So being gluten-free is rough. You can kiss goodbye to garlic bread, cookies, cakes and other things that make this world beautiful. Fine! But this week I was horrified when trying to buy alcohol for my very gluten-intolerant friend. Living without grilled cheese is bad enough, but how can someone be expected to avoid beer and Fireball on a college campus? So, to be sensitive to my gluten-free friends out there, I’ve compiled a list of common alcohols that gluten-intolerant people can drink without having something extra to add to the hangover tomorrow. So get a flask and some natural gluten-free chasers and be prepared to BYOB to the next party.
First you should know that the gluten-free world exists on a spectrum. There is gluten in a ton of different ingredients that are used in the making of alcohol, but the idea is that this can largely be processed out. So here is a list of alcohols that are about 8-9 on the “Gluten-Free Confidence Scale” (yes, that’s a thing).
1. Rum
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GREEN LIGHT! But be careful because flavorings can be bad news for you, so go with the unflavored and mix, mix, mix. Learn how to make a pineapple into a rum drink here.
2. Skinny Girl Margaritas
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Get your girly drink on. These are totally safe but shy away from the flavored Skinny Girl vodkas. Just remember, the plainer the better.
3. Tequila
Photo by Rene Wool
While this is great news, you may need to splurge because that really cheap stuff, Mixto, is pretty janky and may or may not contain gluten (their ingredients are not well-specified). So really no one should be drinking this anyway.
4. Wine
Photo by Melanee Piskai
Wine is gluten -free for the most part because it is made from grapes, so get out your cheese and your pinky. However, it’s important to keep in mind that certain clarifying agents may contain gluten. Also, sweeteners and coloring agents are no-goes, so no dessert wine. Sorry! Stick to Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier or Vinho Verde among others.
5. Vodka
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If you haven’t caught on yet, the plainer the less gluten-y and this continues to be true for vodka. Vodka made from corn, grapes or potatoes, rather than wheat, is what you need. Ciroc (made from grapes) and Blue Ice in that blue bottle (made from potatoes) are perf.
Check out more articles about eating gluten-free: