Being vegan at Christmas is hard - unless your whole family have also ditched meat and dairy, you don't just get to help yourself at the table and will most likely be subjected to a full-blown scavenger hunt for what you can eat at the family Christmas dinner. This involves asking Aunt Mary if the potatoes have been cooked in goose fat and the parsnips in honey, going through kitchen cupboards to find some onion gravy granules, and politely refusing your drunk Grandad's insistence that you try his homemade eggnog. You have to check the peas haven't been doused in butter and even google if you can drink the wine, all while fielding patronising questions from all angles about your diet and lifestyle. Especially if it's your first vegan Christmas, you'll find dodging the animal products during festive season is a whole new ball game.
Though this year, one of the usual Christmas no-go products has launched your new festive saviour, finally releasing its massively anticipated vegan version - say hello to almond milk Baileys.
The vegan edition of the Irish cream liqueur launched in the US in March and is now on its way to the UK this week: you can find it in Whole Foods from 18 September, and in a Facebook statement, Baileys says there will be a national launch later in the year which implies it will be available in more stores around the UK nearer to Christmas. The ingredients will contain almond milk, almond essence, cane sugar, purified water and vanilla.
Named Almande Almond Milk Liqueur, its pretty cream floral bottle means it'll look great on the alcohol table at your Xmas parties, and doesn't risk confusion with the black and gold bottle of the dairy version that everyone is acquainted with. Your Christmas cocktail possibilities are now endless - you can make your own vegan Irish coffee, almond milk White Russians, and even clever non-dairy 'eggnog'.
The vegans among us have waited long for this day - last year Baileys brought out a dairy-free version, but it turned out to contain beeswax and honey, making it only suitable for the lactose-intolerant. Baileys Almande edition contains neither, meaning if you follow a plant-based diet you can chug to your heart's content.
Be wary though: we've all seen the consequences of when you sip Baileys like it's milkshake (tis the season to be jolly), and here in the office we're wondering whether an epic hangover will ensue from drinking too much of the new Baileys on the block, without the heavy cow's milk there to line your stomach...
Liked this? You might also like:
Your £30 Cocktail Cupboard To Make You The Most Popular Person In Halls
**Follow Frankie on Twitter **@wildisssh@wildisssh
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.