It’s no secret that we’re a fun-loving bunch at Sapling Spirits. Sometimes, we like to remind people that our tree-planting parties actually pre-date our decision to start our own premium British vodka brand. There’s no better feeling than enjoying yourself while doing something positive for the planet. But we can’t host tree-planting shindigs every day. So we thought we’d take this opportunity to see if we can inspire you to up your house party game with two fabulous, celebration-ready cocktails to try at home (and a recipe to accompany them). The best bit is they’re all vegan, so everyone can enjoy some guilt-free, sustainable indulgence. Cheers!
The ultimate vegan Bloody Mary. (Difficulty-easy)
When it comes to classic vodka cocktails, they don’t come much more iconic than the Bloody Mary. But this wonderful concoction does (normally) have something of an Achilles’ heel. The inclusion of Worcestershire Sauce (which is, of course, made with anchovies), means that most Bloody Mary cocktails aren’t vegan. It’s also fair to say that most premium vodka (particularly the stuff that’s travelled thousands of miles from its country of origin) isn’t that sustainable. This doesn’t need to be the case, so get ready for the one-and-only sustainable vegan vodka Bloody Mary recipe you’ll ever need. Our friends at The Pickle House make a vegan spiced tomato mix that’s so good Virgin Atlantic served it (with Sapling premium vodka, of course, which is available to buy on their flights) in Upper Class. So you might want to stock up.
- 50ml Sapling Vodka
- 200ml The Pickle House Spiced Tomato Mix
- A few drops of Tabasco sauce
- A wedge of lemon
- ½ stick of celery
- A pinch of sea salt
This wonderfully simple vegan vodka cocktail recipe is as easy to make as it is delicious to drink. All you need to do is start with a bowl of water and a small plate of sea salt. Gently moisten the rim of the glass in the water and then lightly place it in the salt. This will give the edge of the glass a lovely salty frosting. Next, add plenty of ice to glass. Shake the Sapling vodka and vegan tomato mix, add a couple of drops of Tabasco and pour over the ice. Finally, add a wedge of lemon and a stick of celery to serve.
British vodka cocktail food pairing:
Tomato and basil pair wonderfully well, so why not whizz up a quick pesto pasta? Making your own pesto is a piece of cake (which is good news as most supermarket varieties aren’t vegan). All you need to do is toast some pine nuts in a non-stick pan on a low medium heat. As soon as they start to release their aroma, remove the pine nuts and add them to a mixer along with two large handfuls (about 80g) of basil, two big cloves of garlic, 50g of grated vegan hard cheese and 150ml olive oil. Combine the sauce and pour over fresh hot pasta. Perfect!
Vegan Spring Punch. (Difficulty – challenging)
For those of you who want to stretch yourselves in an effort to impress, we thought we’d include a bit of a showstopper. This ridiculously amazing vegan vodka cocktail recipe was created by the legendary zero-waste mixologist Dan Jones, who whipped this up for our guests at our most recent tree-planting party. Dan is a true innovator, as he proved when he showed our on-trade customers how to make cocktails using ‘super citrus’ – an entirely natural lime or lemon juice that’s made from the peel as well as the fruit. This means you need a fraction of the amount of fruit and the juice itself stays fresh for weeks (rather than a day). It’s certainly worth a try but we’ll forgive you if you choose to keep it simple.
Zero-waste is the future.
This wonderful, seasonal premium vodka cocktail recipe also uses Discarded Vermouth, which is a tasty spirit made from the fruit of the coffee berry, which would otherwise go to waste. So we can safely say that the sustainability boxes are firmly ticked.
How to make a berry shrub.
To make a shrub, blend three equal parts of berries, apple cider vinegar and powdered agave inulin (a sustainable and healthy sugar alternative). You will also need to get some miracle foaming bitters, which is an amazing vegan egg-white alternative that gives this cocktail its special silky smoothness. Finally, grab a few bottles of London Essence low-calorie Pink Grapefruit Soda.
Once you have everything in place, grab your favourite glasses, some ice and a couple of berries for garnish. Behold: The Vegan Spring Punch.
- 40ml Sapling Vodka
- 10ml Discarded Vermouth
- 10ml (super) lemon juice
- 15ml mixed berry agave shrub
- 2 dashes miracle foaming bitters
- Top with LE Pink Grapefruit Soda
- Berries for garnish
We’d love to hear how you get on and to see your drinks in all their glory, so why not take a couple of snaps of your vegan vodka cocktails and show us on Instagram?
Good luck!
Love
The Sapling Team
