St. Patrick’s Day Drink Review
St. Patrick’s Day was always a family day in the Cold Brew Kombucha house growing up. We didn’t do anything fancy or have a big party, like with many other holidays. Instead we kept it simple, and stuck to our own family traditions. Mom would make a version of a New England boil; corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and sometimes carrots, and we would help make some soda bread. Then we would eat dinner while watching the classic John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara film, The Quiet Man. We finish the evening with Baileys Irish Cream liquor (when we were old enough) and my parent’s would have a bit of Irish whiskey. All in all, a pretty American version of St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
After moving away to London, I have been sure to keep up the tradition with Heritage Avocado Toast and this year Retro Denim Jacket will be joining us. We get a salt beef from the local butcher because they have never let us down with their quality. I also make my own soda bread, after all it is super simple, my parents always used the Joy of Cooking recipe, and I haven’t deviated from it. After all, as we always said growing up, if it ain’t Baroque… (don’t fix it)
This year the only change to tradition in the Hipster Home will be to the Baileys with dessert. RDJ and I are both lactose intolerant. Not that this stops us from enjoying dairy, but when given the option we will usually go with the non-dairy alternative. So we decided to test out Baileys Almande, their dairy free and vegan version of the classic Irish Cream.
So then, what did we think of this lactose intolerant friendly alternative? Visually it is noticeably different from the original. It has a much lighter colour and thinner viscosity. RDJ noted that it was thic with a negative two Cs. The smell of almond hits you right off the bat. HAT described it as smelling much like a creamy amaretto. As for the taste, it was not what we expected and did not have the traditional Irish Cream flavour. HAT thought it tasted more like White Russian than your standard Irish Cream. RDJ had trouble getting past the sweet almond milk aspect at first and stated that it felt more like an almond milk with an added alcohol. I also noted the cream of the drink was heavy in almond flavour right up front with a harsher whiskey burn in the end than you get in the original. After having a glass of it, we realised it didn’t leave the normal sugar and cream film in our mouths that you get from the original Baileys.
The conclusion of our taste test was that we agreed it was very drinkable, although HAT said he would prefer it with milk. It may not be your traditional Baileys Irish Cream, but if you are avoiding dairy for whatever reason, it is an excellent alternative. The Almande also comes in a gorgeous bottle, ivory and glittery with a lovely floral pattern, perfect for spring. We will definitely be having it after dinner this St. Patrick’s Day. We also are looking forward to trying it in coffee with a slice of homemade soda bread.
