Sip Nut-Milk Mocktails at This Saturday's Wynwood Block Party

Move over, bovine lactations: Nuts are the future of milk. And no company better represents that idea than Elmhurst, a 90-year-old dairy plant in New York that recently made the switch from cow's milk to all-natural vegan nut milks.

The new line, called Elmhurst Milked, is now available in Publix stores across the Southeast, and you can taste the cruelty-free flavors this Saturday at the Wynwood Block Party at Mana Wynwood.

The lineup includes Milked Cashew, Milked Hazelnut, Milked Walnut, and Milked Almond varieties, and Elmurst reps will stir them into drinks such as the Chocolate Nut-ini, with Milked Hazelnut, chocolate syrup, and organic vanilla; and the Nuthopper, with Milked Almond, crème de menthe, white chocolate, and mint.

"One of our goals at Elmhurst Milked is to demonstrate nut milk's incredible versatility as both a beverage and a culinary ingredient," Ken Voelkner, vice president of marketing, tells New Times. "Many people are familiar with the concept of mocktails, but few have tried a mocktail made primarily with nut milk. We thought making Elmhurst Milked mocktails would be a fun, creative way of introducing consumers to each of our nut milks, which taste good enough — and are nutritious enough — to both stand alone as beverages to be enjoyed straight from the glass, and to act as a delicious base for mocktails, smoothies, coffee drinks and more."
Elmhurst's switch comes amid several years of declining demand for dairy products. According to the research group Mintel, sales of dairy milk decreased 7 percent in 2015 and are projected to drop another 11 percent through 2020. At the same time, nondairy sales have skyrocketed, with gains of 9 percent in 2015.

But have no fear, dairy drinkers. Elmhurst's products should appeal to you too. "We believe consumers who are accustomed to traditional dairy beverages will love Elmhurst Milked's products," Voelkner says. "Our nut milks are much more flavorful, creamy, and nutritious than other leading nut milks on the market and, in that sense, make an excellent substitute for dairy milk. Our patented cold-milling process, called ‘milking,’ enables us to extract the full nutrition content of each nut in a creamy, delicious emulsion, so dairy lovers no longer need to choose between great taste, nutrition, and texture and opting for plant-based beverages."

Considering the business made a 180-degree switch — and took a huge risk — only recently, how has the public reacted? "The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, which we believe is a testament to the bright future of plant-based food and beverages."

Elmhurst will offer mocktails at the Wynwood Block Party at Mana Wynwood, 318 NW 23rd St., Saturday, May 13. Admission is free.