HispanicBusiness

Vodka, gin, tequila and whisky rank zero in carbs and in recognition

New York, NY—-(HISPANIC PR WIRE)--December 19, 2003--Most of the 35 million plus low carb converts in the U.S. are missing out on the party, according to a new study conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs.

The survey, which measured the public’s knowledge about the carb count of popular beverage alcohol options, found that 63% of people incorrectly believe that wine and beer are lower in carbs than spirits like vodka, tequila, gin and scotch whisky.

Spirits such as SMIRNOFF(R), JOSE CUERVO(R), CROWN ROYAL(R), JOHNNIE WALKER(R), and TANQUERAY(R) have zero carbs per serving, a fact of which low carb watchers are clearly unaware.

-- Within the spirits category, 55% of people believe that tequila is high/medium in carbs, despite the fact that it has zero carbs per ounce.

-- 52% of people believe that vodka is high/medium in carbs, despite the fact that it has zero carbs per ounce.

-- When asked to rank which beverage options were lowest in carbs – given the choice between a regular soda, fruit juice or spirits – 67% of people incorrectly chose fruit juice and soda.

-- With the low carb lifestyle continuing to grow in popularity, 58% of would-be hosts and hostesses would consider providing low carb food and beverages at their low carb party.

When it’s time to celebrate or socialize, these zero carb spirits - vodka, gin, tequila, and whisky - are the beverage of choice for those dieters following the low carb lifestyle.

The following are carb counts for popular beverage options:

-- Vodka, gin, tequila and whiskey - zero carbs per 1.5-ounce serving.
*Wine – One gram of carbs per 3.5-ounce serving.

-- *Beer – 13 grams of carbs per 12-ounce serving of regular beer and 2.6 grams per 12-ounce serving of low carb beer.

-- *Soda – 38.5 grams of carbs per 12-ounce serving.

-- *Fruit Juice – average of 25 grams of carbs per 8-ounce serving.

For carb counters who want to give spirits another try, the following are some zero carb cocktail recipes:

Smirnoff Citrus Twister
1.5 oz Smirnoff Citrus Twist vodka
3 oz club soda
Calories: 87
Carbs: 0 grams

Smirnoff Lean Martini
1.5 oz Smirnoff vodka
splash Vermouth
lemon peel garnish
Calories: 99.5
Carbs: 0.1 grams

Crown Royal and Soda
1.5 oz Crown Royal
3 oz club soda
Calories: 96
Carbs: 0 grams

Low Carb Mexi Cola
1.5 oz Jose Cuervo Clásico
3 oz diet cola
Calories: 96
Carbs: 0

Tanqueray and Tonic
1.5 oz Tanqueray
3 oz diet tonic
Calories: 114
Carbs: 0

Johnnie Walker Red Label and Ginger
1.5 oz Johnnie Walker Red Label
3 oz diet ginger ale
Calories: 96
Carbs: 0

Each of these cocktails contains a typical serving of alcohol, so please drink responsibly.

The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Diageo, the world’s leading beer, wine and spirits company. Nationwide over 950 consumers of legal drinking age were polled via telephone omnibus survey.

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research group, with revenues of 538.5 million euros in 2002. It offers a full suite of research services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies in advertising, marketing, public opinion and customer loyalty research, as well as forecasting and modeling. Member companies also offer a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services.

*These figures represent average carb counts as provided by the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.