Hints, tips and vegan-friendly recipes for cocktail lovers!

According to the official Veganuary website, people from almost every country in the world tried adopting a vegan lifestyle in January 2023. The only countries with no sign-ups recorded for the Vaganuary campaign were North Korea and the Vatican! That’s pretty impressive.

And with an ever-increasing number of those going on to convert full-time to the ethos, 2024 is set to be even bigger! Especially as there are more vegan products than ever before out there to help you through the month.

The Vegan Society reports that there are over 65,000 products registered under The Vegan Trademark today, including 18,000 food and drink items from over 2500 companies across the globe.

Even with all of those products available, Veganism can be quite challenging, due to the number of ‘hidden’ ingredients in many foods and drinks we consume every day that go against vegan beliefs.

And, while gin is usually a vegan-friendly spirit, it’s often consumed within cocktails. So there are a few pitfalls to be aware of!

*The key thing to look out for with gin is the botanicals - some of the more unusual gins are distilled with non-vegan products like honey, milk or even creatures like ants.

These added ingredients should be flagged on the bottle as one of the main components of the gin recipe, so just have a quick look if you’re not sure.

Therefore, if you’re one of the thousands of people attempting Veganuary for the first time (but not Dry January), here are a few things to look out for and some tips on how to keep enjoying your cocktails without forgoing your veganism!

Ingredient: Honey

Commonly found in: Sweet cocktails like the Bee’s Knees

Substitute with: Simple syrup or agave syrup

Ingredient: Egg white

Commonly found in: Any cocktail with a foam topping, e.g. the Gin Fizz, Gin Sour, Clover Club

Substitute with: Aquafaba (strained chickpea liquid). You can use the liquid from a can of chickpeas, or make your own by soaking chickpeas overnight and using that.

Note: While this creates a fantastic foamy texture, when we tested this here at Craft Gin Club we found that aquafaba can have a slightly pungent aroma, so it works best with strongly flavoured ingredients that can help balance the flavour of your drink, such as the tart, sweet Clover Club recipe below.

Ingredient: Dairy (including milk, cream and ice cream)

Commonly found in: Different types of Gin Flip and creamy cocktails like the Orange Russian

Substitute with: Feel free to experiment with almond, cashew or coconut cream although be aware of the change in flavour this will impart to your cocktail, particularly when using coconut cream! Check out our recipe for homemade almond or cashew cream below.

Ingredient: Some red food colouring, e.g. Carmine (also known as Natural Red 4, or E120)

Commonly found in: Some fruit juices in your cocktails may contain carmine

Substitute with: Products that use other red food colouring, eg lycopene

• Butter - for example, in buttered punch
• Advocaat (contains egg)
• Irish cream liqueurs, including original Baileys (there is a dairy-free, almond cream-based version, Baileys Almande, available nowadays)
• Sweets: Some cocktails might come garnished with jelly beans, marshmallows or other sweets that contain gelatine, are coated in shellac or contain carmine, which is made from cochineal insects
• Some dark chocolate: Dark chocolate is usually vegan. However, some varieties contain animal-derived products such as whey, milk fat, milk solids, clarified butter or nonfat milk powder
• Citrus fruits: Some fruits will have been waxed with beeswax, which you may prefer to avoid
• Vermouth: Some brands of vermouth are not vegan-friendly, due to the fining agents used. Check the bottle or website before purchasing.

Butter - for example, in buttered punch

Advocaat (contains egg)

Irish cream liqueurs, including original Baileys (there is a dairy-free, almond cream-based version, Baileys Almande, available nowadays)

Sweets: Some cocktails might come garnished with jelly beans, marshmallows or other sweets that contain gelatine, are coated in shellac or contain carmine, which is made from cochineal insects

Some dark chocolate: Dark chocolate is usually vegan. However, some varieties contain animal-derived products such as whey, milk fat, milk solids, clarified butter or nonfat milk powder

Citrus fruits: Some fruits will have been waxed with beeswax, which you may prefer to avoid

Vermouth: Some brands of vermouth are not vegan-friendly, due to the fining agents used. Check the bottle or website before purchasing.

The good news is, the vast majority of cocktails are vegan-friendly! Browse our cocktail hub to find one you’d like to try at home.

Alternatively, here are two vegan cocktail recipes showing you how you can use aquafaba to create the perfect foam-topped gin cocktail, and a creamy nut milk-based option.

Have you got any vegan-friendly cocktail hints, tips or recipes for others trying veganism for the first time? We’d love to hear from you! Leave your comments on Facebook.