Vegtastic!

St. Patrick’s Day is on Saturday, and you’re probably already thinking about what to drink.

Janessa has a recipe for vegan Irish cream that makes me want to do some cruelty-free Irish car bombs. (What would you call a vegan Irish car bomb — an Irish yarn bomb?)

An Irish car bomb is a shot of Irish Cream and Jameson (mmm…) dropped into half a glass of Guinness and chugged; the Irish Cream will curdle in the liquid (like some soy milks in coffee) if you don’t drink it fast enough. It’s gross, but also delicious.

Even if you do veganize your Irish cream, many cherished Irish beers — Guinness, offerings from Beamish & Crawford, Murphy’s Irish Stout, and Smithwick’s products (including Kilkenny) — are not vegan (source: Barnivore), meaning they are brewed with milk or honey, or fined with isinglass (fish bladders), gelatin, or egg.

Before I was a vegan food blogger, I wrote about beer, and finding an appropriate tipple for any occasion is a matter near and dear to my heart, so CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, Irish beer.

For those of you who don’t possess my expert knowledge of malt and hops, Guinness is a stout (“dark beer made using roasted malt or roasted barley, hops, water and yeast”), Harp is a lager (“a type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at low temperatures”), and I’ve included porters, since porters are similar to stouts.

So, here are a few (Seattle-centric) vegan alternatives for St. Patty’s day:

• Ohara’s Celtic Stout or anything else from Carlow brewing (Genuine Irish)
• Pike XXXXXX Stout
• Iron Horse Irish Death
• Rogue Irish Lager
• Deschutes Black Butte Porter
• Sierra Nevada porter or stout
• Elysian Perseus Porter and Dragonstooth Stout
• McMenamin’s Queen Anne has a nitro Irish stout, which I bet is awesome. You could also try the Porter or Terminator Stout at Six Arms.
• Elliott Bay No Doubt Stout
• I’m sure that Big Time will have something fun — they are almost all vegan.

This little list is a start — check Barnivore or write to your local brewery to see whether your favorite stout or porter is vegan. I was disappointed to learn that Georgetown’s porter is not.

And puh-leez: whatever you do, do not just dye regular beer green. Food coloring may be tested on animals (I still use it my old stuff, but am trying to phase it out), and green beer is just tacky.

Also, if you don’t really drink but still want to partake, this Hearty Irish Lager Stew from Vegetarian Times (h/t to Vegan Moxie!) looks amazing.

image by nagzi via creative commons

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m on a frisbee team. I say that instead of “I play frisbee” because I’m not sure whether running around willy-nilly on a field actually counts as playing. But, my teammates are nice, and they put up with me. We spent the weekend at a tournament in the Tri-Cities.

One such nice, patient teammate, Andie, introduced me to the Smith & Wesson, a drink popular in Central Oregon, where she grew up: a white Russian poured over cola.

Sounds weird, Andie said, but tastes great.

Those are dangerous, cautioned Chris, a coworker, overhearing me mention the drink to another.

Indeed, they are deliciously dangerous — sweet and rich enough to mask the alcohol, yet the unlikely flavor combination blends so well that you can’t stop sipping.

And since today marks the last day of VeganMofo, I’m a-okay with a little overindulgence.

What’s in it?

Kahlua: Kahlua is like Kleenex — a brand name that’s become generalized. Any coffee liquor will do, and Kahlua is also relatively easy to make.

Vodka: A crusty old woman at a liquor store in North Carolina let me in on a great secret years ago: you don’t need good vodka for a white Russian, since the Kahlua will mask the flavor. Buy the cheapest stuff you can.

Cola: I like OOgave Cola. It’s sweetened with agave nectar instead of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. If you belong staunchly to the Coke or Pepsi camp, you may not be a fan, but for the casual soda drinker, it has a pronounced cola flavor and, though quite sweet, is only 98 calories per bottle. You know, if you care.

Coconut creamer: you need a non-soy creamer for this drink, as the acid in the cola will cause the soy to coagulate. Coconut creamer does the trick well, though you could sub almond milk or something — the result will just be less creamy. Or hey, as long as you don’t mind tofu forming in your glass, use soy creamer — the thick, very processed stuff will gunk up less than regular soy milk.

Vegan Smith & Wesson

Ingredients:

• 1 shot Kahlua
• 1 shot Vodka
• 1 shot Coconut Creamer
• 12 oz Cola

Instructions:

1. Pour 10 oz. or so of cola into a pint glass.
2. Shake together vodka, kahlua and soy creamer. Pour over cola. Add remaining cola, if room.

Enjoy. And congrats to all who participated in VeganMoFo — I’ve discovered some fantastic new blogs, and had a blast reading all your posts — looking forward to spending November catching up.

Cheers!

Brunch is the best.

Too late for breakfast but too early for lunch? Brunch.

He want pancakes, she wants sandwich? Brunch.

Want to start drinking before noon? Brunch!

Yup, brunch is the only socially-acceptable way to consume alcohol before you’ve even put food in your system, and Bloody Mary’s are my favorite way to do so.

However, most Bloody Mary’s are not vegan — they’re made with Worcestershire sauce, which typically contains anchovies. So, you’re limited to drinking Bloody Mary’s either at 100% vegan bars or at home.

I love Highline’s Bloody Mary (though it’s super spicy), and set out to create my own signature version, with a little guidance from my cocktail-aficionado pal Brian.

The elements of a great vegan Bloody Mary are as follows.

Vodka is key. You don’t need great vodka, or anything other than plain vodka, but you do need a hefty dose of the stuff. Brian says, “avoid the flavored vodkas, and just get your flavor through ingredients.”

Soy sauce or tamari add a hint of umami richness.

Vegan Worcestershire sauce also bestows a depth of fifth-sense flavor to the drink. Most Worcestershire sauce is not vegan, though the cheapo QFC brand is.

Ground horseradish gives the drink an earthy spiciness. My dad makes homemade horseradish from the plant in my parent’s backyard that is supposedly descended from one of his dad’s plants, so I’m a little biased towards it. However, most ground horseradish found in the condiment aisle is also not vegan — many contain eggs. Kosher horseradish is dairy and egg free, and it’s certainly possible to find just straight up ground horseradish (though the stuff QFC sells in the refrigerator aisle near the cheese never seems to be properly sealed), so look for that.

Lemon juice pairs really well with tomato and horseradish — the classic cocktail sauce trifecta. It brightens the mixture a bit.

Pepper– simple and classic.

Celery is nice, but Pickled vegetables make a classy garnish– and the garnish makes or breaks a Bloody Mary. I adore the pickled green beans with which Highline garnishes their Bloody Mary, but pickled green beans are very hard to find. QFC and Madison Market only sell pickled okra, pickled asparagus, and… pickles, so I asked Brian where to find pickled green beans. He tipped me off to DeLaurenti in Pike Place Market, which has a fantastic selection of pickled veggies, including green beans. I like Mama Lil’s Lilibeans– they’re a spicy take on dilly beans and have nice crunch.

Garlic-stuffed olives: because they’re literally the best edible substance on earth.

Low sodium V8: have you checked the sodium content on regular V8 or tomato juice? Shocking.

Here’s how to make one.

1. Place vodka, ice cubes, a couple dashes of soy sauce, a generous dash of Worchestershire sauce, a half-tsp or so of horseradish, a generous sprinkle of black pepper, a splash or two of lemon juice, and a dash of Tobasco sauce (if you really want a kick) in a pint glass; fill with V8.
2. If you’re a serious cocktail aficionado, place all in a cocktail shaker and shake. If you’re not, just sort of stir.
3. Garnish with pickled veggies.
4. Drink. Enjoy.