Low FODMAP Mocktails and Drinks

What to watch in low FODMAP drinks

A drink rarely has a lot of ingredients, so one high FODMAP mixer can be the whole problem. Apple juice and pear juice are the most common, since they sweeten a lot of bottled juice blends, ciders and punches. Agave syrup and honey are the other usual sweeteners in bar recipes, and agave is high FODMAP while honey is low only at about 1 teaspoon. The mocktails here use sugar syrup or pure maple syrup instead.

Citrus, mint, basil, ginger and plain soda water are the easy base for almost any mocktail. Lemon and lime juice are low at the amounts a drink uses, and fresh herbs add flavor without adding anything to count. Fruit needs a measure: strawberries are low at about 5 medium berries, and fresh pineapple at about 1 cup (140g), which is why a virgin pina colada or strawberry lemonade lists how much fruit each glass holds. Canned coconut milk and coconut cream are low at about 1/4 cup per serving.

For milky drinks, lactose-free milk, almond milk and macadamia milk are low at a full cup. Oat milk is low only at about 100mL, and cashew milk has no low serving, so check which one goes into an iced latte. Plain coffee, matcha and cocoa are fine at normal amounts, so the milk and the sweetener decide the rating.

If you want alcohol in a drink, vodka, gin and whiskey are low FODMAP in a standard measure, while rum is high, so a spiked mojito uses vodka rather than rum. For blended drinks, see the low FODMAP smoothies, and the low FODMAP food list has the tested serving for each ingredient.

For a party, most of these mocktails scale up into a pitcher. Mix the syrup, citrus and fruit ahead and add the soda water or ice just before serving so the drink stays fizzy and cold, and set out mint, lime wedges and berries so everyone can finish their own glass.