🍸 Is Your Cocktail Vegan? What to Check Before You Order
🍸 Eggs, honey and even fish can turn up in your cocktail. The menu might not tell the whole story. Find out what to check before your first sip.
Fruit, coffee, a little ice… Ordering a cocktail seems straightforward. But egg whites, honey and even fish can turn up in ingredients you might overlook. For a night out in Istanbul, check the bar’s recipe and the brands it uses.
| Cocktail | What should you check? |
|---|---|
| Pisco Sour, Whiskey Sour, Amaretto Sour | Egg white can provide the foam. It features in the IBA Pisco Sour recipe and is optional in its Whiskey Sour and the producer’s Disaronno Sour. Ask for yours without egg. IBA |
| White Russian, Mudslide, Ramos Fizz | These recipes use cream or a dairy-based liqueur; Ramos Fizz also contains egg white. Swapping in plant milk may not be enough. The liqueur must be vegan too. Kahlúa |
| Bee’s Knees, Penicillin | Their standard recipes contain honey syrup. Ask whether the bartender can substitute sugar or agave syrup. IBA |
| Bloody Mary | Check the Worcestershire sauce. Lea & Perrins Original, for example, contains anchovies. Request a vegan sauce. IBA |
| Espresso Martini, Black Russian | The coffee liqueur matters. Kahlúa says a processing method used by one of its sugar suppliers prevents it from describing its products as vegan. Leaving out dairy does not settle the question. Kahlua |
| Spritz, Negroni and other wine/vermouth cocktails | Some wines use egg white, milk protein, gelatin or fish-derived fining agents during production. Check the vegan status of the Prosecco and wine-based vermouth, too. The Australian Wine Research Institute |
| Milk-washed or fat-washed cocktails | Clarifying or flavouring a drink can involve dairy milk, butter or animal fat. Ask which milk or fat was used. Plant-based versions are possible too. Campari Academy |
🌱 Some orders are easier to check
Classic Mojito, Daiquiri and Margarita recipes contain no egg or dairy, although the spirits and sugar or syrup still need checking. A standard Piña Colada uses coconut cream. Ask whether the bar adds any dairy. IBA
For foam, aquafaba, the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas, is a plant-based alternative. But “egg-free” foam is not automatically vegan. Milk powder can also be used. Campari Academy
Check liqueurs, syrups and garnishes for E120/carmine, an insect-derived colouring. Ask the same ingredient questions when ordering an alcohol-free cocktail. EFSA
💬 A useful phrase at the bar:
“I’m vegan. Please leave out eggs, dairy, honey and fish-based sauces. Are the liqueurs and any wine or vermouth vegan too? Has the spirit been processed with dairy milk or animal fat?”