The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 22 Winter 2017

ISSUE 22

WINTER 2017

ISSN 2052 0603

THE GREEN ISSUE*

*Printed on FSC accredited paper and packed in recyclable polywrap

IN-tro

WAKE UP

PEO PL E! IT’S TIME TO STOP BEING GREEN ABOUT

GREEN

ISSUES Not wishing to come over all waggy-fingered about it, climate change really is happening and the effects are already being felt the world over, so it’s down to all of us to be more responsible.

There, sermon over. Well, not really. We’re leaving it to the people who know most about the environmental impact of what we drink, to put forward the case.

There are our eco-worriers from The Tin Roof Company, Trash Tiki, Small Hand Foods and the Bar Craft & Culture Project talking about what they’re doing to be more conscious in the bar (p. 16). Dré Masso gives the skinny on how Bali has turned him into a more environmentally-friendly bartender (p. 12) and of course, no focus on green issues in the bar would be complete without zoning in on Ryan Chetiyawardana and Iain Griffiths from White Lyan, the cool cats from Hoxton who put the sass into sustainability on the drinks front (p. 60).

The big companies have a huge part to play too. Jane Ryan highlights those who are greening up their act (p. 32), while on a smaller scale Thomas Usher meets the team from Toast, who are making beer from unwanted bread (p. 56). Mind you, it’s not down to everyone else to make the difference, there’s plenty we can all do, too. Check through the following pages for the simple tips we should all resolve to embrace this year and beyond.

Forget Dry January and get ready for a greener new year.

Happy imbibing!

Ms S & Mr G

thecocktaillovers.com

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The Cocktail Lovers - 3

IN-gredients

7. IN-the know

28. IN-the spotlight Please drink sustainably

… says Ben Norum. But what can you do to stop being a waster? Plenty as it happens. He tells us how

32. IN-the spotlight Going green for booze

Jane Ryan shines a light on the drinks companies who are championing sustainable practices

25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season

Calling for reinforcements, gorging our glasses and growing our own – fun tips for being a greener drinker in the next few months and beyond

38. IN-the spotlight

12. IN-terview

In the hotseat – Dre Masso

Extolling the joys of indigenous bartending in Bali

16. IN-spire

Ten green bottles

Square One Vodka, El Dorado Rum, Seedlip – our pick of the drinks that are green in spirit (or taste)

46. IN-dulge Second time around

In the market to buy new drink-inspired goodies? Why don't you look out for something re-used or recycled instead?

Earth Tones

Six voices, one message: how to bring cleaner drinking and inspired thinking to the bar

24. IN-spire

Cocktails & climate change Kate O'Sullivan takes a long hard look at how the food and drinks industry is affecting the environment

48. IN-focus In it for the long term

Nate Brown, cofounder of London Bar Consultants shares his thoughts on creating a sustainable workforce

52. IN-focus Waste not, want not

Don't throw those spent ingredients away, take a leaf out of Rich Woods’ book and get creative

IN-gredients

54. IN-focus

Editors: Sandrae Lawrence Gary Sharpen

Ecocktails

Two views: thinking about the environment in the bar and at home

56. IN-dependent spirits Bread heads

Championing Toast Ale, the company in East London making beer from bread.

By Thomas Usher

60. IN-dustry greats

Sub-editor: Sally Briggs Creative Director: James Cheverton at Burnt Studio burntstudio.com Illustrations: James Cheverton Beth Crockatt Photography: Addie Chinn Beth Crockatt Contributors: Nate Brown Kate O'Sullivan Ben Norum Jane Ryan Tim Stones Lauryn Tomlinson Thomas Usher For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact:

Raw like a lyan

With its no citrus, no ice policy, White Lyan became the first bar to fully embrace low impact bartending. Now it's entering a brand new chapter. We find out more

62. IN-formed Word up

Drinking in the first zero-waste restaurant in the UK with The Cocktail Girl, Last Orders with Fred Sirieix, a Postcard from India from Tim Stones, plus tips and treats for drinking with a conscience

68. IN-sider's guide

mail@thecocktaillovers.com 020 7242 2546 thecocktaillovers.com Printed by Stones The Printers Limited on FSC accredited paper and bound in 100% recyclable polywrap Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited.

Cover: Designed by James Cheverton

Ding Dong! New bars calling

London, Singapore, Panama, Kuala Lumpur, Perth, Melbourne – there are a whole lot of new bars either opening or which have opened in the past few months. We highlight a few worth checking out

The Cocktail Lovers Issue No. 22 Winter 2017 The Cocktail Lovers magazine is published by The Cocktail Lovers Ltd. in London, UK

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY The Cocktail Lovers are proud winners of Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication, Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2016 and The London Evening Standard Progress 1000 – London’s Most Influential People 2015

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Discover the finest contemporary silver and jewellery from over 300 designer-makers. www.thegoldsmithsdirectory.co.uk

Cocktail set: Martyn Pugh

25

REASONS TO BE A (GREENER) COCKTAIL LOVER THIS SEASON Puckering with purpose, saying no to single use coffee cups and backing the unconventional, just a few of the things we're looking forward to in the next few months

N1 o

Keeping it real Did you know that approximately one-third of the world’s largest cities get their drinking water directly from forests? Seems like the perfect reason to toast International Day of Forests on 21 March. With a glass of H2O of course… un.org

IN-the know

TWO

03

…Which brings us on to these seriously streamlined and ever-so stylish pitchers, carafes and water bottles, created with social responsibility and clean water in mind.

Pure class. drinksoma.com

Pulling our tops off Who would have thought plain old ring pulls could be refashioned into anything as chic as this? Check out these lustworthy bags and belts, designed to fund grassroots education projects tackling teenage health issues. bottletop.org

Five

04 Saying no

Rolling with it Deliciously minty, 100% organic and super, super fresh, the Mojito Man deodorant gets our vote for keeping sweats at bay. Plus bonus points for its recyclable container. thegrapeseedcompany.com

to single use coffee cups These babies aren’t only reusable, they’re also pretty darned cool to look at. Beats ugly polystyrene on sooo many levels. ecoff.ee

7. Getting to grips with grappa Made from the skins, seeds and stalks of grapes left over from the winemaking process, grappa has got the waste game licked. Worth trying? Sibona Grappa Riserva affinata in Botti da Porto, IWSC Gold Outstanding 2016 winner. uvinum.co.uk

08

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.…And for beauty buffs, say hello to Caudelíe, the cosm-ethics made from the vines, stalks and sap from organic grapes, packaged in recycled and recyclable containers. caudalie.com

09

Gorging our glasses

Edible glassware, amazing on so many levels, but our favourite reason? The energy saved on washing up. Result! loliware.com

06

Puckering with purpose Who in their right mind uses plastic straw these days?

Demand the sustainable option. We love the bamboo, glass, titanium and stainless steel models at ecostraw.com

IN-the know

12

10. BEING SAVVY TO THE SEASONS

Going for the chop

Sexy chopping board alert: this one, handmade in Tanzania from a locally sourced, sustainable tree plantation by people with disabilities, gets our vote for looking good and supporting a great cause. neemacrafts.com

Aim to get at least two of your fruit and veg in a glass. In season in January: Seville oranges, beetroot, pomegranate and celery; February: pineapple, pink grapefruit, passion fruit and blush oranges; March: forced rhubarb and kale. #fivealive

11 …Or preserve them in infusions, steeped in organic gin or vodka of course. Try Sacred Organic Gin and/or UK 5 Organic Vodka to keep your virtuous side intact. thewhiskyexchange.com

13

Throwing in the towel …and only using organic cotton ones brandished with cocktail recipes. Like this. oakroomshop.co.uk

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Calling for reinforcements

There’s no polluting the air with pesky delivery vans for the East London Liquor Company. All local accounts are served by an environmentally-friendly Porterlight bicycle. Love. eastlondonliquorcompany.com

15

Popping our corks

Keep your surfaces as clean as your conscience with a coaster made from renewable and biodegradable bambu cork fabric. And get this, you can even wash it. Whoop! greenpioneer.co.uk

16 Seeking out wine on tap

17 Sitting pretty

In the market for a new bar stool? Park your booty on a reclaimed elm wood stool from swooneditions.com

…and eliminating bottle and carton costs, not to mention the matter of waste from oxidised wines.

You know it makes sense.

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IN-the know

EIGHTEEN...

Perking up

Take your coffee from ‘ah’ to awesome with this Stelton Theo Slow Coffee Maker made from lush black stoneware, topped with an eco-friendly bamboo lid. cloudberryliving.co.uk

20

21

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…To go in it? One of the ethical brews from Cafédirect, natch. Yes, they taste gorgeous, but the best bit is, crops are bought directly from smallholder farmers who receive 50% share of the profits. Yay! cafedirect.co.uk

N 22 o

…It’s organic, requires less water than wheat, sticks around all year and doesn’t need replanting or tilling – say cheers to Kernza, the sustainable grain at the heart of Long Root Ale. patagoniaprovisions.com

Backing the unconventional Like caped crusaders, Wonky Drinks swoop in and rescue oddshaped fruit and veg and transform them into juices of beauty. Try them and see. wonkydrinks.co.uk

Following the beer Big ups to Carlsberg for its Green Fiber Bottle initiative, currently in development.

Made from sustainably sourced wood fibre that will degrade into non-harmful waste if discarded, they’re the shape of things to come. carlsberg.com

TWENTY THREE Preserving the past

Down Mexico way it’s all about pulque, the fermented sap of the agave plant; meanwhile in Blighty honey is starring in the production of mead. Get a buzz from Stonehenge Mead – it’s the bees-knees. english-heritageshop.org.uk

TWENTY FIVE

24

Growing our own

Fancy yourself as a haughty-culturalist? Turn your fingers a healthy shade of green with this Ginalicious gin botanical cocktail kit. We’re totally digging it! plant-n-grow.co.uk

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…More cool stuff with beer: try eating it. ReGrained granola bars are made from the spent grain used in the production process. Fibre, protein and refreshment in one tasty hit – that’s got to be a good thing, right? regrained.com

IN THE HOTSEAT

DRÉ MASSO

ON HOW BARTENDING IN BALI HAS MADE HIM MORE SUSTAINABLY AWARE

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IN-terview

You started bartending in London over 20 years ago.

What, other than the weather, took you to Indonesia?

The biggest attraction was to work with prestigious beachfront venue Potato Head. I admired what they had already achieved in such a short amount of time and when I relocated in 2013 they had some huge ambitions. One of the projects was an artisan venue, The Katamama Hotel, that I helped to open in January 2016. I’d never worked in a hotel before so I was keen to experience a different area of hospitality. Living in Bali was a big bonus. It’s one of the most magical places on earth.

How has the Asian lifestyle, culture and climate impacted on your thoughts on bartending in general?

Without realising it I found myself embracing and exploring the local culture and trying to include it wherever possible in the drinks we make. Inspiration came from tribal traditions, ancient medicinal remedies, indigenous ingredients, local cuisine, the people, religion, arts and much more. There has to be respect for the community and I will take that with me wherever I go.

South East Asia is an emerging market within the cocktail scene and there is some brilliant bartending talent who have been sharing ideas through some of the bigger cocktail competitions.

What does the sustainability issue mean to you and why have you decided to embrace it?

Living and working in Bali helped and encouraged us to become a more sustainable business. Bali is a paradisiacal island, but has severe problems with waste and pollution.

There is a big drive for everyone on the island to be more responsible. We partner sustainability with supporting the community wherever we can. We have only started to scratch the surface and there is so much more we would like to do. Our Bali operations are leading the way. The venues we have in Jakarta, Hong Kong and Singapore get involved where they can, but at times face some challenges with costs and logistics.

Tell us about the rationale behind your new centre of mixology, Akademi.

It’s located at the heart of The Katamama Hotel which is joined to our Beach Club, called Potato Head. The idea of the Akademi started as a concept for a training centre for all of our bartenders with facilities to help enhance our drinks research and development. As the hotel was nearing completion we decided to place this concept, combined with a working bar, where the hotel lobby would normally be found.

At Akademi and throughout all of our venues in Bali, we now have a plastic straw-free zone, using bamboo, metal,

glass and biodegradable paper instead. I want to plant papaya trees as you can use the hollow branch as a natural straw. We've replaced card coasters with rattan and recycled cloth, naturally dyed with indigo. We have locally made vessels from wood, coconut, sea shells, copper, glass and ceramic. We convert the majority of used bottles into glasses too. We are now starting to build composting and worm farms, and to grow our own herbs.

Inspiration came from tribal traditions, ancient medicinal remedies, indigenous ingredients, local cuisine, the people, religion, the arts and much more You advocate the root to flower philosophy in your drinks. What does this mean and how are you bringing the principle to life?

I’ve always respected the nose to tail ethos found in some kitchens and restaurants. I wanted to see how we could translate this to the world of drinks where we focus on minimising waste from the ingredients we use. The bartenders are encouraged to use stalk and leaves, roots and bark, peel and skin, seeds and stones, petals and any other part of the ingredient. One of the best examples of this was using the mint stalks, which have great taste and aroma. We now add the stalks to sugar and water to make a delicious mint syrup. The same applies to pineapple skin, which is normally thrown away. You can turn watermelon skin into a tasty pickle too. Many of the ingredients that are used for infusions such as hibiscus flowers, are dried and reused for garnishes and powders.

How much research goes into the root to flower process?

Every month we have a cocktail project called Case Study, where the bartenders take it in turn to examine an indigenous ingredient and come up with a new cocktail that follows the root to flower philosophy. They are also asked to look at the history, benefits and uses of the ingredient. The idea is for everyone to learn from these monthly projects.

You’ve worked with permaculture experts on the project, what have they implemented and why?

We’ve

collaborated

with

a

permaculture

expert

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called Mark Garrett who is passionate about living harmoniously with nature and dedicated to achieving low cost, sustainable ecosystems that benefit both the planet and the people who live and work in them.

designed specifically for the drink. We have made Zombie cups and Punch boats from teak wood and Julep cups from copper.

What are the most fascinating facts you’ve learned on the sustainability front from your time at Potato Head and Akademi?

That there is so much more we can and should be doing.

As a company we have wasted a lot in the past. I have also learnt that sustainability relates to people. How we sustain our staff is something we ask ourselves a lot. Like everything else they need to be looked after for the future.

We are looking at how we can improve meals and overall working environment. Reiki and meditation are offered.

We have regular training sessions and are working to incentivise them more.

Any plans for more sustainable practices at Akademi and/or your other venues?

By observing nature and understanding how it operates, he creates low carbon, green systems where energy is conserved by removing the need for fossil fuel, waste is turned into a useful resource, water is saved and reused, vital minerals and nutrients in the soil are naturally regenerated and pests are controlled without using harmful chemicals.

You're working with local makers, colours and flavours from the Indonesian archipelago at Akademi. What are your most exciting discoveries?

We're very fortunate to be working with a food expert called Lisa Virgiano who is constantly introducing the team to new flavours. There are a number of unusual and tropical ingredients that I have discovered in the past four years living in Indonesia. Lots of leaves, barks, vegetables, seed, spices and exotic fruits. Some of my favourites are mangosteen, nutmeg fruit, jackfruit, snakeskin fruit, balimbing fruit and tamarind plum which takes 40 years to reach harvest. Bali is also famous for cacao, cloves and coffee (to name a few) and the local arak spirit that is made from fermented coconut.

We’re also collaborating with local artisans and craftmakers to make vessels for our drinks, helping to sustain their livelihood. The Balinese are very resourceful people with a talent for making beautiful objects.

Speaking of the collaborations with local makers, what comes first, the vessels or the drinks?

Both. For Akademi we designed and made a range of cocktail ware with a local ceramic company called Gaya.

The inspiration came from Japanese tea vessels and they needed to work with the bar space and design, which features terrazzo walls and floor. Some of our cups get

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At the beach club we recently built a bar made out of used coconuts. Originally it was to be a pop-up on our sunset terrace, but we loved it so much we've kept it there. I’d love to build another bar from pre-used materials.

What, in your opinion, can bars do more to be sustainable?

Reducing waste is probably the first step and in most cities there are organisations that can advise. If done right it should save the bar some money too.

What can consumers do to be more sustainably aware in their drinks choices?

The easy one for consumers is to support local brands.

The reality is that the majority of guests purchase based on flavour and price point.

Do you have any favourite ‘green’ spirits?

Over the past few years we have been investigating arak and visiting boutique (and some illegal) distilleries in Bali and it’s amazing to see how resourceful the makers are. Nothing goes to waste during the production and its purely sold to the local community. Tom Hogan, a bartender based in Singapore mentioned a distillery in Sri Lanka also making arak from coconut called The Rockland Distillery. It started in 1924 and remains a family business. Tom recently visited the distillery and states not only is it one of the most advanced set ups, but it strives to make its facility as eco-friendly as possible. pttfamily.com Dre has created a special cocktail for this issue of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine. Watch the video on thecocktaillovers.com

IN-spire

Who, in your mind, is doing good things on the sustainability front and why?

The guys at White Lyan (p. 60) are doing a good job.

They’re constantly developing new approaches to eliminating waste in their bars. In addition, they use their high visibility to spread the message.

CLAIRE SPROUSE AND CHAD ARNHOLT TIN ROOF DRINK COMMUNITY, NEW YORK When did the sustainability issue first resonate with you?

The two of us come from art, education and nonprofit backgrounds so by the time we formed Tin Roof Drink Community we already had a sense of debt to community and social issues. That said, the notion of how sustainability relates to bars didn’t unfold until a couple years back when we were asked to help conceive and design a green(er) bar. It didn’t take much math to realise just how wasteful bars can be, nor much searching to realise that (at that time) there really wasn’t much research or coordination on the issue. I suppose that’s when the magnitude of the challenge hit home.

Silo in Brighton (p. 63) run a casual restaurant that focuses on making food with age old, low waste techniques. They’ve worked with suppliers and farmers to ensure nearly everything they buy comes in reusable or compostable packaging.

What’s the one thing we can all do to make a difference to the environment?

Think critically about your choices. Ask yourself: “Do I need this? Or am I just replacing something I already have.”

“How far did this have to travel to get to me? Is there an equivalent option made nearby.” A big impact can be made once people start altering their subtly wasteful consumption habits. tinroofdrinkcommunity.com

Tell us about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and how it helps the environment.

After our design project we had a lot of research and test results, so we applied it to our consulting work and drove hard on education: talking publicly about strategies to reduce water, solid and emissions waste in bars. We also envelope those strategies into the bar layouts and cocktail programmes we consult on. Specifically, being California based (until our recent move to New York) we have focused on how to drastically cut water usage.

What’s the most alarming fact you’ve learned about waste in the drinks industry?

Maybe how imbedded waste is into our business, as a result of business norms and legislation. In the US Federal packaging laws dictate that spirit companies shall not reuse bottles or package in bulk size containers, thus forcing bars to throw out hundreds of single-use bottles a year. Likewise, trade and logistics norms add to the footprint of any product we choose to squeeze or pour.

KELSEY RAMAGE (pictured with Iain Griffiths) TRASH TIKI, LONDON

When did the sustainability issue first resonate with you?

I think the shock value of it came when I moved to London. Seeing a city whose population is so massive and whose systems aren’t set up to deal with recycling on that scale; Iain Griffiths (co-founder) and I both come from relatively forward moving countries (Australia and Canada respectively) in that regard. Here, we’re dealing with a broken system that's been in place for so long without being questioned, until recently.

How and when did you decide to do something about it?

We started noticing people and brands who were embracing and championing zero waste. But other

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companies were jumping on the sustainability bandwagon and slapping a buzzword on their label, then not following through in practice, making the word itself a little empty and industrial. We wanted to inject a little fun back into sustainability and show people that it doesn't take a complete overhaul to make a difference.

Tell us about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and how it helps the environment.

Trash Tiki is a platform for reducing waste and consumption. All our drinks, aside from spirit, are created from the waste products a bar or restaurant is already producing. We do buy a few sweeteners and acidifiers, and we’ve purchased a blow-up doll named Susan who will be travelling with us on our tour.

and his book, The Third Plate, changed the way I think about the food and drink industry. Our food supply and demand system is truly broken and that book really put it into perspective for me. Also the chef and owner at Silo in Brighton, Doug McMaster, is so passionate about what he’s doing it comes through in the plates that come out of his kitchen, literally – they’re made from recycled plastic bags. You can't help but come away from there inspired.

What’s the one thing we can all do to make a difference to the environment?

Grab a refillable coffee cup. trashtikisucks.com

All our drinks, aside from spirit, are created from the waste products a bar or restaurant is already producing We wanted to create a platform for ideas and recipes that could be shared with other bars, so we have a website and a blog where we post all the recipes. They’re laid out in a simple format and don't require loads of expensive equipment. We want to show that it doesn't require a massive investment to make a difference in the waste you're producing. In fact, you can save some bucks if you use it in the right way.

To connect with the industry, we plan to take the show on the road this year. With 25 cities lined up globally, you can come down, have some fun and try some of the drinks we’re making. The more people we connect with, the more we can inspire to use our recipes, rip off our philosophy and go make them work in their own bars.

The conversation about sustainability has started, but it’s up to us to make it tangible and accessible for everyone.

What’s the most alarming fact you’ve learned about waste in the drinks industry?

That those little paper cups you get your coffee in are coated with wax inside, which makes them non-recyclable.

Think about that for a second, I go through at least one a day, the UK goes through about 2.5 billion a year.

Who, in your mind, is doing good things on the sustainability front and why?

Dan Barber was one of the first people I recognised

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CAMERON ATTFIELD (left) THE GIN ROOM, NEW ZEALAND

When did the sustainability issue first resonate with you?

I never gave it too much focus until I was prepping for the 42 World Below World Cocktail Competition which was all about being sustainable. Since then, I can never overlook how much waste there is. Every time something goes in the bin now we think, how could we re-use or recycle it to become more sustainable.

How and when did you decide to do something about it?

In-depth seminars in Queenstown and focus groups in the competition really got me thinking. We pooled our ideas in the focus groups and were really excited to get back and implement what we could. With the style of bar we have, we can only do so much, but we’re constantly looking for more practical ways to reduce our waste; from teaming up with 42 Below to make hand soap from the essential oils of used lemons, to implementing recycling techniques and the use of otherwise discarded materials.

IN-spire

Tell us about the competition, why you entered and how your winning recipe helps the environment.

The competition opened our minds to a whole new way of looking at bartending and the impact everything has on the environment. On day one we were shown a table of alcohol, fresh fruit, veg, herbs, spices and acid concentrates and given one hour to create a cocktail with minimal waste. Planning was essential as they weighed everyone's waste at the end of the hour, tried the cocktail and submitted feedback the following day. Challenge accepted! This was the birth of the 'Savouring Private Collins' – created with cardamom infused vodka, Aperol, basil, citric acid solution, celery tonic syrup and soda. Most importantly no waste! A clean, tasty, savoury goodness of a drink!

and White Lyan – no more needs to be said about them, they pave the way and we constantly take inspiration from them.

What’s the one thing we can all do to make a difference to the environment?

Each day, take a look at what you’ve thrown out, weigh it and see how you can reduce it. Not just at bars but anywhere. Does it need to be thrown away? Are there better lower waste alternatives? It's the small steps that have a ripple effect across the industry which, multiplied by the amount of venues, can have a significant impact on waste reduction. ginroom.co.nz

What’s the most alarming fact you’ve learned about waste in the drinks industry?

In our bar, we were going through about 30kg. of lemons a week, not huge amounts but we’re a small craft bar.

If you times that by the 20 cocktail bars in Auckland, you’re looking at 600kg of lemons. Every week we try to lighten our trash load and use products in different ways to get the most out of them.

Every week we try to lighten our trash load and use products in different ways to get the most out of them Who, in your mind, is doing good things on the sustainability front and why?

From a brand perspective, I would say Makers Mark and Bacardi, with things like the corporate responsibility report which outlines how they’re becoming more sustainable through responsible sourcing and community involvement. For Makers Mark, they use locally sourced grain and the majority of their land at the distillery is a nature reserve.

From a bar point of view, The Gin Room is doing great with reducing the amount of fresh produce we throw away, chilling all glassware so there’s no need to waste ice chilling, and implementing things like citric/malic acid solutions to reduce lemon use. Any fruit we do use, we use the rest for oleo saccharum or dehydrate or infuse it with other products. Other bars include Dandelyan

JENNIFER COLLIAU SMALL HAND FOODS, SAN FRANCISCO

When did the sustainability issue first resonate with you?

I was raised and live in California, so learning ways to reduce water is something we were taught in elementary school. Buying energy and water-efficient appliances is just something we do here. As cocktail bars began installing fancy ice machines like Hoshizaki and Kold Draft, we noticed that here we couldn’t buy water-cooled models, only air-cooled. And I learned how detrimental plastic straws are for the environment about 10 years ago from Charles Phan, the owner of The Slanted Door, where I worked at the time.

How and when did you decide to do something about it?

I didn’t run my own bar programmes until the middle of 2014, so there were a lot of decisions I didn’t have control over until then. When I opened The Interval, I incorporated things I had observed other bars doing that made environmental sense, like not using water to melt ice at the end of the night, and using a low-water

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use dishwasher. When I was hired to open The Perennial, the entire focus of the programme was reducing our environmental impact, so I got to think outside the box and reinvent how it could function.

Tell us about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and how it helps the environment.

At The Perennial, I created the entire cocktail list to have no shaken or stirred drinks, therefore, no waste from melting ice that isn’t in the drink itself. This is done in a few ways: for drinks traditionally stirred and strained, we make them in batches and pre-dilute them with the amount of water that would have been melted into the drink had we stirred them. We pour them into Rocks glasses that have ice frozen into the bottom of them, rather than a large hand-cut cube or sphere that wastes water while it’s chipped to size.

For drinks traditionally shaken, we measure out the correct amount of cobbled ice that will result in the tastiest level of dilution, then put it all into a blender, not to make a slushy drink, but to blend until the ice is completely dissolved into the drink. The cocktail then has the same level of dilution and temperature reduction as a traditionally shaken-and-strained one, and a blender is far more efficient in aerating and agitating a drink!

We also have drinks on draught that we pour directly over cobbled ice, saving us the water necessary to rinse tins between each drink. And then we have a few styles of execution that are unique to each drink, like a floatstyle Pisco Punch variation, where we turn unused citrus into pineapple gum sherbet, then serve it in a Coupe with ice-cold Pisco and sprinkle it with crushed cancha (fancy Peruvian nuts).

If producers could sell spirits in reusable kegs, like beer manufacturers, we could greatly reduce the amount of waste generated

What’s the most alarming fact you’ve learned about waste in the drinks industry?

In the US, the TTB (regulatory agency for alcoholic products) will not allow producers to reuse bottles or sell in containers larger than 1.75 litres. States that offer recycling programmes can recycle their empties, but it requires a fair amount of energy to break down and remake glass bottles, and many places don’t even offer that. If producers could sell spirits in reusable kegs, like beer manufacturers, we could greatly reduce the amount of waste generated.

Who, in your mind, is doing good things on the sustainability front and why?

Ryan Chetiyawardana from White Lyan and Dandelyan is always an inspiration. His bars generate so little waste it’s astonishing. However, in the UK they don’t have the regressive post-prohibition laws that we do, so businesses are allowed to distill and sell directly to the public, removing the necessity of having single-use bottles at all.

What’s the one thing we can all do to make a difference to the environment?

Stop drinking your drinks with disposable straws!

Drinks taste more delicious when you forgo a straw and more of your mouth is exposed to the flavours. smallhandfoods.com

RICH HUNT THE BAR CRAFT & CULTURE PROJECT, LONDON When did the sustainability issue first resonate with you?

It’s been a gradual realisation more than a ‘eureka' moment. When I moved in with my partner who has both a Masters and works in sustainability, I realised just how much I was actually wasting.

20 - The Cocktail Lovers

IN-spire

Let’s start big: the earth’s temperature is rising. Experts agree that the planet’s temperature needs to stay within two degrees of pre-industrial levels to avoid hitting, what’s known as, the danger zone. Think melting ice, floods, climate change, refugees and mass starvation.

At the historic 2015 Paris Agreement (sometimes called COP21), 195 countries signed the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal to limit global warming to below the all-important two degrees, but there’s a lot of work to be done.

While fossil fuels have notched up the heat, so has the food (and drink) chain. Ben Reynolds from UK Sustain reveals the shocking truth that greenhouse gas emissions created from a single family’s diet is equivalent to keeping a car on the road for over a year. Elsewhere, think tank Chatham House warns that the livestock sector alone is responsible for 15% of all emissions, the same as exhaust fumes from all the world’s vehicles put together – that’s planes, trains and automobiles.

Even if you are meat-free, you most likely have a bigger food and drink-shaped carbon footprint than you think.

Land is also being cleared to grow soy, palm oil and grain – a key ingredient in spirits including whisk(e)y, vodka, gin and much of the rest of the back bar.

This loss of forests not only means that we are threatening the world’s most endangered animals with extinction, due to loss of habitat, but it also threatens the 1.6 billion people who rely on forests for food, water, medicine and shelter.

Forests cover 31% of our planet and guess what else they do? Soak up all that carbon dioxide that is heating up the world. The spirits we consume as a global drinks community all link back to land use and the communities that live and produce there. Where do you think the nowubiquitous Mezcal menus get their supplies from? Of course, there is nothing wrong with Mezcal (in fact there is lots and lots deliciously – and environmentally – right!), but it is an example of how trend-led demand requires an increase in supply.

We all know that wasting water is bad, but do we realise how precarious the world’s water supply is? The United Nations predicts a global shortfall in water by 2030.

Two-thirds of the groundwater we consume globally irrigates agriculture and the rest supplies drinking water to cities. Agriculture, of course, includes wine and spirit production. The world’s largest underwater reserves are being pumped at unsustainable rates: nearly two billion people rely on groundwater that is under threat. Water is an essential resource: people will, and already have, started to fight over it (see the role of the Euphrates River in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq).

What has this got to do with your Old Fashioned? Well, according to Wrap.org.uk, the industry average is eight litres of wasted water per one litre of product (this varies from spirit to spirit). That is quite a large, soggy environmental footprint. And this is before we even think about the most important ingredient on any bar: ice.

The food and drinks industry might be contributing to the global crisis, but it’s also leading the charge into a solution.

This is where those buzzwords come in.

Ben explains why locally-sourced really matters: “When we talk about products being sourced locally, what we’re often talking about is scale. While air and car miles do come into it, avoiding large-scale production is the really important factor here.” Which seems to make sense until you hear the counter argument from big brands who say that it's more efficient and less harmful to the environment to run machines continuously.

Organic is another label that gets thrown about, but does it matter? Ben says that organic and biodynamic wines and meats do make a difference: “If you’re buying from a supermarket or large supplier then organic is really important, but if you’re at a Farmer’s Market and can look the farmer in the eye, then you can establish for yourself what kind of product you’re buying.”

The Cocktail Lovers - 25

PLEASE DRINK SUSTAINABLY

From wasted water to shipped-in spirits, castoff citrus and a binful of bottles, not everything to do with the cocktail scene leaves as pleasant a taste in the mouth as the drinks themselves. But a few simple steps can make things much more sustainable, whether you’re running a bar, drinking in one, or mixing some tipples at home. Ben Norum has some top tips to stop you being a waster.

LESS ICE, BABY

STIRRED, NOT SHAKEN

Water is one of the world’s most precious resources and we’re all using far too much of it. When it comes to drinks, the biggest culprit is ice. Even if you’re not going to go full White Lyan and banish the stuff, you can still reduce the amount you use.

To the same effect, batch-making drinks, keeping them chilled and stirring them over a little ice, is much more efficient than shaking each cocktail separately. Just think how much ice goes into a Boston and is then discarded after a few exertions of the arm. Sorry, Mr Bond.

IN-the spotlight

IF LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS…

KEEP IT LOCAL

Make lemonade. Or limoncello. Or something. Citrus fruits are one of the most commonly wasted ingredients in bars, and often get thrown out at home too, after over-enthusiastic garnish buying. Use your lemons and limes to make syrups, infuse spirits or make them into pastes and purées — you can always freeze leftover slices until you have a spare moment.

Quality should always be king, but championing what’s local is an obvious, yet often overlooked, step to being more sustainable. If you’re a London bar then using London Gin may be obvious, but the city also makes excellent vodka, vermouth, coffee and cola.

Sometimes buying from down the road will cost more than shipping in the big brands but it’s worth it, for the planet and as a point of difference. Consumers: show you’re willing to spend a little more for something a bit special.

DON’T LOSE YOUR BOTTLE The amount of bottles a busy bar gets through in a night, let alone a year, is staggering. And it’s surprisingly easy to build up a collection at home too. Recycling them is a minimum expectation these days, but why send them to be processed if you can find a new use for them yourself? Try serving table water in wine bottles, using empty containers to present cocktails, creating makeshift candlesticks, or enlisting them as vessels in which to age and infuse drinks.

FOOD MATCHING We all know about pairing food and drink for flavour, but what about sustainability? Duck & Waffle’s Rich Woods recently demonstrated how leftovers from the restaurant’s kitchen could be used up in cocktails. He whipped up tomato stalk gin and avocado skin tequila, and even used spent coffee grinds in a twist on an Espresso Martini (p. 52). The same is true in reverse: if you have leftover Mojito mint, make a chutney; if you have egg yolks aplenty then cook quiche.

GARNISH WITH GRUB From sprigs of parsley on the side of a plate to shrubby on the side of your glass, garnish can be an incredible waste. That’s not to say you should do away with it altogether though: we taste cocktails with our eyes before our lips get near. Instead opt for garnish that can be eaten alongside the cocktail, such as berries, pickles or pots of popcorn. Just think: if you can't eat it, beat it. And sorry, but that does mean paper umbrellas are out too.

SIP WITH THE SEASONS

Water is one of

Even the most cutting-edge cocktail scenes around the world lag behind their restaurant counterparts when it comes to keeping things seasonal. While it’s standard for top restaurants to change their menus entirely every few months to reflect what’s growing, cocktail bars are more inclined to stick to their stalwarts. So whether you’re behind the bar, or mixing in your kitchen, try muddling the best of summer’s soft fruits into new takes on classics, make a point of bigging up Brambles when autumn’s blackberries are abundant, and showcase seasonal citrus in winter warming drinks.

the world’s most precious resources and we’re all using far too much of it.

The Cocktail Lovers - 29

Advertorial

The new Third Course:

The GREY GOOSE espresso martini cocktail

®

There’s a reason why the espresso martini cocktail is one of the most requested cocktails; simply put, it’s an incredible drink. Bitter and sweet, smooth and luxurious, it’s more than a cocktail, it’s the ultimate liquid treat.

That’s why the bright minds at GREY GOOSE are heralding the espresso martini cocktail as The Third Course. Think about it: with the trend for late night dining and the lines between restaurants, bars and clubs becoming increasingly blurred, this sumptuous, coffee-flavoured cocktail is the ideal way to finish your meal ahead of the rest of your night.

“These days more people are looking for something that doesn't leave them feeling heavy and lethargic after eating in a restaurant,” explains Myles Donneky, GREY GOOSE UK Ambassador.

But not all espresso martini cocktails are created equal. Which is why GREY GOOSE is working with accounts to celebrate the versatility of this popular drink, transforming it into the GREY GOOSE Third Course. From singling out the best coffee varietals to make house-made liqueurs, through to developing new show stopping serves, there are endless ways to elevate it and make The GREY GOOSE Third Course your own.

The new Café Gourmand – a GREY GOOSE espresso martini cocktail accompanied by delicious petit fours, is one way. The dramatic percolator presented table side for two to share at Foley’s is another. “Each of the GREY GOOSE variants, Le Citron, La Poire and L’Orange also add a unique characteristic to the espresso martini cocktail – we’re inviting bartenders to get creative, mixing up the Third Course with their own expressions of the espresso martini cocktail,” says Joey Medrington, GREY GOOSE Northern European Ambassador.

30 - The Cocktail Lovers

GOING GREEN FOR BOOZE 90%

More than 90% of water used to make booze is in crop production

OLMECA ALTOS TEQUILA

wastage for a whole calendar year can fit into the boot of a car

40%

This year Laverstoke Mill will source 40% of its sugar cane from sustainable sources, rising to 100% by 2022

50%

By 2020 Diageo will improve water use efficiency by 50%

3,500,000

Each day in the UK 3.5 million McDonalds’ customers buy a drink with a straw

IN-the spotlight

Bars and booze are incredibly, and often unapologetically, unsustainable and wasteful.

While sustainability was the buzzword of 2016, and we all considered the issue of too many napkins, the conversation that’s needed is, in fact, a whole lot bigger and it centres around what booze brands should be doing. By Jane Ryan To gauge the size of this discussion let’s order a simple Tom Collins. Imagine one in front of you now; pale, almost translucent, yellow, slightly effervescent, in a long glass that’s glistening with condensation, ice cubes clinking and a vibrant, shiny lemon resting against your straw. Deliciously refreshing and relatively simple; one spirit, one mixer, some lemon and sugar.

Yet, like many things we do, drinking is not a green activity. Depending on where that gin has been made will affect how much water it’s taken to land 50ml in your glass. More than 90% of water used to make booze is in crop production, and this goes beyond growing the grains to diluting runoff nitrate and phosphate-rich (fertiliser) water back to safe levels. Combine this gin with lemon juice and sugar (another two crops) and a single-use plastic straw and you may as well have ordered a glass of glacier-melted-ice that used to house a polar bear.

Ok, it’s not that terrible, but it isn’t great either. Water shortage may seem a silly thing to panic over in drizzly London or rain-soaked Edinburgh, but it affects every single continent, including Europe. And many of the drinks you love are not made here. Crops come from all over the world and it’s not easy to guarantee sustainability in developing countries. If 90% of the water has already been used by the time the brand buys raw materials, how do we hold someone accountable?

Six years ago SAB Miller (now part of AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer) teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to figure out how much water their beers were using and what they could do at a local level to reduce their water footprint. What they found, and the report they produced, transformed how we look at the booze industry and its responsibility for change.

Taking as case studies their activities in Peru, Tanzania, Ukraine and South Africa, they quickly realised that the response of governments is often fragmented and weak.

Essentially, UK Prime Minister Theresa May isn’t about to reform us all into green drinkers. They also discovered that there is no way to say every pint of beer uses XXX amount of water. The results were staggeringly different, from 61 litres of water per litre of beer produced in Peru to 180 litres of water per litre of beer in Tanzania. SAB Miller realised that each of their production areas needed an individual approach and set themselves very demanding goals. Whether these will be continued under AB InBev remains to be seen.

Diageo, a company so huge that it produces more than 6.5 billion litres of alcohol annually, from more than 100 manufacturing sites in 30 countries, is following in these water-conscience footsteps. By 2020 the global company is set to improve water use efficiency by 50% and has pledged to return 100% of waste water from its operations to the environment safely. And it’s not just water – Diageo has also said that by 2020 it will reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions from direct operations by 50%, and achieve a 30% reduction along the total supply chain.

50% By 2020 Diageo said it will reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions from direct operations by 50% One distillery that’s already made a big change is Olmeca Altos Tequila in the highlands of Arandas, Mexico. It can proudly say that its wastage for a whole calendar year can fit into the boot of a car. Once the distillery has finished with the agaves, the left over silage is dried out for months until it turns into rich compost which is put back on the agave fields and is given to the local government for building parks and recreational areas – it’s perfect fodder for growing new grass. Thrown straight into the waterways before being dried out, the residual liquid in the agaves can slowly kill all life present, meaning Altos are really making a huge change. The distillery doesn’t just do this for its own silage either, it takes waste from four other distilleries in the area and has openly said there is no issue if other tequila producers want to come and see the process and copy it. Altos has also cut down on packaging by refilling the boxes that the empty tequila bottles are sent in with the full bottles coming off the bottling line.

The Cocktail Lovers - 33

IN-the spotlight

“Bigger corporations obviously have a bigger impact, so if you can lead the charge then of course you should,” says Megs Miller, the Altos UK Brand Ambassador.

“Our Master Distiller, Jesús Hernandez, designed the distillery around giving back to the country and making as little impact as possible. And that goes into the community as well, looking after the workers, not just the environment.”

Bacardi is another company making global strides towards a sustainable future, across many of its brands. In the UK, it has transformed Laverstoke Mill, Bombay gin’s distillery, into a peaceful, green and environmentally friendly, gin sanctuary. It’s so green that it’s been labelled by BREEAM – the world's leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings – as the world’s most sustainably designed distillery.

Solar panels help provide some of the electricity at Laverstoke Mill “Most modern sites have an eye on energy creation as well as reduction, and at Laverstoke Mill this has been taken a step further. Solar panels have been installed as well as a refurbished Francis open flume water turbine.

Installing solar panels is quite commonplace, and the planning conditions and heritage of the site does bring limitations, however the water turbine has been a real success. Bombay Sapphire can confirm that, dependent on the river state, it is generating up to 4.7 Kwh, which combined with the photovoltaics is potentially up to 10% of its site energy requirements,” say Bacardi.

This year the company is also aiming to source 40% of its sugar cane sustainably, growing that to 100% by 2022.

By that same date Bacardi wants to eliminate landfill waste at all of its production sites. However, one of the smaller projects that has caught the public’s eye has been Bacardi’s recently introduced no-straw policy at all its distilleries and events.

34 - The Cocktail Lovers

500,000,000 straws get used and discarded each day in the US alone

With plastic straws among the most collected trash in the world’s oceans, and an estimated 500 million straws being used and discarded each day in the US alone, this is a huge step towards a better, sustainable future. And Bacardi aren’t alone in this venture either. In America The Last Plastic Straw is drumming up support from bars and restaurants across both the west and east coast while in the UK Straw Wars has managed to pull together many of the big names in Soho in London to start eliminating these plastic fiends, or at the very least using them only when requested. The likes of Dean Street Townhouse, The Salt Yard Group, Wahaca, HIX and Quo Vadis are among the venues signed up.

Straws may seems like a small sacrifice, yet each day in the UK 3.5 million McDonalds’ customers buy a drink with a straw, that is then thrown out. Add in all the Gin and Tonic straws from bars up and down the country and you start to understand the size of the problem.

If completely taking them out of bars seems difficult, smaller steps are possible. At Happiness Forgets in Shoreditch, the bartenders have started to use washable metal straws to taste the drinks rather than discarding them throughout the night. If a bartender tastes each of their drinks to ensure balance then the amount of wastage is easily doubled – a totally unnecessary addition to landfill and ocean pollution.

There are, of course, many more commendable actions going on in distilleries and breweries around the world, from Demerara Distillers in Guyana tackling their CO2 to Brooklyn Brewery in America converting waste into energy.

Of course, there are many more actions brands can take.

So too can governments, and bars and yes, even you. Ask your local bars to do more, ask your brands to do more, make your home bar eco-friendly and always ask for no straw in your Tom Collins.

AND ALSO… COPPER AND KINGS

(Colorado, USA) copperandkings.com The company use solar energy to supplement their energy supply and they've planted a butterfly garden to attract and sustain Monarch butterflies. Smart move – this also doubles as storm water run-off mitigation as a groundwater drainage system for the city. Re-purposed shipping containers are re-created as funky retail and event spaces in the foreground of the distillery, and as if all that wasn't enough, any visitor who cycles to the distillery receives 50% off their tour.

HAWKES CIDER COMPANY (London, UK) wearehawkes.com

This independent company in east London founded

by Simon Wright, takes apples sourced from urban orchards and apple donors who want to put their unwanted apples to good use, and makes Hawkes Urban Orchard craft cider. Each donor receives a bottle of cider in return and participating community groups are renumerated with apple trees to plant to increase the number of urban trees.

RUM DIPLOMÁTICO

(Venezuela, South America) rondiplomatico.com Rum Diplomatico is a recipient of the ISO 14001 for environmental initiatives, including the creation of an ecological treatment process which turns residual water into an organic sugar cane fertiliser. The company also has the capacity to recycle 100% of its solid waste.

KETEL ONE VODKA

(Schiedam, Netherlands) ketelone.com The Nolet family are big on sustainability, applying it to all aspects of their business operations. The newly built tower mill, De Nolet, generates green energy which has deployed the clever use of machinery, equipment and LED lighting throughout the production process. The residual heat from the distillery boilers heats both the buildings and the rinsing water from the bottling plant.

HACIENDA PATRÓN

(Jalisco, Mexico) patrontequila.com

NEW BELGIUM BREWING

(Colorado, USA) newbelgium.com Owned entirely by its workforce through a stock ownership plan, New Belgium Brewing is a shining example of how businesses can be sustainable and profitable. The brewery produces 18% of its electricity on-site, works closely with and nurtures hop farmer families; meets up with fellow Northern Colorado brewers on a regular basis to discuss ways of becoming more water efficient; supports campaigns to label products containing genetically engineered ingredients so consumers know what's in their food and drink, and continues to assess the carbon footprint of its packaging materials through an annual GHG Accounting process. There's more too, like encouraging staff to cycle to work, donating $1 from every barrel sold to non-profit organisations and aiming to achieve a 3.5:1 water use ratio by 2020.

Not for nothing has Patrón been awarded the ISO 14001 certification for meeting environmental standards at the distillery and picked up Clean Industry Certification from the Mexican Federal Environmental Protection Office. They’ve invested in a multi-million dollar reverse osmosis plant to reclaim up to 70% of waste water and transform it into clean water for cooling towers and cleaning processes.

Leftover agave remnants are turned into organic compost which is donated to community gardens and divided amongst the local community. Hacienda Patrón distillery is also connected directly to a natural gas pipeline, significantly reducing harmful air emissions and the company gives generously to numerous local, national and global charitable organisations to help rebuild people's lives.

ALL DRINKS BY DAN BERGER, PICTURED TOP LEFT

Berger got the ball rolling six weeks later by hosting the closing party for London Cocktail Week. “One of the key things I took away from the workshops was how you can change people’s perceptions of smell to taste, so I wanted to bring the drinks to life according to the seasons,” he says. Spring was interpreted with a neutral cocktail (BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin, MARTINI & ROSSI® Ambrato, ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur and eucalyptus) that guests could change by painting with one of four flavoured paints (bergamot, peppermint, lemongrass and chrysanthemum). Summer was represented with a watercress-infused BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gimlet which was served in a glass bird vessel presented in a birdcage. Autumn in liquid form came in a BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin, cherry, Indonesian peppercorn and rose cocktail served in a double layered glass containing a pine sprig. Finally, the winter creation was presented in a vase covered with a leaf bathed in balm of Africa, a scent containing a high concentration of bergamot. “The idea was for people to get one aroma but when they tasted the drink, they encountered a different flavour – I wanted to play with people’s minds.”

The drinks were as huge a success with the crowd as The Glasshouse Project has been with Berger. “I found the process completely inspiring,” he says enthusiastically.

“For one thing, it was an incredibly rare opportunity to spend time and share ideas with such a high calibre of bartenders from all over the world, including the US, Australia and Singapore – it felt like a competition

BE BRILLIANT AND INSPIRED. DRINK RESPONSIBLY! ©2017. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AND ITS TRADE DRESS ARE TRADEMARKS. GIN - 47% ALC. BY VOL.

without the competition. And secondly, it’s amazing to see how visual effects, taste, smell, sound and immersive theatre can be incorporated into the bar and – with an industry that’s growing as fast as the cocktail world at the moment – you can bet that aspects of all of these disciplines will eventually make their way into the bar environment in the next 10 years. The Glasshouse Project has given us a head start.”

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY RARE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND TIME AND SHARE IDEAS WITH SUCH A HIGH CALIBRE OF BARTENDERS “We’re really excited by the potential of The Glasshouse Project”, adds Julian Davies, Global Marketing Manager of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE. “People like Dan are already producing some stunning work off the back of it, and we’re really pleased that we’ll be able to make this programme even bigger and better during 2017”.

For more details of The Glasshouse Project and to hear about future initiatives please ask your local BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Brand Ambassador.

10 GREEN

IN-the spotlight

BOTTLES Eco-friendly, organic, sustainable – make it your mission to drink with a conscience in 2017. Here’s our starter for ten…

Photography Addie Chinn

KOVAL SPIRITS AND LIQUEURS

EL DORADO RUM

ABELHA ORGANIC CACHACA

GREEN CREDENTIALS: Working with local farmers? Tick.

Striving to improve local economy?

Tick. The ability to trace spirits in the Koval portfolio back to their barrel?

Tick. All that and every product in the portfolio is certified organic and kosher. What’s not to love? koval-distillery.com

GREEN CREDENTIALS: You could just stop at the smooth taste, but the fact that parent company, Demerara Distillers, own a CO2 plant that transforms liquefied gas from the distillery for its aerated beverage plant, adds to the overall enjoyment. theeldoradorum.com

GREEN CREDENTIALS: Ethical with a capital ‘E, the team at Abelha work in partnership with small holding farmers in Brazil, paying the best prices for their organic sugar cane. The 100% organic cachaça is then made using traditional and natural farming techniques. abelhacachaca.com

IN-style

SEEDLIP GARDEN 108 GREEN CREDENTIALS: Green in taste if nothing else, the world’s first non-alcoholic distilled spirit is bursting with herbalicious goodness, including peas, spearmint, rosemary and thyme – mostly grown on the family farm. seedlipdrinks.com

IN-style

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE GIN GREEN CREDENTIALS: Put it this way, Laverstoke Mill, the home of Bombay Sapphire, is the first distillery to be awarded Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Outstanding’ status – trust us, it doesn’t get much greener than that (see, p. 34)! bombaysapphire.com

IN-style FAIR SPIRITS AND LIQUEURS

TOAST ALE

GREEN CREDENTIALS: Big ups to FAIR, the world’s first range of premium Fair Trade Certified spirits. Like all the products in the family, its coffee liqueur is produced from ingredients sourced from small holder farmers, all paid a good wage and complying with organic farming methods. fairspirits.com

GREEN CREDENTIALS: All rise for beer made from bread that would otherwise go to waste (see page 56). toastale.com

IN-style PATRÓN TEQUILA GREEN CREDENTIALS: Where to start? The on-site reverse osmosis plant at Hacienda Patrón reduces 70% of sewage waste. The liquid waste is then recycled and used for the cooling towers and to irrigate the gardens, while the remaining 30% goes to fertilise the agave fields and is available, free of charge to the surrounding town. Then of course, there’s the hand-blown bottles made from recycled glass (which also make nifty vases when you’ve drunk what’s inside!). Nice work. patrontequila.com

FREYA BIRCH SPIRIT GREEN CREDENTIALS: Birch you say? Apparently, it’s set to be the next big thing. We won’t argue, especially as this 100% organic, ‘clean’ spirit is made from the sustainably sourced sap of Nordic birch trees. freyaspirit.com

SQUARE ONE VODKA GREEN CREDENTIALS: The only thing square about this vodka is the shape of the bottle (and even that’s produced in an environmentally-friendly fashion).

As for the liquid, it’s made with 100% organic American rye and water from the Teton mountains to minimise the use of fossil fuels, plus, it’s free of GMO yeasts and chemical additives.

Does that answer the question? squareoneorganicspirits.com

IN IT FOR THE LONG TERM

IN-focus

Nate Brown, co-founder of London Bar Consultants and Merchant House in London talks sustainable staffing and how to create an empowered workforce.

When I first began bartending, I busted a gut. I did everything in my power to be better at my job. We all did. Maybe this was because, at the time, in Manchester, there were maybe three or four ‘good’ bars and I was lucky enough to be working in one of them. If I messed up, or walked out on a bad day, the news would have hit the other bars before I could print off a CV. I would be un-hireable.

In big cities today, things are different. London and New York in particular are the land of opportunity for hospitality staff. There are so many bars that, if someone has a bad day, they can walk out and get another job without a problem. I’ve never received a phone call asking for a reference. So, as operators and owners, we have to work harder to create a workforce that don’t pack up and leave every few months.

Mastery is something we have all experienced too: that elated feeling when we succeed. It’s why we show off the trophy we won at rounders when we were young. It’s what motivated me to stay in this industry when I moved to London. Reward those who do well, but do not reward those for simply doing their jobs. There needs to be a clear line.

EVERY ACTION TAKEN BY A TRAINEE IS FORMED FROM A SERIES OF CHOICES

Because the biggest problem with this cycle of easy quitting is that real progress, development, innovation and skill are only obtained by perseverance, determination and longevity. We have a few ideas that seem to work as our staff turnover, post-training is miniscule.

Firstly, we do not employ because of experience. If I’m handed a CV, which is lined with top bars, top employers, I’m less likely to invest in this person. I would far rather start with a blank canvas, which is why the majority of our team have not worked in cocktail bars before.

Once staff are in, we begin training. We look at informing and conditioning decision-making. Every action taken by a trainee is formed from a series of choices. If we can explain and justify every single choice we’ve made, they will understand our way of thinking and, quite probably, arrive at the same conclusion. Simply put, we focus on the ‘why’ in our operations. This is a technique borrowed from the Golden Circle by Simon Sinek.

Now that they are on board with our ethos, we must work to keep them happy and motivated. We encourage three basic principles to achieve this: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. First, Autonomy, which means being one’s own boss. Most bars wouldn’t dream of allowing the team to collectively decide upon their own rotas, garnishes, menus, etc, but we do not have managers, we encourage these in-house choices. It is the feeling of power, but also responsibility, which helps us all to thrive.

And finally, Purpose. We remind the team why they work with us. We give them a strong sense of purpose: to challenge the status quo of what good hospitality is.

Can we be ‘premium and fun’? Absolutely, yes. Can we make people smile, and set drinks on fire, and still know more about the products than virtually any other bar?

Certainly. Our team are at the very centre of this. They are our lifeblood.

The down side of all of this is obvious. We form solid relationships with our team, but every now and again they leave, and it hurts like hell. But we take comfort in the knowledge, that when they do, they leave us better than when they joined us, and as they work for other venues, they bring with them an improvement in resilience, understanding and purpose. And that is something this industry desperately needs. That is our purpose. merchanthouselondon.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 49

IN-focus

Waste not, want not Calling all bartenders: you’ve got the memo, so it’s time to get creative with those spent ingredients. Rich Woods, head of spirit and cocktail development at Duck & Waffle has plenty of bright ideas in that department.

Having devised an entire cocktail menu hero-ing products either foraged in the city or saved from the bin, he’s got the down-low on getting the most out of the ingredients that others see as waste.

Use these three recipes taken from his Urban Decay vs Urban Foraging menu as your guide.

Take discarded banana skins and use them to make a banana skin cordial.

Here’s how…

Banana Skin Cordial

Use in: Banana Split

8 discarded banana skins

50ml Cana Brava Rum

250ml sugar syrup (1:1)

50ml banana skin cordial

1g citric acid

1 bar spoon yogurt mix*

Method: Cook the skins and sugar syrup in a sous vide for 45 minutes at 50°. Remove from the bath and leave to cool. Filter and adjust the sourness with citric acid.

Method: Shake hard and double strain into a small Martini glass.

50g yogurt powder 100ml water Method: With an immersion blender, mix until smooth and runny. Pass the mix through a double strainer and bottle.

PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES BYRNE.

*Yogurt mix

IN-dependent spirits

FROM L-R: ROB WILSON, JULIE PREBBLE, DEREK ORFORD, DAVID RYAN, TRISTRAM STUART, LOUISA ZHIANE, SAMUEL LYNN-EVANS

BREAD HEADS

THOMAS USHER MEETS THE TEAM WHO ARE MAKING BEER FROM SURPLUS BREAD

We’re all trying to do our bit to stave off the inevitable environmental apocalypse that the world seems to be sleepwalking towards. Being environmentally conscious has never been more fashionable.

Everything in our lives can be done with a nod to sustainability and drinking is no exception, as Hackney based tipple Toast Ale can attest.

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IN-dependent spirits

Created by author and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) champion Tristram Stuart, it’s the first pale ale made with surplus bread that would otherwise be thrown away by bakeries, deli’s and sandwich makers. Profits from beer sales go to Tristram’s environmental organisation Feedback, founded in 2009, which aims to end waste at every level of the food system.

Tristram has a unique business plan for Toast Ale: “We hope to put ourselves out of business. The day there is no food waste is the day Toast Ale can no longer exist.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BETH CROCKATT

44% of all bread we buy ends up in the bin, or 24 million slices; enough to lift 26 million people out of malnutrition if used properly It’s a bold vision for sure, but when you look at the statistics Toast Ale provide, a bold vision is what’s needed to combat the bleak picture of our national food waste. 15 million tonnes of food is thrown away every year, with bread topping the list. 44% of all bread we buy ends up in the bin, or 24 million slices; enough to lift 26 million people out of malnutrition if used properly. Those millions should give you an idea of how unsustainable our attitude to recycling and waste is in the UK. And why businesses like Toast Ale, who aim to do something about it, are all the more important.

So how did the inspiration for this beer come about? Toast Ale business development manager Julie Prebble explains: “Tristram has long campaigned about the scandal of the scale of food waste. So when he discovered a great beer called Babylone brewed in Belgium (that employs a similar process) he resolved to start a business that uses the surplus bread, and in turn raising awareness of the issue of food waste.”

Although beer is made primarily from wheat and other grains, recycled bread has never been used in the brewing process (with the exception of Babylone beer). Julie tells me that the bread isn’t old, but fresh from the bakeries. In the brewing process it “replaces one third of the barley and fills up the mash tun, as it has more volume than barley.”

Their recipe contains “toasted bread with malted barley (pale malt, Caramalt and Munich Malt), hops (Hallertau, Centennial, Cascade and Bramling Cross), yeast and water”. The toast adds caramel notes that balance the bitter hops, resulting in a malty taste akin to amber ales and wheat beers. According to Julie, there’s a slice of toast in every bottle. So if you’re feeling hungry and you fancy an environmentally-conscious drink, sipping a bottle of Toast Ale could be your answer!

What are Toast’s plans for the future, except for running themselves out of business by eliminating food waste?

“We plan to launch new beer styles early in 2018,” says Julie, “and we have plans to launch Toast Ale in the US and Iceland in 2017 as well.”

They’ve even published their recipe online so you can have a crack at it yourself. Check it out at toastale.com/ toast-ale-recipe.

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IN-dustry greats

NEW DRINKS FROM THE WASTE NOT, WANT NOT, LIVE LOTS MENU

At the beginning our main aim was to be controlled and precise Hence the reason why we used acids instead of fruit and didn’t use ice in our drinks – we wanted to control dilution so every drink served would be the same, we were after consistency.

The first time we spoke to a private waste contractor, they thought we were a waste of time.

We mentioned we’d be getting rid of around 24 bottles a week rather than the usual 300-litres worth thrown out in a bar of our size – they weren’t convinced. The council didn’t believe our estimations either. As far as they were concerned, a night’s worth of bottles in a normal bar would be like a week’s worth here. It was then we realised how much waste we’d cut down and began to explore the route further.

This bar has always been about having a conversation And like any conversation you want to leave it at the right time, on a positive note with everybody feeling good. After three years we’ve reached a point where we’d really explored the no citrus, no ice concept and when it came to one particularly menu meeting, the ideas weren’t there, everyone felt dry. We’ve enjoyed White Lyan in its current form, had a huge amount of fun with it but we want to go out on a high.

PHOTOGRAPHY NIAL WEBSTER

So our next chapter sees us going weird again We’re really excited because we feel genuinely uncomfortable – and that’s a good thing for us, that’s when we’re at our most creative. The moment the team decided we wanted to go more conceptual with the menus, the sparks began to fly – we began to have fun again. Leading up to the bar closing in its current form at the end of the year, we’ll be running five 10-week menus, all conceptual. They include ‘Heaps Primal Bro’ about primal instincts and urges; ‘Dear Darwin’, a love letter to Darwin; ‘Single Origin’ focusing on specific ingredients, and lastly ‘Flavour is Dead’ which is where people will

see just how weird we can be – it will be like White Lyan is dead, long live White Lyan. We’ve always said flavour is king, so we plan to go out with all guns blazing!

The one that will be out when your issue is published is Waste Not, Want Not, Live Lots Which fits in with your theme as it’s championing the notion of sustainability. There’s a drink called Paper Trail which is designed to analyse the efficiency of recycled paper; a Broken Sour created to highlight a broken environment and the Mermaid Conservation Fund, focusing on global warming and aquatic eco systems. £1 from every drink sold from that one will go to the Blue Marine Foundation.

When we spoke to a private waste contractor they thought we were a waste of time After the fifth menu is done in October, White Lyan will no longer exist When we go into the next phase, everything will have changed; the name, the space – everything. We’ll be challenging the hours a bartender can work and the means of work they can explore. It might be that the team develop certain projects during the day then do a limited service where people come for tastings later.

Perhaps they’ll have produced 10 serves of what they’ve worked on, those 10 serves will be on the menu – when they’re gone, they’re gone. Or maybe it does so well it becomes a retail product – who knows? We may even serve cocktails on that floating cloud! whitelyan.com

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IN-formed

WORD UP...

NEWS, VIEWS, REVIEWS AND HOW-TO’S

Postcard from India

From Tim Stones, former Beefeater Global Ambassador I had the pleasure of reacquainting myself with local Indian food and drink while travelling through the country in December. The first of which was courtesy of former Grey Goose Global Brand Ambassador and Travel Channel heart-throb Dimi Lenzinska. Now a Mumbai local, Dimi told of the challenges of creating high-end drinks for a market that doesn't always want to pay high-end prices but wants to experience exciting taste. The solution was to recreate the flavour profile of expensive, imported ingredients by using the vast array of Indian produce available.

This, however, was not without its problems: “The challenge you start seeing with speaking to some of these merchants at markets, is that a lot of them speak different dialects because they come from all over the country, so you have to know the various names for each ingredient. There can be five different names for the same ingredient, so I had to bring my mother-in-law who would try and translate the names and be my negotiator to get the best deals. I have previously paid saffron prices for sugar!”

“I wanted to work with ingredients that were completely unheard of, at least to me, so I started to do some research on the botanical names of Ayurvedic plants and roots as the majority of them are safe for consumption. And additionally to their reported medicinal benefits, a lot of them have very

interesting organoleptic and flavour profiles. I started buying a few and macerating them to see how they’d evolve, you can find all shapes and colours, sweet, spicy, pungent, bitter, dry.”

Many of Dimi's bartenders, at the newly opened Koko in central Mumbai, come from regions of India that use these botanicals regularly, so he worked with them to explore these ingredients.

Apparently more than a few grandmothers were also consulted during the process. “My favourite botanical was the root of the anantmool plant, which is known to also help purify the blood and improve skin textures. Leaving this to macerate for nearly two years gave a very strong chocolate aroma and brought out the sweet notes in the root. This works great as an ingredient for any Amaro. Another very interesting plant is Shankpushpi, a perennial herb. I macerated the root in alcohol (vodka) for three to four weeks, which resulted in a very strong extraction. The flavour profile is very grassy with a delicate bitterness.”

“The great thing is that these ingredients are cheap in India so we can really have fun with them and give our clientele something new.” I had the pleasure (?) of experiencing Ayurvedic medicine first-hand 15 years ago and can report that many of the ingredients have properties that make Western bitters delicate by comparison. Thankfully Dimi and his bartenders have a much more delicate touch than my old local herbalist and are producing some amazing, unique bitters and tinctures using entirely locally-sourced ingredients.

Demi’s Delight 60ml Absolut Vodka 30ml espresso 10ml Coleus liqueur 5ml demerara sugar and soy reduction syrup Coffee beans

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF

…and check out the organic, zero waste drinking options at recently opened Tiny Leaf. Try the Nettle Bramble (Juniper Green Gin, Kamm & Sons, nettle cordial, homemade hibiscus liqueur and citrus) – it's a grower! tinyleaflondon.com

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IN-sider’s guide

Who’s behind it: Roman Foltán, Carla Soares, Jason Williams, Proof & Company

The central focus is the huge tower behind the bar. It goes all the way up to the ceiling and we’ll be using it to store our collection of gins from all around the world – Jason has been sourcing them for two years. As we speak, there are 800 but we’ll have 1,400 in total – it will be the largest collection in the world. The heart of Atlas is to become a centre of education on juniper products in southeast Asia – we’ll have the Atlas Juniper Society with 550 gins that you can buy and try and others that will be limited to one serve a day. This part of the world is very into its dark spirits – we want to enlighten them on the beauty of gin.”

The lowdown: “The first time I saw the building I literally had goosebumps,” says Roman. “Although it’s only 15 years old, it’s very Art Deco – the Hwang family who own it wanted to build something that would be an icon in the city and it is – it’s incredible.

The drinks: “Gin is a focus obviously, but as much care and attention will be paid to the rest of the offering too. There’s a walk-in Champagne room with 500 different labels, including shipwreck bottles from 1900; whiskies too will be of the exclusive variety, plus there will an amazing selection of tequilas.

SINGAPORE:

ATLAS GRAND LOBBY & BAR Soft opening February 2017

“The bar is a massive 25-metre high room on the ground floor, reminiscent of the grand hotel lobby bars of the 1920s. That’s the concept behind Atlas – we’re recreating the grandeur of that era but giving it a relaxed feel and that warm, attentive, little bit cheeky service that we had at Artesian in London. It’s going to be unlike anything in Singapore where the bars tend to be either speakeasies or dive bars – we're embracing the rich culinary and beverage traditions of Europe.

“On the cocktail side, the first menu is inspired by artists of the Lost Generation movement in Europe and is made up of 16 cocktails, including the light, refreshing Atlas Martini (a blend of Champagne vinegar, aperitif wine and gin), designed as an introduction to the Martini world. Atlas is an all-day offering so there is also an Espresso Bar with an excellent tea and coffee selection.”

Where to find it: Parkview Square, Singapore

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IN-sider’s guide

PARIS:

LA COMMUNE Opened November 2016 Who’s behind it: Sullivan Doh and the team behind Le Syndicat The lowdown: The home of punch with a French accent. French spirits will be at the heart of all the drinks with fruits, spices and infusions from different regions adding international flavour. The journey starts from India and travels through to Africa, French Caribbean and the five oceans, ending up in Belleville where the bar is situated.

The drinks: All punches are sharing serves, designed for a minimum of two.

Where to find it: 80 Boulevard de Belleville, 75020. syndicatcocktailclub. com/la-commune

SÃO PAULO:

GUILHOTINA Opened December 2016 Who’s behind it: Márcio Silva, Marcello Nazareth, Rafael Bercot The lowdown: Guilhotina translates to guillotine, hence the bar’s hashtag #loseyourhead. Obviously with a mantra like that, it goes without saying the mood here is good times. Pull up a stool at the eight-metre long concrete bar and make new friends.

The drinks: Totally tropical baby!

Where to find it: Rua Costa Carvalho 84, Baixo Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil. guilhotinbar.com.br

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IN-sider’s guide BUENOS AIRES:

PARQUE Opening February 2017 Who’s behind it: Lean Milan The lowdown: An intimate but inviting space designed to make guests feel like that they're chilling out in a botanical park providing a welcome escape from the city.

The drinks: Examples include Sweet Central Park, Los Alerces Julep and Regent’s Park Sour – all booze forward but hero-ing fruit and botanicals.

LONDON:

SWIFT Opened November 2016 Who’s behind it: Two cocktail power couples: Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston, and Edmund Weil and Rosie Stimpson The lowdown: Two-storey hotspot in the heart of Soho.

Upstairs is a buzzing hub while downstairs has a sexy, hunkerdown-for-the-night feel.

The drinks: Champagne, aperitifs with Martinis and oysters upstairs; an exquisite selection of contemplative cocktails and whiskies below.

Where to find it: 12 Old Compton Street, W1. barswift.com

LONDON:

DISREPUTE Opened December 2016 Who’s behind it: The team from Barrio and Sovereign Loss

NEW YORK:

THE HONEYWELL Opened January 2017 Who’s behind it: Chad Vigneulle, Lauren Lynch, Jason Janawsky The lowdown: The third bar on the block from locals Vigneulle, Lynch and Janawsky. Each venue has a different vibe so drinkers in West Harlem can experience a mini bar hop in one night. The build-out on this one took two years. They describe it lovingly as “a comfortable, homey space reminiscent of hanging out in your family’s basement or rec room.”

The drinks: Quality, fun and approachable, running from tasty lower abv options, such as the Hemline, through to booze forward delights like The Hardpuncher. There’s even a beer cocktail that literally lights up the room, plus the Honeywell Highball where guests choose their own spirit to go with the homemade honeycomb soda.

The lowdown: A new member’s club for Soho. This one sits on the site of the infamous Kingly Club and has a distinct 1960s vibe so, as they say, “expect luxury libations, high jinx and late night liaisons!”

The drinks: The menu is split into three sections: Counter Culture, Screws of Convenience, and The Pinstripe Lining and includes Babycham and Mateus Rosé to add to the retro feel.

Where to find it: 4 Kingly Court, W1. disrepute.co.uk

Where to find it: 3604 Broadway, New York. thehoneywellnyc.com

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IN-sider’s guide

LONDON:

THE HOLY BIRDS Opened November 2016 Who’s behind it: Gerry, Salvatore and Jon Calabrese The lowdown: The vibe is 1960s London, with a dose of modern luxe thrown in. The cavernous space, billed as London’s first poultry dining experience, includes an all-day restaurant and bar on the first floor and the effortlessly groovy Mule Bar

CHICAGO:

DEADBOLT Opening approx. mid-February 2017 Who’s behind it: Dustin Drankiewicz The lowdown: Breathing new life into a former 51-yearold bar space while honouring its integrity. The place has been painstakingly restored to show off the original features, including a mid-century ceiling and exposed brickwork. The high back booths have also been reinstalled – all the better for watching the live nightly entertainment from the reinstated bandstand.

The drinks: A little of something for everyone, including the Chronic & Tonic (aka a Gin and Tonic), non-alcoholic beers and pitchers of Old Style.

Where to find it: 2412 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago.

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downstairs. The two private dining rooms, The Manhattan Room and The Negroni Room are well worth checking out.

The drinks: Take time to peruse the extensive menu devised by ‘The Maestro’ Salvatore Calabrese – it takes in nine variations of both Negronis and Manhattans and all manner of oft overlooked classics – it’s a gem.

Where to find it: 94 Middlesex Street, E1. theholybirds.com

KUALA LUMPUR:

JACK ROSE Opening May 2017 Who’s behind it: James Estes, Callan C. Green The lowdown: Named after one of the drinks in David A. Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks and also mentioned in The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, this speakeasy-style basement bar promises to bring fun to the locale.

The drinks: Adhering to the principal of the cocktail from which it takes its name, Jack Rose will focus on well balanced drinks with few ingredients and the literary connection of the signatures will be embodied through vessels, ingredients and garnishes. The menu will also connect and visualise the stories and influences behind the cocktails.

Where to find it: B1, Wisma E & C, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.