Every so often a product is released that I have to get my hands on. When it hits store shelves, it grabs my eye and I've gotta take it home (like a kid, I know).
Recently, this happened after I came across Indio Hopka Hop Liqueur, which sparked Campari on the Hops. And yesterday it went down again when I found Baileys Almande, a vegan (and gluten-free) almond milk liqueur that made its vegan-certified debut last month. Imagine traditional Baileys Irish Cream, with hints of vanilla and nuttiness from almond. Almande manages to taste indulgent and light at the same time.
But real talk: We're always, to some degree, watching what we put into our bodies, and, typically, that doesn't mesh with creamy drinks. One of my go-tos, the White Russian, incorporates a big splash of fresh cream; Almande serves as a great alternative. Plus, the liqueur allows you to pull off lower-calorie beverages that're totally dairy-free, such as the tasty mashup of equal parts coconut water and Almande.
Of course, when I get new flavors to play with, I'm gonna have some fun. A favorite candy bar of mine is Almond Joy, and I feel like On the Sauce's latest cocktail recipe, Vegan Joy, featuring booze dubbed vegan by Barnivore.com, is the vegan drink version of that.
The balance of almond, coconut and chocolate will taste familiar, but not overly rich like a mudslide; it's just sweet enough — and refreshing, thanks to coconut water. I'm not exaggerating when I say I had one for "dessert" while writing this.
OK, it was actually three.
Vegan Joy
Makes 1
2 ounces Baileys Almande
3/4 ounce New Amsterdam Coconut Vodka
3/4 ounce Disaronno
3/4 ounce 360 Double Chocolate Vodka
Splash coconut water
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add all ingredients. Shake until well-chilled. Strain cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with coconut flakes.
Follow CL contributor Chris Fasick (@cfasick) on Twitter, or email him at cdfasick@gmail.com if there's a cocktail or recipe you'd like featured.
This article appears in Apr 6-13, 2017.