Your Guide To Making Creamy Vegan Cocktails

August 31, 2022 by Sonja Edridge

Easy vegan switches to make creamy vegan cocktails

Two Creamy Pisco sour garnished with limes

Fulfil all your creamy vegan cocktails desires and follow our easy guide to making vegan cocktails. Find all the vegan-friendly alternatives you need (and pitfalls to watch out for):

Sugar: Just a note for strict vegans (if you live here in the states), pretty snow white sugar is achieved by processing it with bone char (they call it natural carbon). To avoid this use beet or organic sugar with a vegan stamp
Egg white: If a drink calls for egg whites, aquafaba is a game changer. This liquid is what’s left over from a can of chickpeas so don’t ditch it after making hummus! You’ll need 40g of aquafaba to equal an egg white. Keep it chilled and whip it with a dash of simple syrup. We guarantee no chickpea flavor will reach your cocktails!
Milk and creams: Opt your favorite nut or plant-based milk when a recipe calls for milk or cream. There are so many alternatives out there! Coconut cream makes a perfect cream substitute but remember, as delicious as creamy coconut is, it does alter the taste profile. For whipped cream, separate off the fatty cream part of the coconut cream and chill it before whipping
Texture and sweetness: Give your cocktail that all important texture and sweetness your creamy vegan cocktails deserve. Look out for the best vegan ice cream or gelato to join the mix

Ice: Always use larger ice cubes as they melt slower. Plant based milks can thin easily so we want to keep the ice around as long as possible
Pour like a pro: Pour nut milks over the back of a spoon to create the ripple effect dairy milk gives
Get experimental: For super quick nut milk, whizz a tablespoon or two of nut butter in the blender with a splash of water. This way you can pick the perfect thickness and consistency for your drink. Sweeten with maple or vanilla extract if you fancy. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator and use in 3 days in your coffee or hot chocolate

Our favorite creamy vegan cocktails

1. White Russian

This easy 3 ingredient White Russian cocktail is arguably one of the best coffee cocktails you can serve. It’s made so quickly with just vodka, coffee liqueur and heavy cream. For a vegan option, swap out the heavy cream for a creamy oat milk so all of your guests can enjoy this indulgent yet delicious after dinner drink.

2. Grasshopper

This minty dessert cocktail is as retro as they come, and was super popular in the 50s, 60s and 70s. So famed, it made a special place on the IBA’s list of official cocktails. The Grasshopper is simple to pull off in a moment’s notice with just three ingredients: crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and heavy cream. Ditch the cream and use coconut milk or blitz in the blender with a scoop of your favorite vegan gelato for a dairy free alternative.

3. Dirty Banana

The Dirty Banana cocktail is a true island style 90s cocktail that hails from Jamaica, made with creamy rum, banana and a coffee kick! To make one bung ½ cup of crushed ice in a blender with 1½ oz Caribbean Trois Rivières White Rum, ¾ oz coffee liqueur and ¾ oz banana liqueur. Blitz it up with a chopped banana (the riper the better) and 2 oz of creamy plant based milk. Pour into a hurricane or highball glass and garnish with a slice of banana and a maraschino cherry.

4. Coconut Gin Sour

The origins of sours are hazy, but they were a sophisticated drink in the 1800s. Just imagine socialites sipping a sour in flapper dresses and dapper pin striped suit! For more island vibes, try this version, a holiday ready cocktail with the cheeky addition of coconut. To make one, add 2 oz of O’ndina Gin to your blender with ½ oz coconut cream (the thick fatty top), ½ oz of the coconut water (found underneath the cream) and ¾ oz fresh lime juice. Add a good handful of ice and whizz until smooth. Whip 40g of aquafaba with a tablespoon of simple syrup and some vanilla extract (optional). Pour your drink into a rocks glass and top with a spoon of whipped aquafaba!

5. Clover Club

Try this pretty in pink berry cocktail, it’s a perfect serve whatever the occasion! A Clover Club cocktail is a dreamy gin sip, swirled with raspberry syrup. It tastes as fantastic as it looks! Typically, this wouldn’t be served with other creamy vegan cocktails as it’s shaken with egg white. But try our nifty swap of 40g of aquafaba: shake it on its own first to create the ideal froth. Adjust the sweetness with a little more syrup, if needed. This classic may become your favorite serve.

6. Eggnog Martini

Just because you follow a plant-based diet, don’t miss out on a delicious Eggnog Martini this winter! Make an easy vegan eggnog recipe with coconut cream and cashew or almond milk or pick one up from your local vegan friendly grocer. This Martini fills you with all the festive cheer you need!

7. Golden Dream

The fantastic Golden Dream cocktail has a firm seat on the IBA Top 50 cocktails list. You’ll happily skip dessert if this creamy vanilla and citrusy drink is on offer. It holds all the nostalgia of those childhood popsicles you enjoyed in the summertime. This 60s drink was whipped up by Miami bartender Raimundo Alvarez as an ode to his favorite golden girl of the moment, Joan Crawford. Alvarez’s recipe calls for need heavy cream but for a creamy vegan cocktail use either coconut cream or vegan ice cream. Delicioso!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

All cocktails is the answer! You can turn pretty much all cocktails into vegan cocktails, with a little help from a friend (us!). Look at the ingredients list and make a few switches to suit.

Absolutely, use any of your favorite nut milks or other vegan milk options as a substitute for milk in vegan cocktails. We’ll put money on no one spotting the difference.

Generally, most mixers are vegan friendly. Rule of thumb is to watch the ingredients list like a hawk for those unexpected ones, like anchovies in Bloody Mary mixers. Also, the not so obvious dried egg and milk in powdered mixers, and non-vegan sugar in mixers.

It’s actually a complicated answer. Yes, there are the obvious liqueurs like an Irish cream that one can see is made with cream. However, most spirits are vegan, and plant based. Keep an eye out for a few hidden ingredients that are not so vegan friendly.