The word sustainable gets thrown around a whole lot lately, but what does it actually mean? Well, sustainable cocktails seek to be more in harmony with nature by lessening pollution and natural resources and conserving energy too. Don’t worry, the cocktails still have that “ooft” factor but they often reuse or upcycle ingredients to inject that green factor. The result is that the industry’s changing, and has led Tequila maker Patrón to launch their Cocktails With A Conscience campaign, championing sustainability alongside some of the world’s most iconic bars. Patrón have been doing sustainability since before sustainability was even a thing, and given it’s at the heart of everything they do, creating cocktails with a genuine conscience was only a natural next step.
So, from waving adios to plastic straws, to cocktails relinquishing perishables, here are some of the cocktail bars around the world that are shaking up the sustainability scene and not compromising the planet, or our tastebuds, by doing so:
Bisou
Sitting in the city of love is Bisou, a sustainable Parisian paradise that breathes new life into going green. At the helm is the idea of custom cocktails, with no menu offered to peruse. All of the ingredients are locally sourced using organic ingredients and waste is minimised by dehydrating leftover produce for use as cocktail garnishes.
Where: 15 Boulevard du Temple, 75003 Paris, France
Website: www.bar-bisou.fr
Sexy Fish
Mayfair located Sexy Fish has some seriously sexy sustainability ethics at its helm. The opulent space, which houses a huge stock of Japanese whisky, never uses perishables in its cocktails, instead replacing them with cordials, syrups and shrubs. Need a straw? Well, they’re only available upon request and all are biodegradable.
Where: Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London W1J 6BR, UK
Nearest station: Green Park (0.3 miles)
Website: www.sexyfish.com
Midnight Apothecary
Midnight Apothecary houses tipples positively brimming with flora and fauna, not only making for the ideal photo opportunity but a haven for sustainability too. A trip to the London based venue will see you enjoying foraged cocktails and open campfires with the whole experience leading to an at home with nature vibe. Set up by Lottie Muir, the location was once no more than a muddy plot. Now, locally foraged ingredients are the order of the day at the fairytale venue, boasting unique cocktails including the Woodland Martini with Douglas-fir-infused vodka, smoked sage syrup and Angelica bitters, and Apple Crisp with foraged rowan berries, Pommeau de Normandie, tequila and Organic apple juice.
Where: Railway Avenue, Rotherhithe, SE16 4LF
Website: www.themidnightapothecary.co.uk
Himkok
Awarded world’s most sustainable bar by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Himkok is a speakeasy with a twist – if speakeasies aren’t a twist in themselves, that is! Doubling up as a micro-distillery 80% of the spirits used are made in house, including the vodka and gin and herbs are grown using hydroponics. Oslo, we’re en-route!
Where: Storgata 27, 0184 Oslo, Norway
Website: www.himkok.no
Providence
This LA based Michelin-starred restaurant exudes luxury and also a creative menu that re-purposes kitchen scraps into intriguing ingredients. Make sure you try the Muay Thai made with rum, leftover ginger, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf.
Where: 5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Website: www.providencela.com
Native, Singapore
At Native, Singapore, they embrace the eclectic selection of ingredients and resources in the surrounding area, working with nostalgic tastes that they grew up with including mango, timers, cinnamon, tapioca and more. NATIVE does exactly what it says on the tin, embracing its namesake by using local and regional produce and supporting local and regional craftsmen. Founder Vijay Mudaliar really does have his finger on the pulse!
Where: 52a Amoy Street, Singapore, 069878
Website: www.tribenative.com
Floreria Atlantico
Based near the docks of Buenos Aires, this gorgeous speakeasy with an even more gorgeous name of Floreria Atlántico, delves into the history of various countries via its busy selection of cocktails. Led by Tato Giovannoni, the bar has relinquished the use of straws, instead testing a number of alternatives including silver and papaya fruits which they reuse the leaves of – truly awesome!
Where: Arroyo 872, C1011 CABA, Argentina
Website: www.floreriaatlantico.com.ar
Eve Bar
And countless unsustainable Airmiles later and we’re finally back in the UK, so where could be better than Eve? The Covent Garden cocktail bar, courtesy of food’n’drink royalty Adam Handling, has created a cocktail inspired by Handling’s commitment to sustainability in the form of Adam’s Apple (Adam Handling, geddit?). All the ingredients are leftovers from the pastry section of the menu at Handling’s Frog, above, and has been developed alongside Patron for their Cocktail With A Conscience campaign.
Where: 34 Southampton Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7HF
Website: www.evebar.co.uk
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