Carrot Juice Cocktail with Maple and Ginger

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The flavors of carrot cake inspire this refreshing carrot juice cocktail. With maple, ginger, and coconut, it's a refreshing beverage to enjoy in the spring sun.

tall glass with an orange drink on pink background

As a fan of carrot cake, I started thinking about how that might work in the form of a cocktail. I love the ginger and maple flavors I include in my carrot cake, but I also wanted to add the creaminess you get from the cream cheese frosting. Rather than adding a scoop of cream cheese, I opted for coconut cream, which lends creaminess and a hint of complimentary coconut.

The result is not too sweet or heavy. It has some earthiness from the fresh carrot juice and brightness thanks to a garnish of orange and ginger. If you like a little bite, a piece of candied ginger makes a great addition to the top of the glass.

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🥕Ingredients
🍋Substitutions and Variations
📋Instructions
🧊Top Tip
💭FAQ
🍸More Cocktail Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

This cocktail would fit right in at a spring or summer brunch. Why not plan a brunch menu with a few of my other recipes:

🥕Ingredients

Carrot juice - Fresh carrot juice will give you the freshest-tasting cocktail possible. If you want to make your own juice, you'll need 3-4 carrots for two cocktails. But if you don't have a juicer or the time to bother, look for fresh bottled juice in the produce area of your grocery store. There may also be options in the bottled juice section. If you can only find a carrot juice blend, that'll do.

Coconut cream - Not to be confused with cream of coconut, which, even though it is for cocktails, is too sweet, in my opinion. Also, not to be confused with coconut milk, which isn't thick or creamy enough. Rather, coconut cream is thick and unsweetened. You should be able to find it in stores with cans of coconut milk. If you can only find coconut milk, it is still possible to use that to make coconut cream. Here's some more info on how to do that.

Maple syrup - I like a touch of sweetness in this cocktail, and maple syrup is a great choice. It pairs perfectly with carrots and coconut.

Ginger - Fresh minced ginger adds a touch of spice. You can either grate a piece of fresh ginger root, or do as I do, and use Ginger People's minced ginger. I always keep a jar in the fridge and the quality is always excellent.

Vodka - Use what you have and whatever variety you prefer. I chose vodka for its neutral, clean flavor.

Triple sec - Adds a bit of orange flavor, which also goes well with carrots.

An orange - For garnish. You can make a fancy orange garnish or just use slices.

Candied ginger - Offers a nice punch of extra ginger flavor as a garnish, though it's not essential if you don't have it or can't easily find some.

🍋Substitutions and Variations

Non-alcoholic version - To make this cocktail alcohol-free, replace the vodka with water and add a splash of orange juice instead of triple sec. Alternatively, try a non-alcoholic spirit.
Lemon instead of orange - A slice of lemon would be a fine substitute for the orange if you don't have one on hand.
Dairy cream - You can substitute heavy cream or half and half for the coconut cream, however, you'll miss out on the coconut flavor.
Gin cocktail - I haven't tried it, but I think the botanical notes of gin would work well with the carrot juice in this cocktail if you wanted to try that out in place of the vodka.
Vanilla - A touch of vanilla would make this cocktail taste even more like carrot cake. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe below or ½ teaspoon per cocktail.

📋Instructions

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.

carrot juice being poured into a cocktail shaker

Pour in the carrot juice.

coconut cream being poured into a cocktail shaker

Add the coconut cream.

maple syrup pouring into a cocktail shaker

Then add the maple syrup, grated ginger, vodka, and trip sec.

Shake your cocktail for 15 seconds.

carrot cocktail being strained into a glass with ice

Strain into a glass filled halfway with ice.

candied ginger being placed on the cocktail glass

Add a piece of candied ginger, a slice of orange, and a straw to the glass.

carrot cocktail being held with green plants in background

Top off with extra ice and enjoy.

🧊Top Tip

This carrot juice cocktail is best when served ice cold. Be sure to use plenty of ice in your cocktail shaker and glass. After straining the cocktail, top it off with more ice if you have room in the glass and serve immediately.

💭FAQ

Do I need fresh carrot juice for this cocktail?

If you can juice your own carrots to make this cocktail, that's great. If not, check out the fresh juice options in your grocery store. Small bottles of carrot juice can often be found in produce departments. If you can't find fresh juice, check the jarred juice section.

How many carrots does it take to make 8 oz of carrot juice?

It takes about three carrots to make about 8 ounces of carrot juice, which is enough for at least two cocktails. Of course, the size of your carrots will affect the amount of juice they produce.

Is carrot juice full of sugar?

There is some sugar in carrot juice. However, it is much less than fruit juices like orange, cranberry, and apple juice. If you're buying carrot juice in the store, look for an option without added sugar.

🍸More Cocktail Recipes

A few other refreshing cocktails to try after this one.

📖 Recipe