Vegan Liquor -Share the News on the Booze

Hello again! So, after exploring vegan wines and beers, a trip down the booze lane is up. Only yesterday, I went to the store to buy some groceries, and I thought of getting a nice bottle of wine for the weekend. I checked on barnivore to see if it was vegan friendly, and yes, it was, so one bottle was added to the shopping cart.

Today, that bottle stands on the shelf, unopened, but now we’re going to open a bottle of knowledge about booze and see whether it is vegan.

Liquor – is it Vegan?

Yes, luckily nearly every brand of liquor (hard liquor) is. Distilled spirits are vegan. Ah, those age old recipes, you gotta love them 🙂 . Most vodka is vegan (not all – but I will tell you which ones in a moment). Cream liquors are not vegan either. Baileys has dairy in it, but there is now a vegan version available. The company has released vegan Baileys. Unfortunately, it is not sold in my hometown.

The vegan version is called Baileys Almande Almondmilk Liquor, but only if it is marked “vegan” on the bottle. If the bottle doesn’t have that mark, according to barnivore it is not vegan.

Let’s list the hard liquors that are vegan. Brandy, whisky, rum, vodka, tequila, gin, amaretto are vegan friendly. However, when I checked the barnivore list, I came across a few exceptions. There always have to be exceptions, don’t they? It’s nearly mandatory, just like in grammar.

Non-Vegan Booze – A few Exceptions to the Rule

For example, Amaretto Del Amor is not vegan friendly, neither are Amador Ten Barrels Hop Whisky, Amador Double Barrel Bourbon, American Fruits Black Currant Cordial (other American Fruits liquors and brandy are vegan, though), American honey (by Wild Turkey), Angel’s Envy Bourbon Whisky.

I like rum, so I’m relieved that it is vegan. Nonetheless, one sneaky llittle exception also has to stick out its bottle neck, the Adelaide Hills Gunnery Spiced White Rum. I’ve never had that one before anyway, and I haven’t seen it anywhere on store shelves, but I guess it doesn’t get imported in Mexico.

Most vodka is also vegan, like I mentioned before. The non-vegan ones are Pinnacle vodka, the Pucker vodkas, UV Candybar and UV Coconut vodka, Silent Sam vodka, Stoli Salted Caramel vodka, and a few more. I have never heard of any of them, except for Stoli (but not the salted caramel kind), but I am not a vodka drinker anyway. I never buy it.

I must admit though that the best vodka I have ever had was in Poland. When I stayed in Warsaw for a few days we went to several restaurants where they offered their own homemade vodka. I have never been a fan of vodka, but I tried it, out of curiosity, and oh my God, it was the best I have ever had, so tasty! When I left Poland, I made sure to buy a few local vodkas, because I knew that I would not find them back home. Such flavor, incredible!

Vegan Booze – The Famous Brands

So, what about the brands that everyone knows?

• 1800 tequila, yes it’s vegan 🙂 While I don’t drink tequila (perhaps once or twice a year), I know that this one is a high quality one. Here in Los Cabos, they sell these T-shirts with the words “One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor Tequila 😉
• 2 Gingers Irish Whisky
• 2 bar Spirits Moonshine
• Absolut Vodka
• Admiral Nelson’s Rum
• Amarito Ammaretto
• Di Amore Amaretto
• Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Amaretto
• Angostura Rum
• Angus Dundee Pure Malt Scotch Whiskey
• Bacardi Silver
• Baja Tequila Liquor
• Baker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
• Barret’s London Dry Gin
• Beefeater Gin
• Bombay Sapphire Gin
• Gordon’s Gin
• Canadian Whisky
• Canadian Crown
• Canadian Club Whisky
• Don Julio Tequila
• Gran Centenario Tequila
• Jose Cuervo Tequila
• El Jimador Tequila
• Campari Cabo Wabo Tequila
  • This has an interesting story. Cabo Wabo Tequila was founded by rock singer and guitarist Sammy Hagar. In 1990, here in Los Cabos, my hometown, Sammy Hagar opened a bar-restaurant called Cabo Wabo. Since then, he has done much for the community and he comes here every year for his three-day birthday bash. He performs on stage for three days with guests (other famous singers or bands). It is an event that attracts many fans from the US (and also other countries). They camp out on the street for weeks to get tickets.
    
  • Campari bought 80% interest of Cabo Wabo Tequila.
  • So, I’m honored to include Campari Cabo Wabo Tequila here on this list, and I hope that one day I can see Sammy Hagar at Cabo Wabo. I’m not going to camp out on the street for a ticket; I hope to get one online, but they’re always sold out in minutes …
• Captain Morgan Rum
• Chivas Regal
• Cointreau
• Connemara Whiskey
• Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Copa de Oro Liquor
• Copa de Oro Rum
• Havana Bay rum
• Courvoisier Cognac
• Hennessy Cognac
• Cuba Vodkas
• DANZA vodkas
• Grey Goose Vodka
• Ketel One Vodka
• Finlandia
• Frangelico
• Glenfiddich
• Glenmorangie
• Grand Marnier
• Jack Daniels
• Jameson Irish Whiskey
• Johnny Walker
• Jägermeister
• Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Whisky
• Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
• Kahlúa
• Malibu
• Martell Cognac
• Matusalem Rum
• Ouzo 12
• Ramazotti
• Sauza Tequilas
• Smirnoff
• Sobieski
• Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry
• Stoli (except for the one I mentioned in the paragraph about non-vegan liquors)
• Stolichnaya
• The Famous Grouse Whisky
• The Kraken Black Spiced Rum
• Three Olives
• Ultimate Vodka

This list is actually much, much longer, but I only wanted to show the names that are most known. They are ordered alphabetically, but sometimes I grouped same kinds together, tequilas with tequilas for example. If I ommitted a specific brand you were interested in, please check on Barnivore.

So, many options are available. While there are certainly non-vegan liquors, the list of vegan friendly ones is extensive. Was there someone who said that being vegan is difficult? Who said that, huh? 😉