This summer, I reached out to my local fresh-pressed juicer, Zen Donkey Farms, about collaborating on a post. They agreed, supplied the juices, and I created five of my new favorite summer cocktails. Since the holiday flavors just came out, we had a fun reason to experiment together again. The best part about these vegan drinks is that they are easy to make. With the holidays just around the corner, making a quick and delicious drink is key. Each juice (or hemp mylk) is ready to be transformed into a cocktail straight from the bottle. You just need to add a sweetener and some alcohol. Let’s get started!
Gin-gle Juice
I love gin and its bold flavor profile. For those of you who think you don’t like gin, you might need to taste a few more. From my recent explorations, I’ve found many distillers creating “gins for those who don’t like gin”. This holiday sipper blends a delicious juice and gin botanicals. By adding a plain simple syrup, the drink is sweetened without adding other flavors. This is my favorite of the holiday vegan drinks. Serve it in your favorite festive martini glass along with a spring of greenery. It will put you in the holiday spirit. Plus, it contains a good dose of citrus for Vitamin C. I would suggest using Roku Japanese Gin for this.
Gin-gle Juice
Ingredients
- 3 oz Holly Jolly Cider (apple, orange, pomegranate, lemon)
- 2 oz gin
- 0.5 oz simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water over heat)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake 20-30 seconds until shaker is frosty on the outside.
- Strain into a martini glass and garnish.
Merry & Bright Nog
As a HUGE fan of traditional eggnog, I will admit I was skeptical about this version. After I read the ingredients in the hemp mylk nog, and I was intrigued. After one sip of this festive cocktail, I was hooked. It’s light and delicious. The hemp mylk is not milky in texture, but it is smooth and creamy. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. One note is that the hemp mylk separates easily, so shaking the bottle is important. If you are making up drinks ahead of time, you might make this one last so it looks perfect when you serve it. Four Roses Bourbon is perfect for this one.
Merry & Bright Nog
Ingredients
- 4 oz Merry + Bright hemp NOG (house made hemp mylk + sustainably tapped Vermont maple, coconut cream, vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, himalayan sea salt)
- 1.5 oz bourbon
- 0.75 oz Vanilla Allspice Boozy Botanicals syrup
- fresh grated nutmeg for garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (except nutmeg) to a shaker with ice.
- Shake 20-30 seconds until cold and frothy.
- Strain into a festive glass and top with freshly grated nutmeg.
Elliot’s Island Spice
Apple cider drinks offer the perfect transition from fall to winter. (I kicked off the fall with this one.) This was a fun one as different flavors emerge as the ice melts. If you like spicy cocktails, I would highly recommend using a ginger syrup if you don’t have any Allspice. The choice of rum is up to you. For me, the funkier the better, so I chose the Mount Gay Eclipse rum. Gets you just a little bit closer to a tropical paradise, if only in your glass.
Elliot’s Island Spice
Ingredients
- 4 oz Elliot's Apple Spice (apple, ginger, lemon)
- 2 oz rum
- 0.5 oz Allspice
- apple fan for garnish
Instructions
- Add all liquid ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir with a barspoon until the outside of the glass is cold (20 seconds should do it).
- Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass and garnish with an apple fan.
LIV Margarita
The best thing about this final vegan drink is that it’s healthy. Honest. The cocktail incorporates fruits and vegetables into a spicy, tangy margarita. Plus, the color is stunning. The name of the juice pays tribute to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win this year. This is the most unique flavor profile of all the vegan drinks listed here, but I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s definitely a bit on the savory side, so if you like a Bloody Mary, try this. I thought the Fortaleza Tequila complimented the other flavors nicely.
LIV Margarita
Ingredients
- 3 oz LIV juice (orange, green apple, kale, spinach, and lemon)
- 1.5 oz tequila
- 0.5 oz Boozy Botanicals Three Pepper Syrup
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake well (20 seconds) and "dirty dump" into a glass. (Dirty dumping is dumping the entire contents of a cocktail shaker, ice and all, into a glass and serving it as is.)
Notes
And there you have four delicious vegan drinks to surprise and delight your own (or your friend’s) tastebuds with. Happy Holidays!
