One of the most common questions I hear from people with and without celiac disease is 'what can you drink?'. It's a good question, because there is a lot of controversy out there about what is and is not safe for a celiac to drink.
Gluten free alcohol tends to be a pretty heated topic because many people believe that due to the distillation process, gluten is removed from glutenous grain based alcohols. For example, people claim that scotch is gluten free, even though it is made from barley. The logic behind this is that a drink is technically considered 'gluten free' if it meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposed standard of less than 20 parts per million, and that distillation removes the harmful gluten proteins. The Celiac Sprue Association however does not recommend any form of Scotch or whiskey; instead, they advise those following the gluten-free diet to stick with potato vodkas, rum and tequila, all of which are made from non-gluten grain sources.
The Celiac Sprue Association makes this recommendation because it is possible that distillation doesn't remove 100% of the gluten (studies have been mixed on this point), and that small amounts of gluten are potentially added back into the alcohol as a part of processing after distillation. Additionally, many alcohol manufacturers add caramel coloring to their alcohol, which may contain gluten.
While you need to make a decision for yourself, I would suggest staying away from barley-based drinks such as scotch, or drinking a cocktail made of wheat based vodka. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion online as to whether Corona beer is gluten free. Gluten Dude broke down the logic on this debate perfectly:
Corona is not a gluten-free beer.
But it has been tested to under 20ppm, so it is a gluten-free beer.
Yet it’s made with barley, so it’s not a gluten-free beer.
But according to the FDA, since it’s under 20ppm, it is a gluten-free beer.
But then according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, it can’t be labeled gluten-free because it’s made with barley. Let me make one thing perfectly clear here. I will never drink Corona. Or Bud Light. Or Heineken. Or any of the other beers that some celiacs are convincing themselves they can drink. Why? BECAUSE IT HAS GLUTEN IN IT.
So what can a celiac safely drink? Here is my list of gluten free alcohol that I stick to. This list is certainly not the be-all-and-end-all of gluten free alcohol, but these are the brands / drinks that I know I can drink safely, and I stick to.
There is a lot of misinformation out there on what alcohol is safe to drink for a celiac, so be sure and do your research discerningly!
Cheers!
— The Healthy Celiac
Gluten free alcohol tends to be a pretty heated topic because many people believe that due to the distillation process, gluten is removed from glutenous grain based alcohols. For example, people claim that scotch is gluten free, even though it is made from barley. The logic behind this is that a drink is technically considered 'gluten free' if it meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposed standard of less than 20 parts per million, and that distillation removes the harmful gluten proteins. The Celiac Sprue Association however does not recommend any form of Scotch or whiskey; instead, they advise those following the gluten-free diet to stick with potato vodkas, rum and tequila, all of which are made from non-gluten grain sources.
The Celiac Sprue Association makes this recommendation because it is possible that distillation doesn't remove 100% of the gluten (studies have been mixed on this point), and that small amounts of gluten are potentially added back into the alcohol as a part of processing after distillation. Additionally, many alcohol manufacturers add caramel coloring to their alcohol, which may contain gluten.
While you need to make a decision for yourself, I would suggest staying away from barley-based drinks such as scotch, or drinking a cocktail made of wheat based vodka. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion online as to whether Corona beer is gluten free. Gluten Dude broke down the logic on this debate perfectly:
Corona is not a gluten-free beer.
But it has been tested to under 20ppm, so it is a gluten-free beer.
Yet it’s made with barley, so it’s not a gluten-free beer.
But according to the FDA, since it’s under 20ppm, it is a gluten-free beer.
But then according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, it can’t be labeled gluten-free because it’s made with barley. Let me make one thing perfectly clear here. I will never drink Corona. Or Bud Light. Or Heineken. Or any of the other beers that some celiacs are convincing themselves they can drink. Why? BECAUSE IT HAS GLUTEN IN IT.
So what can a celiac safely drink? Here is my list of gluten free alcohol that I stick to. This list is certainly not the be-all-and-end-all of gluten free alcohol, but these are the brands / drinks that I know I can drink safely, and I stick to.
- Hard cider: I like Angry Orchard, but there are ton of brands out there that are gluten free. However, always check for yourself before drinking!
- Vodka: You have to be very careful with vodka, triple check the brand to ensure that it is a potato based vodka and not a wheat based vodka that is claiming to be gluten free through distillation. I stick to Chopin Polish Vodka, Ciroc (not the flavored vodka though, only the original), and Crater Lake Vodka.
- Tequila: I stick to Patron and Don Julio tequila. My rule of thumb with tequila is to always stick to white tequila. Make sure that whenever you have tequila, the bottle says "made with 100% agave".
- Gin: I stick to Hendrick's Gin.
- Skinny Girl Margaritas
- Campari
- Red wine
- White wine
- Prosecco
- Champagne
There is a lot of misinformation out there on what alcohol is safe to drink for a celiac, so be sure and do your research discerningly!
Cheers!
— The Healthy Celiac
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