Pure forms of alcohol like whiskey, gin, tequila, rum and vodka are all completely sugar-free whereas wines and light beer like Sapporo or Budvar have a minimal carb content.
Alcohol, at no stage of being broken down, turns into sugar!
This is in reference to pure alcohol. Wine and beer do contain small amounts of sugar from the fermentation process of the raw ingredients used to make it. I.e, wine is made with grapes that contain fruit sugars.
Enter seltzer. "Adding seltzer to a cocktail is always a great choice since it provides zero calories and zero grams of sugar," Gans said. A gin and seltzer lets you get that same bubbly feel and gin taste without all the added calories.
People with diabetes need to be extra careful with alcohol. Alcohol intake significantly increases the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels). If your diabetes is already well under control, a moderate amount of alcohol may be fine either before, during or soon after a meal.
Sugar alcohols are safe and can usually be safely included in your diet if you have diabetes or prediabetes—but there are some caveats to consider. The safe recommended intake of sugar alcohol intake is 10-15 grams per day. Like many other ingredients, including sugar, sugar alcohols should be eaten in moderation.
Alcohol has a high calorie content. These are 'empty calories' with no nutritional value or benefit. However, many people don't realise that alcohol can also contain a lot of sugar. Drinking regularly will increase your calorie and sugar intake.
Vodka doesn't contain a significant amount of minerals or nutrients. Vodka has no sugar and fewer calories than some other liquors. If you already consume alcohol, vodka may be a slightly healthier option. Be careful of adding vodka to mixers, however, since they are frequently high in sugar.
Diabetics clearly should avoid heavy drinking (i.e., more than 10 to 12 drinks per day), because it can cause ketoacidosis and hypertriglyceridemia. Moreover, heavy drinking in a fasting state can cause hypoglycemia and ultimately increase diabetics' risk of death from noncardiovascular causes.
Straight Whiskey
There's a number of kinds of spirits that carry the “straight” moniker — straight bourbon, straight rye, etc — and with all of them you should be sugar free here.
Tips for healthier drinking with diabetes
The following are important things to remember if you choose to drink alcohol and have diabetes: Choose healthier options like light beer, dry wine, or hard liquor mixed with soda water and citrus. Avoid sugary-sweetened mixed drinks, fortified wines, and cream liqueurs.
BOTTOM LINE. Moderate alcohol consumption (no more than one to two drinks per day) is perfectly safe for most people with diabetes. To avoid hypoglycemia, don't drink on an empty stomach and check your blood sugar often while drinking and up to 24 hours after you stop drinking.
Whiskey has 0 carbs, fats, or sugars. Even the glycemic index of whisky is almost negligible. Therefore, it can be safe for a person with diabetes to consume whiskey in moderation.
Tequila has less sugar and calories than similar liquors, which may make it a slightly healthier option if you drink.
Compared to wines, beers, and ciders, tequila contains no carbohydrates, no sugar, and fewer calories. A 42 g shot of 100% tequila contains 97 calories and 0 carbohydrates.
Researchers have discovered that tequila can help those with type 2 diabetes. The agavins, natural sugars in agave, are non-digestible so blood sugar levels won't spike. In fact, it can lower glucose levels and increase insulin production.
Rum is a drink certainly made from a sugarcane by-product, generally molasses, through a fermentation and distillation process. But after going through this process there is zero sugar content left in the distillate.
Soda is by far the largest source of added sugar in the American diet, accounting for a third of our overall consumption.