important, since it takes a while to make it to the last one in the pitcher, if there's only two drinking. When mixing a batch size:
1 measure fresh lime juice
1 measure gold tequila
½ measure Triple sec (Monin sugar free)
¼ measure Bar syrup (Monin sugar-free syrup)
lots of ice

The Monin Sugar-free Triple Sec is thick and quite orange-y, and subs well for Triple Sec or Orange Curacao liqueurs. The Monin "O'free" Almond syrup works for orgeat.

I think the Monin Sugar-free Pomegranate syrup has excellent flavor and intensity, but it's not as sweet as typical grenadine syrup (which is too sweet, sometimes). In fact, it has a little tartness, so you may want to use a little of the plain sweetener with it, in a recipe calling for grenadine.

I've tried some of the Torani and DaVinci sugar free syrups, and was mostly disappointed. In general, they seem watery or dilute, compared to the Monin syrups. Also, some of the flavors are way off (Torani's Irish Cream, DaVinci's Kahlua). The Torani Coconut is OK, and I add a splash of heavy cream, when using it as a sub for Coco Lopez.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-08-02 10:48 ]

On 2011-08-02 07:15, Limbo Lizard wrote:

On 2011-08-01 08:35, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
How's that Monin sugar free sweetener taste on it's own? Have you tried stevia?

It's good, and tastes like the bar syrup made by heating to a boil, where some of the sucrose is split into dextrose and fructose. It even has a little thickness to it, like gomme syrup. I've used it with good results in several drinks in which sugar syrup is a major ingredient - Whiskey Sours, Rangoon Gimlet, etc. I would say you might even go a little light on the amount you use, compared to the amount of regular bar syrup called for in a recipe.

I haven't tried a Margarita, yet, but now that Swanky put it in my head, I expect I'll have to pick up a sack of limes and make a pitcher, this evening. Swanky's is a rather drier recipe than the recipe we use. Which, when mixing a batch, is:
1 measure fresh lime juice
1 measure gold tequila
½ measure Triple sec
¼ measure Bar syrup
lots of ice

The Monin Sugar-free Triple Sec is thick and quite orange-y, and subs well for Triple Sec or Orange Curacao liqueurs. The Monin "O'free" Almond syrup works for orgeat.

I think the Monin Sugar-free Pomegranate syrup has excellent flavor and intensity, but it's not as sweet as typical grenadine syrup (which is too sweet, sometimes). In fact, it has a little tartness, so you may want to use a little of the plain sweetener with it, in a recipe calling for grenadine.

I've tried some of the Torani and DaVinci sugar free syrups, and was mostly disappointed. In general, they seem watery or dilute, compared to the Monin syrups. Also, some of the flavors are way off (Torani's Irish Cream, DaVinci's Kahlua). The Torani Coconut is OK, and I add a splash of heavy cream, when using it as a sub for Coco Lopez.

This is LOW CARB recipes. Your Margarita recipe is all carby. No good. My recipe has almost zero carbs. Very good.

On 2011-08-02 08:10, Swanky wrote:
This is LOW CARB recipes. Your Margarita recipe is all carby. No good. My recipe has almost zero carbs. Very good.

Well, I wouldn't say mine's all carby, but, yes, your recipe has fewer carbs, by virtue of having less lime juice. In my recipe, of course I intended to use carb-less bar syrup and Triple Sec, so the only carb is from lime, about 3 grams/ounce. This could be a problem, if you had several drinks in a hurry, but spaced out, it should be all right. I went back and edited the earlier post, to mention that that recipe is what we used for a pitcher that has to hold up well to dilution. I'd make it different, as a single drink.

I suppose one could use citric acid and a few drops of Boyajian lime oil, and have NO carbs at all. Hmmm...

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-08-02 10:53 ]

Triple Sec also has carbs. 12.5 carbs per ounce.

Maybe if we had bicycle powered mixers we wouldn't have to worry about carbs. Just sayin'. :D

On 2011-08-02 11:59, Swanky wrote:
Triple Sec also has carbs. 12.5 carbs per ounce.

Ahhhhh! Swanky, why are we arguing, here, when I think we are actually of one mind, on this subject - veritable blood-sugar brothers? I'm sure I caused the confusion, and I went back and edited that Margarita recipe, above, to explicitly mention no-carb ingredients, except the lime. You are correct that regular Triple Sec liqueur has mucho carbs, but the Monin Sugar-free Triple Sec has 0 carbs. That's my project - to discover 0 carb replacements for regular sugar-sweetened liqueurs and flavoring syrups. But, only when it is a reasonably good replacement. Some things are proprietary and, so far, irreplaceable,... like Kahlua. DaVinci's "Kahlua® Coffee Liqueur Flavored Syrup" sounded promising, but is pretty awful, compared to the real stuff. I'm surprised Kahlua® would let their name be degraded by association with this inferior product.

On 2011-08-02 13:43, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
Maybe if we had bicycle powered mixers we wouldn't have to worry about carbs. Just sayin'. :D

I know you're kidding and that would certainly be a nifty new bar accessory! But that subscribes to the notion that we need to burn more calories, to regulate weight. The idea behind specifically restricting carbs, rather than calories in general, is that it's carbs alone that cause secretion of insulin. Insulin regulates blood sugar and causes fat storage, among other things. If we avoid stimulating insulin secretion with carbs, we also avoid storing the fat we're eating. There are many other important benefits to limiting insulin, but losing weight seems to be what most care about.
If you're interested in the science behind eating (and drinking) low-carb, you might read last year's Why We Get Fat (And What To Do about It), by science journalist Gary Taubes (or, just read the reviews on Amazon). Or for free, read his 2002 New York Times article, What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

Ah, gotcha! Where do I find this Monin stuff and how does it taste? Margaritas are our go to drink after work. Especially when it is 105 outside like it has been this month! Frozen! So, that was my low carb option. Replace the Triple Sec with Orange Extract or Emulsion and sugar substitute. If the Monin is okay, I'll venture that way.

There is almost nothing in the Grogalizer that is low carb. But, my favorite low carb alcoholic beverage is St. James Royal Ambre and ice... Or El Dorado 12 year...

On 2011-08-03 08:48, Swanky wrote:
Ah, gotcha! Where do I find this Monin stuff and how does it taste?

I ordered it from http://www.moninstore.com . The Triple Sec is under the 'Sugar Free Syrups' category, but the sugar free sweetener is under the 'Sweeteners' category, in the menu.
The sweetener is good - no artificial, "off" taste - and is thickened a little with cellulose gum, so it's not all watery. Perfect sub for simple syrup, IMO.
The S.F. Triple Sec is also very good, with a rich orange flavor - I use it in place of Orange Curacao in Mai Tais, too.
I also ordered their S.F. Almond, to use as orgeat. Really, I am happy with everything I've tried from Monin, so far. If it wasn't quite good enough, I sure wouldn't use it to ruin good liquor!

If you order a "case" of any of their products, they'll ship the whole order for free, including any number of single bottles. If it comes in 750 ml bottles, 12 is a case. If it comes in liter bottles, like the S.F. Sweetener, 4 is a case, and it includes a pump (1/4 oz.). I ordered a case of that, then singles of several other things, to try. Didn't want to order a lot of anything, until I tried it. When I re-order, I'll get a case of Triple Sec, and fill out the order with some new things to try.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-08-09 15:12 ]

... borrowing Swanky's proportions, this turned out great. Both times.

Low-Carb Margarita (3 carb grams, all from lime)
3 oz. tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. Monin Sugar-free Triple Sec syrup
1/4 oz. Monin Sugar-free Sweetener
2 or 3 shakes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters (optional)

Shake w/ice, pour in salt-rimmed glass.

Note: Monin S.F. Triple Sec has a very "clean" natural orange flavor, without any "chemical" aftertaste, but also lacks the slightly bitter finish of most triple secs and curacaos (from the peels). If you like that bitter note, a little Fee Bros Orange Bitters fixes it nicely.)

Edit: You may dispense with the 1/4 oz. sweetener, if you like your Margarita a little on the tart side. After trying both ways, I think I prefer it less sweet.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-08-05 17:43 ]

A new low-carb drink recipe...

Beau Tai (2 carb grams)

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce Monin Sugar-free Sweetener (or simple syrup, for high-carb version)
2 ounces bourbon
Dash of Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Aromatic Bitters

Splash bitters into empty Old Fashioned glass. Shake other ingredients with ice, pour into glass.

The Fee Brothers bitters have a very intriguing cinnamon note - quite different from Angostura - that made this drink require an excessive amount of, uh, evaluation.

Thanks for starting this post. We recently have gone 'Paleo' and have been thinking about how to deal with Tiki drinks that seem to always be too carby.

I wish Trader Tiki would make some sugar free syrups. (His sugared ones are very good.) I know he is probably too busy trying to make his sugared line known and profitable, but hopefully some day. Maybe even some bars will offer some options. (Dreaming I know.)

[ Edited by: MikeyTiki 2011-08-09 15:09 ]

On 2011-08-09 15:09, MikeyTiki wrote:
Maybe even some bars will offer some [low-carb] options. (Dreaming I know.)

I talked to someone in sales, at Monin, about an error in my order. After resolving the problem (very much in my favor - great customer service!), we were talking about why I was interested in the sugar-free syrups (low-carb cocktails). He mentioned they've had a growing number of bars ordering some sugar-free syrups, in order to offer a selection of low-carb mixed drink options in their menus. So, slowly, your dream is coming true!

If only Monin had a sugar-free version of all their flavoring syrups. They have over a 100, many of which could replace our common liqueurs.

have you guys tried out those "Skinny Girl" brand cocktail mixes?

Hey...thanks for starting this thread...much appreciated. I am doing Weight Watchers and this will certainly help. I rarely make myself drinks at home, but when I go out to dinner I like cocktails...typically margaritas and Mexican food. I have been able to cut down on the food portions, but not the number of drinks...LOL. Will give these recipes a spin!!!

I gathered 16 bottles of original Lemon Hart 80°, yesterday, to add to the case I'd all ready socked away. (The 151° has not been available in Texas for many years, but may be coming, soon.) So, comfortable that I could loosen up a bit with my hoard, I celebrated with a (well, two, really) low-carb Queen's Park Swizzle:

Queen's Park Swizzle (low carb version, only 1½ grams carb):
Juice of ½ lime
½ ounce Monin Sugar Free Sweetener
Mint leaves
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 ounce Lemon Hart 80°
1 ounce dark Jamaican rum
1 ounce Cruzan or Puerto Rican 151° rum

Put several mint leaves, sweetener syrup, lime juice and bitters in a tall glass. Add some crushed ice, and mix/muddle a bit. Fill glass to top with crushed ice, add rum, and mix/agitate with a spoon, until glass frosts. Enjoy.

(If you have Lemon Hart 151°, use that and 80° Cruzan or Puerto Rican rum.)

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-11-27 13:30 ]

Going classic, here...

Old Fashioned (Zero carb grams)
½ oz. Monin Sugar Free Sweetener
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash Fee Bros. Orange bitters
2 oz. Bourbon whiskey

Mix sweetener and bitters in bottom of glass. Fill glass with crushed ice. Add whiskey, stir with straw. Garnish with rinsed maraschino cherry (don't eat - carbs!)

On 2011-09-06 21:10, Limbo Lizard wrote:
Going classic, here...

Old Fashioned (Zero carb grams)

Thanks for the Old Fashioned recipe, I like it!

Cheers!
Chris
WestADad

'Tis the Season...

Hot Buttered Rum (zero carb grams)
5 oz. boiling water
1/4 oz. Monin Sugar Free Sweetener
3/4 oz. DaVinci Sugar Free Caramel Syrup
Pat of butter
ground cinnamon and cloves (one or two shakes - to taste)
1½ oz. gold or dark rum

Shake spices into mug. Pour in boiling water. Add other ingredients and stir.

I found the caramel syrup a surprisingly good sub for the flavor of brown sugar. Now, I can enjoy one of my longtime favorite cold-weather drinks, sans carbs.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-11-26 16:55 ]

"Mom got drunk, and Dad got drunk, at our Christmas party.
We were drinking champagne punch and homemade egg nog... "

Homemade Egg Nog (under 0.5 grams carb, per 5 oz. serving, all from egg)

2 cups heavy cream
4 to 6 whole raw eggs*
1/3 cup sucralose powder (Splenda, or equivalent)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Mix in blender, then chill in refrigerator for at least an hour, to let the nutmeg flavor emerge. Serve plain or mixed with spirits. Dust with fresh grated nutmeg, if you want to show off.

• OK, about the raw egg deal. The odds of getting ahold of a salmonella contaminated egg is 20,000 to 1 - supposedly. But what if you, like me, are pretty good at beating the odds, when it comes to bad luck? You can use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs, if available in your area. Or you can pasteurize them, yourself.
  I put my eggs in a metal basket, and suspended it, off the bottom, in a large pot of hot water. Using a cooking thermometer and gently stirring the water, I heated the water to 130°, then carefully to 135°. Keeping an eye on it, I held the eggs at 132° - 137°, for over 2 hours. Ideally, you want to have the yolk reach 131° for about an hour (try to avoid letting the water reach 140°, as it'll overly cook the whites). Then I chilled them in ice water, and put them back in the fridge.
  The whites will have become cloudy-white and thicker, as if they've gelled a bit, but still liquidish. They're not suitable for whipped egg whites or meringue - they won't hold peaks. But they're great for egg nog. Since the nog's kept chilled, if the odd salmonella bacterium were to escape death, it wouldn't be able to multiply to dangerous levels. What ever residual risk exists, after all this, I'll accept, because I love my egg nog.

"... Merry Christmas, from the fam-uh-LEEE. Feliz Navidad!"

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2013-12-08 18:47 ]

[ Edited by Limbo Lizard on 2022-12-24 20:49:02 ]

A quick and simple classic...

Whiskey Sour (~2 carb grams, from the juice)

1½ oz. lemon juice
¾ oz. Monin Sugar Free Sweetener
2 oz. Bourbon
Shake with crushed ice, pour in glass, decorate with a rinsed cherry (don't eat it!).

Well, we are back in Low Carb diet land and looking for recipes. We are getting Davinci Sugar Free syrup and with that, we will make our own Falernum and Cinnamon Infused syrup. That opens up a lot of doors. We also just made our own Allspice Dram. I am convinced that St. Elizabeth has sugar in it as the bottle is very sticky now after use.

So, the drinks we are going to start with are:

151 Swizzle
Jasper's Jamaican
1934 Zombie Punch
Test Pilot

All look to be easily turned low carb!

Going to see about a low carb honey and maybe get the raw Passionfruit from Aunty Lilikoi's and make a sugar free PFS.

Let me know how the flavor of the Davinci compares to actual sugar syrup. I use Monin, which uses a blend of Erythritol and sucralose, that (they claim) better matches the flavor of sucrose. I've been very happy with it - buy in cases of 4, to get free shipping. But Davinci is probably less expensive.

I've been planning to make some sugar-free Falernum, too, but... haven't, yet. But here's a suggestion for your project:

The last couple of batches I made (with sugar), I substituted citric acid crystals and just a little Boyajian lime oil, in place of fresh lime juice and zest, along with store-bought pure almond extract (and homemade clove extract). It tastes as good as the earlier formula, using limes and almonds, but solved the short shelf-life issue of using ingredients that spoil quickly from bacteria or oxidation. I have some left in a bottle in the fridge that's over year old, and it's still good!

As it sits, the dark green lime oil collects on top (just like with using zest). Just shake it back into an emulsion, before using.

This will be my first home brew Falernum. I intend to keep the basic Falernum liqueur and mix it with syrup as I need it. Then I can make sugar free or regular, or try a new sugar free style. I won't have to worry about it going south.

I got a reply back from Aunty Lilikois about SF PFS and they say to get their PF Juice and make it in small batches. The sugar is a preservative and without it, it may go south as well.

I prefer Splenda and Davinci is based on that. We'll see...

Found some lime crystals as well that we may try. No sugar or carbs. An ounce of lime juice is 2.5 carbs or so. I think I'd rather limit my drinking and have the real thing though. But it'll be interesting to try so that maybe we can make more drinks low carb as the grapefruit would also add 2ish carbs, etc.

Gotta make sure to document our experiments and share what goes well, or at least reasonable.

I think I have this one down. Nearly indentical to the real thing. I mix 2 at a time, for me and my wife, so...

Low Carb Margarita:

6 oz. Tequila
2 oz. Lime Juice
1/3 oz 80 proof vodka
1/3 oz Davinci Sugar Free syrup (it is Splenda based and has no bad aftertaste, plus a decent consisancy)
1/2-1 teaspoon orange emulsion or orange extract (to taste)
ice

Triple Sec is low proof and has sugar in it. Recreating that taste is key.

This is about 2-2.5 carbs per drink. I use a lot of ice in the blender so that these 2 drinks will fill the glasses twice. You get "4" drinks out of the doubled recipe.

I am very close on the Jasper's Jamaican. Will have it down this weekend proabaly. Got to dial in the Allspice correctly as mine was made with vodka as base and not mixed with syrup. I should also have my Falernum ready to use this weekend to tackle the Navy Grog, Test Pilot and Zombie Punch low carb version.

Turns out the low carb honey is a very good match for honey syrup. It is a bit weak and watery as honey, but perfect for mixing.

Regarding the Margarita, I'll quote myself:

On 2011-08-05 11:02, Limbo Lizard wrote:

Note: Monin Sugar Free Triple Sec has a very "clean" natural orange flavor, without any "chemical" aftertaste, but also lacks the slightly bitter finish of most triple secs and curacaos (from the peels). If you like that bitter note, a little Fee Bros Orange Bitters fixes it nicely.)

I use the Monin S.F. Triple Sec (sometimes, with a shake of the orange bitters) for Mai Tais and Margaritas, and am very satisfied with the results.

A note on gin before everyone gets all up in arms over the paleoness of it…. If you’re “strict” from what I understand alcohol in general is off limits. I for one give myself a little wiggle room on occasion and gin is considered gluten free even if some are derived from grains.

Gin Limeade

Ingredients:

-Crushed Ice
-Gin
-1-2 Limes

Instructions:

-Fill a tall glass with crushed ice
-Pour a jigger to a jigger and a half of gin in to the glass(or just under estimate like me and pour to0 much)
-Squeeze an entire lime into the glass (maybe two if they’re small)
-Top off the remainder of the glass with seltzer
-Stir it up, top it off with a wedge of lime, sit back and ENJOY

This is just one of my favorite recipes aside from smoothies. :D

paleo recipes
paleo pancakes

[ Edited by: paleonomy 2012-08-09 00:35 ]

Back on the low carb diet and using The Grogalizer and other sources, I culled the lower carb recipes to be made in Tiki-land. I use a sugar free honey and syrup where it is called for. But mostly these are just cocktails that call for few or little carbed ingredients. They are not zero carbs, but, it is nice to enjoy one in there. Considering the Zombie Punch, made per the real recipe is only 8 carbs, I consider that a great reward for a week of good eating!

Jasper's Jamaican using SF syrup - 3 carbs
Navy Grog - 4 carbs
2070 Swizzle made my way with SF honey syrup - 6 carbs
Black Magic - 7 carbs
Nui Nui - 7 carbs
Outrigger - 8 carbs
1934 Zombie Punch - 8 carbs
Jet Pilot - 9 carbs
Test Pilot - 9.5 carbs
Rum Barrel - 11 carbs

Mai-Kai Memories Series Custom ceramic mugs!

[ Edited by: swanky 2013-02-01 09:27 ]

BTW, I find DaVinci Sugar Free syrup to be fantastic.

We found sugar free honey online and it mixes like honey syrup.

I have now made sugar free cinnamon syrup with good results and I am in the process of making SF allspice dram and falernum. I have yet to see if the SF syrup I created using packets of sweetener stayed mixed. I'll know tonight. I would not leave these un-refridgerated. I may use the DaVinci from now on in all of them.

Even though lime juice has a couple of carbs, many feel it is essentially carb neutral due to it's glycemic index.

In general, the drinks so far have not suffered.

Well, now that I've seen it, and I'm trying to e somewhat healthy, I have to try it.
I've got some DaVinci on the way, thanks Swanky.

I have learned while on a low carb diet to be careful with the booze. I get drunk much faster. I had assumed it was the diet's fault, and I still think that has somethign to do with it, but it turns out it also may be the drink.

Sugar free mixers make you drunker.

@Swanky.

That's funny, I happened to catch that article at work and had to close it before the big boss-man saw and didn't get a chance to read it. Thanks for posting it.

Also, that explains a LOT of drunken nights for me, since I only drink diet soda. Mea culpa, I guess.

I don't know if you all are still on the low carb thing or not but.. Which of the syrups do you prefer, the Monin or the Davinci? Also have you tried any of the Baja Bob's mixers? Most of their stuff is zero carb.

Thanks
Storm

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

[ Edited by: stormrider 2013-08-22 19:20 ]

I'm still pretty much living low carb,... with occasional brief excursions to the dark side. :wink:
I think Swanky likes Da Vinci. I prefer the Monin Sugar-free syrups, over DaVinci and Torani. Personal preference, I guess, but I thought Monin had a more natural, richer taste. They are more expensive, though. I order online from moninstore.com - free shipping on $15+ orders.
The items I always keep in stock (all sugar-free) are their Sugar Free Sweetener (bar syrup), Triple Sec (curacao), Almond (Orgeat), Peach and Pomegranate (grenadine). I also have Vanilla, Chocolate and White Chocolate.
Haven't tried Baja Bob's mixers... looks interesting, maybe I'll see which I can find locally. My wife prefers an easy mixer to a "complicated" recipe.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2013-08-21 21:21 ]

Thanks for the info Limbo. Does their bar syrup have that "splenda" taste or is more "natural"

Thanks again

Storm

I thought Monin had a 'natural' taste,... and I was scrutinizing! They use a mix of Sorbitol (Splenda) and Erythritol, and some thickeners, to produce a product that much resembles a bar syrup base, and works well as a cocktail ingredient. My opinion.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2013-08-22 21:33 ]

I have only had the DaVinci, so...

Been low carb since December, but since doing a lot of mixing with the low carb stuff, we have decided it is generally better to use real sugar and mix the recipes that are naturally low carb. Get the full flavor.

I have since recalculated and I think the 34 Zombie Punch is probably closer to 5.5 carbs.

I mix up pitchers of low carb Margaritas a lot making my own triple sec sub by using vodka, SF syrup and orange extract/emulsion. Works pretty well.

Low Carb Pitcher of Margarita

6 oz Tequila
2 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce SF syrup
a few drops of orange extract
Fill with ice and blend smooth

Produces about 4 glassfuls.

Been on the Induction Phase for three weeks now. Down about 4-5 pounds. Rewarding ourselves with Zombies, or Swanky Swizzles, Navy Grogs, Black Magic or Jet Pilots later!

On 2011-08-28 21:42, Limbo Lizard wrote:
I gathered 16 bottles of original Lemon Hart 80°, yesterday, to add to the case I'd all ready socked away. (The 151° has not been available in Texas for many years, but may be coming, soon.) So, comfortable that I could loosen up a bit with my hoard, I celebrated with a (well, two, really) low-carb Queen's Park Swizzle:

Queen's Park Swizzle (low carb version, only 1½ grams carb):
Juice of ½ lime
½ ounce Monin Sugar Free Sweetener
Mint leaves
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 ounce Lemon Hart 80°
1 ounce dark Jamaican rum
1 ounce Cruzan or Puerto Rican 151° rum

Put several mint leaves, sweetener syrup, lime juice and bitters in a tall glass. Add some crushed ice, and mix/muddle a bit. Fill glass to top with crushed ice, add rum, and mix/agitate with a spoon, until glass frosts. Enjoy.

(If you have Lemon Hart 151°, use that and 80° Cruzan or Puerto Rican rum.)

---

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-11-27 13:30 ]

Aren't there a lot of carbs in the rum's that you are using?

On 2013-08-25 07:03, Dapuma1 wrote:

On 2011-08-28 21:42, Limbo Lizard wrote:
Queen's Park Swizzle (low carb version, only 1½ grams carb):
Juice of ½ lime
½ ounce Monin Sugar Free Sweetener
Mint leaves
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 ounce Lemon Hart 80°
1 ounce dark Jamaican rum
1 ounce Cruzan or Puerto Rican 151° rum

Put several mint leaves, sweetener syrup, lime juice and bitters in a tall glass. Add some crushed ice, and mix/muddle a bit. Fill glass to top with crushed ice, add rum, and mix/agitate with a spoon, until glass frosts. Enjoy.

(If you have Lemon Hart 151°, use that and 80° Cruzan or Puerto Rican rum.)

Aren't there a lot of carbs in the rum's that you are using?

Hmm, very good question, actually, and one I've wondered about - but not enough to do any serious research, I guess. (If you're referring to the alcohol, of course it represents calories, but it isn't processed and metabolized like carbs, so that's not a big issue.)

Obviously, they must add sugar in sweet flavored and spiced rums (e.g., Malabu, Capt. Morgan, etc.). And surely there is blackstrap molasses added to Cruzan Blackstrap.

But do (any) distillers add sugar to their "traditional" rums? I don't know the answer, but expect that some might add a little, and most don't. I read that many use some caramel coloring (burnt sugar), if only to even up the color of the rum, and achieve a consistent appearance, from batch to batch. But I don't think that's significant, carb-wise. But it might be in some very dark colored rums - like Myers's - that could require quite a bit of caramel, and do have a noticeable sweetness. Then, again, Coruba is as dark as Myers's, but not nearly as sweet. So maybe Myers's sweetness is not from the caramel color, but from... brown sugar?
Perhaps Swanky, or someone else, with more specific knowledge of various distiller's practices, can enlighten us. Or, maybe we should pose the question to Ed Hamilton, at Ministry of Rum.

Thanks for all the info guys. I have a diabetic dinner guest coming and this has been very helpful :)

FYI: With summer coming, I now use an old bitters bottle for my orange extract and a dash is just about right for a pitcher of Margaritas. 1-2 depending on your taste for orange.

A few posts back, the question of sugar added to rum was brought up, without any answers. David "Professor Cocktail" Montgomery ('djmont'), on page 2 of another thread, provided some info. He posted a link to another forum, where the added sugar content of a number of rums was given. Some are zero or just a few grams per liter - not enough to consider. But some contain 17, 29, even up to 46 grams per liter! That's from 1/2 to over a gram per ounce, enough that you should take it into account, when figuring total carb grams in a cocktail.

This information makes me want to take some of my rums and, with an eye dropper, deposit two or three drops of each on a clean plate to evaporate. I wonder how much would be left behind from each as the rum evaporated?

It's not scientific, but it would be very easy to do.

Science!

On 2014-07-18 11:55, AceExplorer wrote:
This information makes me want to take some of my rums and, with an eye dropper, deposit two or three drops of each on a clean plate to evaporate. I wonder how much would be left behind from each as the rum evaporated?

It's not scientific, but it would be very easy to do.

Actually, AceExplorer, that's a great idea for anyone with access to a good lab scale, accurate to one milligram. Weight a piece of filter paper or paper towel, then pour 1 milliliter of test rum onto the paper. Let it absorb, then evaporate, then weigh it again. How many more milligrams (if any) does the paper weigh? That's about how many grams of sugar per liter, for the test rum.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2014-07-20 10:17 ]

Thanks, LimboLizard. So a lab scale is one more thing I "need to buy" for my bar! lol...

Actually, I do use a small digital postal scale when I make my Falernum and other syrups. But that's not good enough for the type of test we're talking about here.

Any other successful recipe tweaks? I've been finding I like the less-sweet tiki drinks in general, so I figure that bodes well for modding others into low carb versions.