Being diagnosed in college, a major concern for me was what I was going to order at a bar or drink at parties.  There’s a lot of information out there about this topic and much of it is conflicting…it’s hard to know what to do.  Many sites and doctors say that all distilled liquor is safe for celiacs, while other resources say that celiacs should avoid liquor made from wheat, barley, or rye.  So what’s a celiac to do? Honestly, it’s different for every person I think.

In my experience, I’ve been able to drink house rum and tequila at bars just fine.  I have never reacted to any rum or tequila that I’ve been served, so that is a safe bet for me. Neither liquor is made from wheat, barley, or rye so unless it’s flavored with something funky, you’re good!  For most of my college career, I stuck to ordering rum and cokes.  By the end of college, though, the thought of a rum and coke made me want to die. I can only drink one kind of alcohol/drink for so long until my body is like yeah…I know what that does, no thank you.  So when I went to the Dominican Republic for spring break my senior year and discovered the santo libre, I was thrilled.  It’s just rum, soda, and lime juice. Simple and delicious! It’s also not intensely sweet, so I’m able to drink it all night without feeling gross.  It’s low in calories too, which is a plus! Sometimes to mix it up, I’ll order a rum and soda with a splash of pineapple juice.  Really yummy! I’ve also ordered a rum and sprite which is also good, a little sweeter.  Margaritas are a safe bet usually as well! Most mixes that bars use are gluten free and if they make their own mix, it’s usually always safe. It’s a good idea to ask just in case, but I’ve never had anyone tell me that their margarita had gluten. I think my absolute favorite drink though is a mojito, which is just rum, club soda, mint, lime, and sugar.  So refreshing and so delicious!! I read on some article once that bartenders hate making it because they have to muddle the mint…so I don’t order it very often because that stuck with me for some reason.  Other bartenders have told me that’s not true, but I’m a people pleaser and I cant help it! ;(  If I’m out to dinner I’ll order one, but if I’m at a packed bar, I’ll order something simpler.  Maybe one day I’ll grow a back bone! lol

Whiskey, bourbon, and vodka are kind of grey areas.  Whiskey and bourbon are made out of barley typically…so not inherently gluten free.  However, some companies claim that their liquors are in fact gluten free because of their distillation process.  I was wary to trust that in the beginning…but being the Irish girl that I am, I just had to test out Jameson.  The company claims their whiskey is gluten-free and I never react to it…and I’ve had a lot of Jameson.  This may not be the case for everyone, so take that information with a grain of salt. I tend to be pretty sensitive, but I’m sure there are others out there that might be even more so.  I’ve also had Makers Mark bourbon with no reaction as well.  They are another company that claims their product is gluten free based on the distillation process.  There are several vodkas on the market that are absolutely gluten free because they’re made with non-gluten ingredients (potatoes or corn). Tito’s is the one I tend to drink the most. It’s made from corn and certified gluten free.  I am scared to order any vodka drinks at bars, though, because I haven’t tried vodkas made from gluten and I don’t know how I would react.  It’s possible that I would be fine with all distilled liquors and one day I think I will test it…but today is not that day!

Sometimes I’m in the mood for some cider! That’s one of those drinks that I usually can’t drink all night because it’s just too sweet. Bars do tend to have at least one cider though, so it’s nice to be able to switch things up.  My absolute favorite cider is Downeast cider.  It’s made in Boston and I’m not sure how widely available it is…I know it’s sold in Connecticut.  It’s so different from every other cider I’ve tried.  It has less carbonation and feels…almost thicker? I can’t really explain it.  It’s just something special.  If possible, you have to try it.  I also really enjoy Ciderboys, Crispin, and Ace.  Ace has some really interesting flavors that I love! Pineapple is my favorite for sure.

I do want to warn you about ordering cider from the draft at bars!! Some bars do not clean out their taps between beverages…so it’s possible that a gluten-full beer was in the tap and once it was gone, they filled it with cider–not washing out the beer residue.  I’ve gotten glutened the worst from a bar like this.  It was a bar on my college campus. They made a giant pitcher drink called a “beaver.”  They put tons of different alcohol in it with like 6 straws.  Everyone always ordered it for 21st birthdays or any celebration.  They said they could make them gluten free by using cider instead of beer, so I was psyched! I ordered one at like 3:00pm on my 21st birthday. My parents came to take me to dinner (picking me up right from the bar lol) around 5…and by the end of the dinner, I was in HORRIBLE pain.  I was pretty confident it wasn’t dinner so I figured maybe the bartender accidentally dripped some beer into the beaver.

Well, I went back another night and ordered an Angry Orchard on draft.   After that one drink, I had to go lay down in the back of my friend’s car because the pain was so bad…then I spent the rest of the night sobbing in bed.  The pain was excruciating.  I find that if I get glutened while I’m drinking alcohol, IT IS SO MUCH WORSE. At this point, I was so confused because I knew for a fact that Angry Orchard was gluten free. I brought it up to another celiac that I happened to work with and she told me about bars not always washing out their taps.  It all made sense!! So after that, I only ordered mixed drinks there and I was fine.

So a word of caution…beware of draft drinks! I actually have never had a problem at any other bar.  I always worry I’m about to ruin my night when I risk it, but so far I’ve lucked out.

Speaking of cider, I can’t go on without mentioning this AWESOME cider brewery in Connecticut: New England Cider Company.  Their cider is so deliciously original! They are constantly coming up with new flavors like watermelon, pumpkin, and cranberry.  They’re responsible for this celiac’s first flight! I can never have flights anywhere because most places usually only have one or two gluten free choices…never enough for a flight.  Not here! All of their ciders are gluten free and I couldn’t have been happier. We filled out entire table with flights :p Look how beautiful!

As far as beer goes, I think my favorite (most common) beer is Bard’s.  I just really enjoy it’s flavor and find it easy to drink.  I also really enjoy Steadfast Beer Co. but that’s not quite as easy to find.  I know that Omission is incredibly popular, but that is a gluten-removed beer, not a gluten-free beer.  I’ve read articles about how it may not safe for celiacs and I can tell you first hand, I can’t drink it.  I tried drinking it once and had a stomach ache all night and wasn’t sure why…I was trying to think of all the food I ate that day and couldn’t come up with anything.  Later when I read the article about gluten-removed beers, it all made sense.  I know a lot of people aren’t bothered by it and the majority of “gluten-free” beers in Ireland are “gluten-removed,” but clearly I can’t tolerate it. Which BLOWS because it really does taste like regular beer! Sigh..

Oh and how could I forgot, my true love, WINE. Wine is everything for me! Since it’s made from grapes or fruit, it’s always gluten free…and there are seemingly endless kinds to try! Having Celiac, I’ve kind of missed out on this whole craft beer movement.  All of my friends love going to breweries and trying literally hundreds of craft beers in New England. For me, since I can’t try tons of different beers, I love going to vineyards and discovering different kinds of wine! I’m learning more and more about wine as I visit more wineries and test out all the different types.  My palette has expanded and I enjoy way more wines than I used to…I never thought I’d be able to drink dry wine! #Adulting It’s really fun and such a reliable drink! I know that any bar or restaurant I go to will have some selection of wine, so there’s always something I know I can safely order and drink.  I have read that some European wines are stored in barrels that are sealed with a paste made from wheat and those wines contain a certain amount of gluten…When I was first diagnosed, I was careful to avoid those just in case.  However, I eventually ended up just trying everything, and I haven’t found a single wine that has bothered me.  Hooray for wine!!

That just about covers all of my drinking habits…it turns out that going to the bar as a celiac isn’t that hard! It’s definitely easier than eating at a restaurant.  Once you learn your standard, go-to drinks, the rest is a breeze.

Cheers!