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Did you know that some alcoholic drinks can contain food allergens? Very rarely people are even allergic to the alcohol itself, and not just reacting to the sulphites or tannins in the alcohol.
Drinking alcohol when you have a food allergy can create some challenges for a few reasons:
1. Some alcoholic drinks contain food allergens:
- tree nuts in liqueurs e.g., Amaretto (almond) and Frangelico (hazelnuts), Nocello (walnuts and hazelnuts), Orahovac (walnuts)
- milk in liqueurs e.g. Baileys Irish Cream and Amarula
- egg liqueur e.g., Advocaat
- tree nuts in gin
- wine fined with fish, milk or egg
- cocktails made with cream/milk, peanuts and tree nuts, fish (Worcestershire sauce) and eggs
- wheat in beer
- milk in vodka and gin
2. Some garnishes contain food allergens
Some garnishes to alcoholic drinks contain food allergens e.g. egg white used to make a foam on top of a cocktail, a swirl of cream in a cocktail, Persian fairy floss (which can contain sesame and/or pistachio) or grated peanuts/tree nuts or chocolate.
3. Alcohol can reduce your ability to make good decisions about food and drink intake.
This can mean you may not closely check the ingredients and allergen statements and make an unsafe food choice.
4. Alcohol intake can worsen the severity of an allergic reaction.
It irritates the stomach meaning more allergen is absorbed.
5. Alcohol reduces your blood sugar level and can make you hungry.
This increases the chances that you will choose to eat a food or drink which is unsafe for you. You can reduce this risk by eating before you start drinking alcohol.
6. Alcohol can confuse people around you if you have anaphylaxis while you’re drinking.
Sometimes, a person having anaphylaxis may be confused as being drunk if they are drinking alcohol and in a drinking environment.
Here are a few great tips for staying safe when drinking:
- When ordering a drink at a bar or cellar door always TELL staff about your allergy and ASK if the drink contains your allergen. If you don’t want to ask because it is too noisy or busy, or because you are too embarrassed, choose an alcoholic product that you are familiar with or a pre-packaged drink that you can read the ingredients list on.
- Read all information on the bottle/cask including labels (some allergens are listed on the glass on the bottle and not on the label) on any alcohol you plan to drink.
- Be aware of cross contamination in cocktail shakers. Always tell the bartender about your allergies so that they can use a clean cocktail shaker and check ingredients for your allergens.
- Ask a non-drinking friend or partner to look out for you. Tell them about the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction and how to help. Show them where your adrenaline injector is and how to use it and where to find the emergency instructions on your ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis.
- Don’t drink so much that your judgement is affected. Australian government guidelines say that at a blood alcohol concentration of over 0.05 judgement is impaired. Even if the alcoholic drink you are drinking doesn’t contain your food allergen, alcohol will impair your decision making. This means that you might not realise that you are eating or drinking your allergen, and that you need treatment. It will also mean that you are less able to treat yourself or to get others to help you.
Legislation in Australia around labelling food allergens on alcohol is complex. We recommend that you contact the manufacturer of the alcohol you would like to drink to ask about allergen content. Please note that:
- distilled alcohol from wheat or whey is exempt from declaring wheat or milk
- beer or spirits do not have to declare barley, rye, oats or wheat
- fish does not have to be declared for isinglass derived from swim bladders and used as a clarifying agent in beer or wine.
For more information on allergen labelling exemptions head to the Product exemptions from allergen labelling | Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Tree Nuts in gin
Did you know that tree nuts are sometimes used in the distilling of gin to give a smooth nutty flavour to the gin?
Almonds are the most commonly used tree nut, but macadamia and cashew (and others) are also used.
We know that Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater Gin use almonds as botanical flavourings; Four Pillars Modern Australian and Olive Leaf gins use macadamia, Four Pillars Spice Trade Gin uses macadamias & cashews and Pure Origin Tasmanian Dry Gin uses walnut. This is not a complete list so please always check yourself when ordering/buying.
Although it is not clear if the amount of tree nuts left in the alcohol after distilling is enough to cause a reaction, our advice is to check if the gin you are ordering has been made using tree nuts before drinking.
Legislation in Australia requires that common food allergens need to be declared somewhere on the bottle (not necessarily on the front or back label). Bombay Sapphire marks common allergens into the glass on the side of the bottle. Four Pillars have their allergens on the sides of the bottles.
Top tips for gin drinkers with tree nut allergies:
- When ordering a gin at a bar or cellar door always TELL staff about your allergy and ASK if the drink contains your allergen. If you do not want to ask, choose a brand of gin that you are familiar with the ingredients and have drunk before.
- Call ahead to the cellar door to check if the distiller uses your allergen in their gin.
- Check the label and whole bottle for your allergens of any gin you plan to drink.
Alcohol allergy
For those with an allergy to alcohol, you may be interested in information from the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) about alcohol allergy.
Related information
Eating out with food allergy
Eating out with food allergies can be a challenge – A&AA has useful resources, information and advice to help you.