Veganism continues to grow as a positive lifestyle choice across the UK, and we head into Vegan January – or Veganuary as its now billed. So, increasingly event organisers need to think about making their choice of food and drink vegan friendly. And yes – for a vegan friendly event you need to think about the drinks you are serving too. It’s not just those including dairy products, such as milk and cream. Importantly, many alcoholic drinks may seem vegan friendly on the face of it, they may not be because of the way in which they are produced. For some alcoholic drinks animal products are used in the filtering process to help remove impurities. At TLC – every guests needs is important. Our selection of four fabulous vegan-friendly cocktails should help to make vegan guests feel included.
As a general rule, clear spirits, such as vodka and white rum, are vegan friendly, but it is always best to check with the manufacturer to be 100% sure. Website Barnivore is a good place to check and some drinks are labelled with the Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark.
It may take a little more thought and preparation, but there is no excuse for you to leave your vegan guests with a bland second-best beverage. Here are four of our favourites vegan-friendly cocktails for inspiration.
FRENCH 75
THE classic, stylish cocktail that fuses dry gin and Champagne. Place gin, sugar and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker to blend. Pour into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Carefully add the champagne. Garnish with a slice of lemon. Simplicity itself. Easy to create for a larger party gathering, or a more intimate celebration.
RELATED STORY: Vegan Party Ideas
HOMEMADE VEGAN IRISH CREAM
Baileys Irish Cream is a popular liqueur choice at any time of year, and particularly during the cold winter months. A vegan lifestyle may mean you can’t enjoy the taste straight out of a bottle. Angela at Oh She Glows has come up with a homemade vegan-friendly version that combines both creamy texture and whisky kick.
Angela’s recipe uses Jameson Irish Whiskey as a base. Other ingredients include coconut milk, brown sugar, expresso coffee and a pinch of salt. It takes 20 minutes to prepare and cook. See website for details.
WATERMELON BOWL
When catering for vegan guests you need to think about your soft drink choices because some may include colouring derived from gelatine or cochineal. Also, in the same way alcoholic drinks can be filtered through animal products, concentrated juices may have gone through the same processes.
This refreshing watermelon-based soft-drink is a wonderful choice that looks incredible when served from the scooped-out, watermelon bowl.
You can also add a dash of Amaretto to create an alcoholic version – and the mix of flavours is delicious. It takes 10 minutes to prepare. See elephantastic vegan for details.
CLASSIC DAIQUIRI
Moving to the sun soaked Caribbean – albeit it in a glass. This white rum cocktail is versatile, allowing you to go for the classic lime combination or try something new. Pineapple. Mango. Berries. All work perfectly.
Combine lime juice and sugar in a cocktail shaker; stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add rum and fill the shaker three quarters full of ice. Cover and shake until chilled. Strain the daiquiri into a coupe or other small cocktail glass. Garnish with lime slice to complete.
Now that is four fabulous vegan-friendly cocktails to choose from!
STILL THIRSTY?
Check out this collection of vegan-friendly cocktails from our friends at Olive Magazine: Best Vegan Drinks – olivemagazine We’re loving the vegan Black Russian!
LITTLE KNOWN
The daiquiri, our cocktail conjured from rum, lime juice and sugar, originated in Cuba where such ingredients are plentiful. American mining engineer Jennings Cox first mixed the daiquiri cocktail in 1900 at a bar in Santiago, Cuba. While some may credit Cox with creating the daiquiri, British sailors were consuming the grog’s combination of rum, water, lime juice and sugar as a daily ration in the latter 1700s.
The recipe for the daiquiri arrived from Cuba to United States soil by way of Admiral Lucius Johnson, a US naval medical officer who consequently introduced the tropical beverage at the Army and Navy Club in Washington DC in 1909. Appreciation for the Cuban specialty spread across the country, earning mention in a passage of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel This Side of Paradise, published in 1920.