Gluten-Free Carolans Irish Cream Liqueur : Excellent!

Carolans Irish Cream : Gluten-Free
(picture source : their corporate website)

If you have Celiac Disease and enjoy Irish Cream liqueurs, you may want to give Carolans Irish Cream Liqueur a try.  Their website clearly states on their FAQ page [note: last checked in 2016-SEPT, and still clearly gluten-free! The following quote is from 2010, where now it simply states that the product is gluten-free]:

"Carolans is suitable for Celiacs and is both gluten and wheat free."

I have long been a fan of Bailey's Irish Cream, but I decided to try Carolans Irish Cream after my daughter tried it and thought it to be superior to Bailey's, and after I verified that Carolans Irish Cream is Gluten-Free.   I picked up a bottle at Costco' liquor store for a mere $9.99 (for a 750ml bottle in a gift-pack that included a couple glasses too).  This was certainly cheaper than the Bailey's, and I was skeptical as to whether my daughter's "review" was going to be matched by my own product review.

Taste-Test: Wonderful!  And, a Bargain!
I was delighted with the flavor of this gluten-free Irish Cream liqueur from Carolans.  I agree with my daughter: this Irish Cream is indeed better than Bailey's, at least from my perspective.  The hints of honey in the recipe, coupled with Irish spirits, whiskey, and  rich double cream yield a superior taste in the resulting subtle blend of flavors.  The honey adds a delicate overtone that complements the Irish Cream quite nicely.

Simple "Real" Egg-Nog using Carolans...
This gluten-free Irish Cream recipe as delivered by Carolans quickly led me to experiment with another drink that I have had been enjoying for the Christmas / New Years holidays: Egg Nog.  I just recently reviewed an awesome gluten-free egg nog by Organic Valley (brand), and wondered how the two products would combine (to form an alcoholic version of egg-nog).

The results were quite tasty!  I tried a couple versions of my blended Egg Nog (using Carolans gluten-free Irish Cream with that Organic Valley gluten-free egg nog), and rather enjoyed the results whether I used a 1:1 formula or a lesser-alcohol 2:1 (egg-nog : Irish Cream) formula or even as little as 4 parts nog to 1 part Irish Cream.  It was all good! :)

Sure, all this cream may not be "good for you", but it sure does taste good and it is one of those once/year seasons where I indulge (not to mention it seems to be the only time of the year I can find good egg nog at the store: I am not going to make my own).  And, I consider this a "gluten-free dessert" since it is as rich and satisfying as a dessert -- just in liquid form (and not for children).

Bottom line: my daughter was right and this Celiac-safe Irish Cream is great both on its own and mixed into other drinks (like egg nog, coffees, hot chocolate, and so forth).

Happy New Years everyone!

Gluten-Free Eggnog : Organic Valley Brand

This organic gluten-free eggnog is fantastic!

Every year around the Christmas holiday season, I get the urge to have some eggnog, but I usually do not get any further than looking at a few brands and giving up without ever buying any.  The first thing that I want to make sure of is that whatever egg nog I find is safe for me gluten-free diet, and I need to find information to support that either: 1) on the carton directly, or 2) on a company's website or such.  Next, I totally avoid all the "eggnogs" that are nothing more than artificial flavors and thickeners -- those are not true egg nog (in my opinion) and just will not do...

I want REAL EGGNOG (made with the same ingredients I would make homemade eggnog with).

Organic Valley Eggnog: High-Quality Ingredients, Great Taste, and GF
This year I was lucky and found this Organic Valley Family of Farms organic eggnog at the local store, and was able to quickly locate the gluten-free status of this nog at the Organic Valley website GF page.  And, their ingredient list is essentially what you would expect to put in your own homemade gluten-free eggnog (and, all organic items in this case):

• Milk
• Cane Sugar
• Cream
• Eggs
• Egg Yolks
• Nonfat Milk
• Vanilla
• Nutmeg
• Carrageenan (I wish they left that out, but it is a simple seaweed-based thickener and last on the list of ingredients - should not be much of it in there if lower than Nutmeg on the list)

These ingredients add up to one thing: DELICIOUS EGG NOG!

This has to be the best eggnog I have ever purchased. It had an authentic taste and was rich and creamy and not overly sweet. The subtle nutmeg and vanilla flavors were just right.  

And, to make things better, I happened to find the quart containers on a clearance sale (since best-by date was approaching in a week) for $2.00, which was roughly 50% off.  So, I have had my quart of gluten-free eggnog for the year, and I feel quite satisfied after not having any eggnog for at least 5 years now.  I look forward to purchasing this same brand for all of my upcoming Christmas seasons as long as it remains available, gluten-free, and the same awesome quality formula.  yummy!

Now, the only down-side is that real eggnog has quite a bit of saturated fats in it, but such is... it is a once/year thing and it is worth enjoying regardless :)

By the way, does eggnog qualify as a gluten-free DESSERT or DRINK?  As rich as it tastes, I placed it in the former category. Got me.