How To Make Vegan Whiskey, Gin, Amaretto & Pisco Sours

Vegan Sours – that’s right, in this piece I want to share with you everything you need to know about Sours. Not just any sours, but “Sour Cocktails” and not just any sour cocktails, but vegan sour cocktails. Specifically, I am going to share with you all you need to know on how to make vegan Whiskey, Gin, Amaretto & Pisco Sours. I will explain exactly what a “sour” cocktail is, and how to make your favorite sour completely vegan. Get those lips ready for some puckering because things are about to get “sour”. To kick things off let’s answer the most pressing questions that come to come: are sours vegan, and what is even in a sour? SPOILER ALERT: we are going to be talking about Aquafaba (yes, Aquafaba).

Are Sour Cocktails Vegan?

As a general rule, traditional sour cocktails are not vegan as they contain egg whites. Vegan sour cocktails can be made using Aquafaba (chickpea juice) instead of egg. When combined with vegan liquor such as whiskey, gin, amaretto or pisco, a vegan sweetener, and lemon juice, it results in a vegan sours cocktail.

Let’s start with the most common and most popular sours cocktail – whiskey sours.

What’s in a Whiskey Sour?

I wanted to start with the most popular and common sour – the Whiskey Sour. Traditionally made from whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and egg whites.

Let’s look at all the ingredients of this traditional Whiskey Sour and see if they are vegan. Yes, egg whites are not vegan that is the obvious one – but what about the others?

Whiskey

Most whiskey is vegan (in fact a rough and ready calculation of vegan vs non-vegan whiskies on Barnivore.com shows 93% of whiskies as vegan vs just 7% as not vegan). The main non-vegan ingredient to watch out for when picking a whiskey for your vegan whiskey sour is honey. Examples include Drambuie Scot Whiskey, D’Entrecasteaux Honey Whiskey Liquor, Mississippi River Queen Bee Honey Whiskey, Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel Ready-to-Drink Range, Demijohn Bramble Scotch Whiskey.

You will also want to avoid all Jack Daniels Whiskey – in January 2022 Jack Daniels confirmed wool is used in processing Jack Daniels.

You can read more about vegan whiskies and which contain honey here – Is Whiskey Vegan? How To Actual Pick Vegan Whiskey.

Lemon juice

Did you know that juice isn’t always vegan? I know crazy. You can read more about it here – Is Orange Juice Vegan? Revealing Why You Need To Know. Back to lemon juice – just make sure to use unwaxed lemons as waxed lemons can be given their “waxy” appearance by rubbing shellac from bugs or beeswax over them.

Sugar

In the US cane sugar that isn’t marked as raw, organic, or beet could have been processed with bone char (charred animal bones that are used in processing sugar to give it a white color).

If the sugar used is beet, raw, or organic it will be vegan. If you are based outside of the US most forms of sugar will be vegan as the use of bone char is heavily regulated outside of the US.

Egg white

Clearly the non-vegan elephant in the room. Egg whites are obviously the ‘always not vegan’ ingredient in whiskey sours. Egg white is used to give whiskey sours a silky texture and a white foamy head. A vegan alternative does exist as I will discuss below.

Does A Whiskey Sour Contain Raw Egg?

Traditional whiskey sours contain raw eggs and so are not vegan. Using raw egg in a whiskey sour can also pose food borne illness risks.

What Is A Substitute For Egg in a Whiskey Sour?

The best substitute for egg in whiskey sours is chickpea/garbanzo juice – otherwise known as Aquafaba. Aquafaba is vegan.

What is Aquafaba?

Aquafaba is chickpea/garbanzo juice (or even juice from other light-colored beans). Aquafaba is the liquid that surrounds the beans. The surrounding water has added proteins and starch from the beans making it foam up in a similar way to egg whites. Plus it is completely safe to use without cooking (especially when compared to the traditional use of raw eggs in a sour).

How Can I Get Aquafaba?

There are two ways to get Aquafaba –

1. Open a tin of chickpeas/garbanzos, drain the chickpeas/garbanzos and keep the juice; or

2. You can also cook your own chickpeas/garbanzos and keep the remaining fluid. This method is a bit trickier though to get the consistency right. I would recommend using the juice in tinned chickpeas.

Can You Buy Aquafaba?

Aquafaba is not available to buy in grocery stores. There is, however, a powdered version of Aquafaba (made from dried chickpea broth) made by a brand called Vor that is available on Amazon. You can purchase a container from Amazon here.

Each jar is the equivalent of 75 eggs.

How Do You Froth Aquafaba?

The best way to froth Aquafaba for a sour cocktail is to put the Aquafaba in a cocktail shaker and shake it for 30 seconds. Make sure this is a dry shake without ice – this allows the protein in the Aquafaba to foam rather than be diluted by the ice.

The alternative is to blend the Aquafaba in a food processor of high until it starts to foam. This can take up to 12 minutes.

Does Aquafaba Have a Taste In Cocktails?

Aquafaba does not have a noticeable taste in cocktails. Aquafaba gives a nice silky texture and foamy head but will not have a taste in a cocktail. Aquafaba also, unlike raw eggs, does not have a smell.

Vegan Whiskey Sour Aquafaba Recipe (serves one)

Vegan Whiskey Sour Ingredients

2 tablespoons aquafaba (from canned chickpeas/garbanzos). 2 tablespoons are the equivalent of one egg white. I recommend using unsalted. You can get an unsalted tin of chickpeas/garbanzos from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can get organic lemons from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce maple syrup. I love using maple syrup instead of sugar as you know it is vegan. My preference is to use a light organic maple like this one from Amazon.

2 ounces of whiskey. Most vegan whiskeys will do here depending on your preference. I personally like to go use bourbon. My personal favorite is Four Roses (a solid and mid-tier priced whiskey). You can get a bottle from Amazon here. It adds the perfect touch of vanilla and spice to the sour.

*You can adjust the quantities depending on how sweet/sour/alcoholic you like your whiskey sour.

Vegan Whiskey Sour Recipe Instructions

Pour the drained Aquafaba liquid into your cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and shake for a further 30 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. Just make sure the maraschino cherries you use do not contain carmine/cochineal – this is essentially crushed bugs and is sometimes added to foods and drinks to give a red hue. These are a great vegan maraschino option from Amazon. I also sometimes just buy some frozen dark cherries from Whole Foods Market and keep them in the freezer on hand for occasions I need a sour.

Other Vegan Sour Cocktails

Vegan Amaretto Sour

Is Amaretto Vegan?

Not all Amaretto is vegan. For example, Lazzaroni Amaretto is infused with cookies that contain eggs and so are not vegan. However, the most popular amaretto brand Disaronno is vegan.

Vegan Amaretto Sour Recipe

Amaretto sours have an almond/marzipan kick that other sour cocktails do not have. It makes them one of my favorite types of sour. The dark cherry garnish work even better with Amaretto.

Vegan Amaretto Sour Recipe

2 tablespoons aquafaba. You can buy tinned unsalted chickpeas from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can get organic lemons from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce maple syrup like this one from Amazon.

2 ounces of vegan Amaretto (such as Disaronno). You can get yourself a bottle of Disaronno from Amazon here.

*You can adjust the quantities depending on how sweet/sour/alcoholic you like your amaretto sour.

Vegan Amaretto Sour Recipe Instructions

Gin Sour Without Egg White

Is Gin Vegan?

Most gins are vegan. In fact, a rough and ready calculation of vegan vs non-vegan gins in Barnivore shows 95% of gins are vegan vs just 5% as non-vegan. The main non-vegan ingredients to watch out for in gin are honey, cochineal (crushed bugs), and sometimes non-vegan fining agents. You can read more about it in the post I wrote – Is Gin Vegan? How To Really Tell Vegan Gins Apart.

Vegan Gin Sour Recipe

You may not have heard of a gin sour before, but they are great drinks. Gin sours have a mildly botanical taste that other sours do not have.

Vegan Gin Sour Ingredients

2 tablespoons aquafaba. You can buy tinned unsalted chickpeas from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can get organic lemons from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce maple syrup like this one from Amazon.

2 ounces of vegan gin such as Bombay Sapphire from Amazon.

*You can adjust the quantities depending on how sweet/sour/alcoholic you like your gin sour.

Vegan Gin Sour Recipe Instructions

Pisco Sour Recipe Without Egg White

What is Pisco?

Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-colored brandy produced in Chile and Peru. It is made by distilling fermented grape juice into a spirit.

Is Pisco Vegan?

Pisco is almost always vegan. All the piscos listed on Barnivore at the time of writing (8 Feb 2022) are vegan.

Vegan Pisco Sour Ingredients

2 tablespoons aquafaba. You can buy tinned unsalted chickpeas from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can get organic lemons from Amazon here.

3/4 ounce maple syrup like this one from Amazon.

2 ounces of vegan pisco like this Macchu pisco from Instacart here.

Vegan Pisco Sour Recipe Instructions

Vegan Sour Mixers

Non-Vegan Whiskey Sour Mixers

Pre-made sour cocktail mixes can often contain egg and/or dairy. For example, Fee Brothers Whiskey Sour Mix contains dairy, and Bar-Tenders Instant Whiskey Sour Cocktail Mix contains egg whites. It tends to be the powdered sour mixes that are not vegan – the bottled liquid sour mixes are usually vegan.

Vegan Sour Mixers

In general, there are plenty of vegan sour mixes available. Here are four of my favorites. They can all be bought on Amazon.

Best Vegan Sours Mixes
Agalima
Daniel’s Broiler
Zing Zang
Powell & Mahoney

1. Agalima Organic Authentic Sweet & Sour Drink Mix

Agalima sweet & sour mix can be bought from Amazon here.

This sweet & sour mix is all-natural and even marked as vegan on the bottle (love).

2. Daniel’s Broiler Whiskey Sour Cocktail Mixer

Daniel’s Broiler whiskey sour mixer can be bought off Amazon here.

The sugar used in this mixer is organic so will not have been processed with bone char and so will be vegan.

3. Zing Zang Sweet & Sour Mix

Zing Zang is a brand that can be bought in almost any grocery store. But if you fancy buying a bottle from Amazon you can here.

Zing Zang is made from a natural blend of real limes, lemons, and orange bitters flavors. Best of all Zing Zang confirms on its website that its sweet & sour mixer does not contain “any animal-based ingredients”.

4. Powell & Mahoney Craft Cocktail Mixers – Lemon Sour

You can treat yourself to a bottle of this all-natural lemon sours mix from Amazon here.

It is made from all-natural vegan ingredients such as organic cane sugar, orange bitters, and lemon oil.

Vegan Sours – The Final Sip

Vegan Sours – when it comes to cocktails it can be particularly complicated working out if that concoction you are drinking is vegan or not. When it comes to sours – traditionally all sours will be not vegan. This is due to the use of foamed egg whites to create the creamy top of the sour. However, the good news is that while sours may“traditionally” not be vegan, there are ways you can make your favorite sours vegan without comprising on flavor, taste, or texture. The key is “beans” and more specifically bean juice – or if we want to sound artisanal (Aquafaba). Using this juice is a vegan-friendly way of creating a frothy top for your favorite sour. Just more proof that when you are vegan you really don’t have to compromise.

…now I know.

Beverage makers may change ingredients and/or manufacturing processes. Always double-check ingredients before purchasing any beverages.

Please Drink Responsibly.

Like What You Are Reading

Need to know more? Think your favorite beer or wine is vegan? How about your favorite Vodka, Tequila, or Gin – think those are vegan? Time to find out – check out some of my other articles:

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