Gluten Free Alcohol
There are many gluten free alcohol beverages to choose from; even the picky drinker shouldn't have trouble finding a favorite. This comes in large part from how alcohol is created. As the alcohol passes through the distilling process the gluten, fats and cholesterol are stripped away, yielding a gluten free alcohol beverage. That's not really the intent but a mere by product of the process itself.
As I started researching the various brands of popular drinks out there I found that most were indeed gluten free. So here are just a some of the gluten free alcohol drinks that I found: Jose Cuervo (both Especial and Tradicional) , Jack Daniels, Absolut Vodka, Baileys, Gordons, Gins, Booths, Popv, Gordons Wildberry, Tanqueray, Long Island Ice Tea, Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada, Kahlua, Jagermeister, Smirnoff Vodka and Southern Comfort. This list is by no means exhaustive - there are many, many other gluten free alcohol drinks. In general, the rule is that they are most all gluten free (because of the distilling process) though there are some exceptions.
Some of the rare alcoholic drinks that do contain gluten include: Gordons Godiva products, Smirnoff FMB's or Twisted beverages and Smirnoff Ice. The Godiva line appears to be various liqueur drinks that have many added
ingredients as opposed to a more traditional pure alcohol drink. The Smirnoff drinks are also fruit and mixed drinks that have other non-traditional ingredients, some of which contain gluten.
When it comes to wines, I was able to also find quite an extensive list of gluten free wines: Beaulieu Vineyard, Blossom Hill Winery, Piat D'Or, Glen Ellen, Ruffino, Beringer, MG Vallejo, Casa Lapostolle, Cuvee Alexander, Louis Jadot, Chateau De Sancerre, Cantine Fici Marsala, Clos du Bois, En Cous, Fetzer, Sutter Home and Rober Mondavi. Again, this is not an exhaustive list, so if you particular wine favorite is not on this list, don't despair, there's a good chance that it may be gluten free as well. But make sure to contact the manufacturer directly with any production related questions just to make sure. Of course, we couldn't forget the all important Champagne. Again, there are a few to choose from: Gossett, Jacquat, Hamm, Korbel and Moet & Chandon are all gluten free.
Now for you restaurant goers that frequent TGI Friday's, I found a list that was attributed to the Diageo group of many drinks you can order there that are all gluten free, including: Long Island Ice Tea, Margarita, Mudslide, Pina Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri, The Club Cocktails, Gin Martini, Manhattan, Screwdriver, Vodka Martini, Whiskey Sour and all fo the Jose Cuervo and TGI Friday's Blenders.
It is important to note that this list just serves as a guideline. Manufacturers are known to frequently change their ingredients and that is something that you shouldn't take lightly. As always, it is not wise to assume. Even if you see an item listed here, you would be wise to make a quick call to the manufacturer and confirm our findings.