Out on the Town and Vegan
Maddie’s drink of choice on a recent dinner outing: “Found My Thrill”– Absolut Citron, ginger spirits, fresh blueberries, and rosemary
I’ve recently run into yet another ethical conundrum: vegan alcoholic beverages! Many boozes that you’d think are vegan (no obvious signs of meat, dairy, or eggs in there, right?) definitely are not (wrong!). Some are filtered through what’s called isinglass–a fish bladder during the filtration process while others have honey, dairy, even eggshells or parts of jellyfish. There are many other filtration techniques that companies could use that are vegan and animal friendly. So many boozes you might love aren’t vegan at all or in some cases even vegetarian!
So what’s a conscientious vegan to do? These types of ingredients used in the filtration process don’t show up on alcoholic labels… how do you know what’s in your drink and if it’s something you agree with consuming or putting your money into?
Enter Barnivore– a fantastic source for all that is alcoholic and vegan. There are beer, wine, and liquor sections that list out which boozes are or are not vegan–alphabetically! There’s even a search engine so if you have a quick question you can just type in the name of the booze that concerns you! I use this site in the co-op picking out beer and at the bar when I want to order a fancy shmancy drink. I’ll usually check ahead of time to see which boozes are vegan, so then I know how to order.
One of my favorite cocktails to date–”Snake Oil”– Gosling’s Rum, Orange bitters, Bleinheims ginger ale, Tuaca, and an orange wedge. All vegan!
Rum is my favorite liquor so I make sure I arm my vegan arsenal and know which ones I can choose in my dark ‘n stormy! Captain Morgan, Gosling, Bacardi, Malibu, and The Kraken are all vegan friendly!
Another drink I really love at my local watering hole is the “Pom Collins”– pomegranate juice, a splash of fizzy water, gin, and orange bitters. The gin they use is Aristocrat, which is vegan and so is Beefeaters, despite is rather appalling name.
For vodkas, Absolut, Grey Goose, Stoli, and some Smirnoffs (careful here folks, they have some funky flavors) are all vegan!
If your more the wine and dine type, Trader Joe’s famous 2 buck Chuck aka Charles Shaw wine has vegan reds, but steer clear of the whites, which aren’t vegan friendly. My recent pick, Found Object also by Trader Joe’s is also vegan!
For beers, my old friend PBR is vegan, as is Highland Brewery out of my beloved Asheville, NC. Beers vary so much at our co-op that I usually just pull out my phone and Barnivore them on the spot to check and see if they’re vegan!
Here’s a fool proof vegan cocktail that I just adore. Make it at home or order it when you’re out and about!
Veganland’s Safely Vegan Cocktail
Splash of spiced or coconut rum (when I’m at home I use The Kraken, Malibu or the Captain work well too!)
Splash of white rum
Pineapple juice, or if you’re me and you’re at home coconut pineapple juice
Give it a shake and serve over the rocks with a straw. Enjoy!
Is your favorite booze vegan? Take the Barnivore test and see if your drink is animal and vegan friendly!
Bisous!
Rachel
I drink prosecco and I’m not sure it always is vegan. One of my goals is to make sure that all the booze I drink is – so thank you for the website link. I also like vodka, gin & champagne and they all seem good to go