Repurposing herbs, fruit and produce for sustainable cocktails.

Today we are focusing on practices behind the bar to be more mindful of how much waste is occurring. It’s possible to reuse ingredients and throw less away because if you think about how much each bar operator tosses after juicing and prepping for every service, is truly mind boggling.

“Cocktail Culture is sometimes too much about luxury and excess, practicing sustainability behind the bar; we show we care about the impact we make” said Tony Tuttle, Lead Mixologist at Ignite Creative Services.

Reducing as much waste as possible from the cocktail-making process does encourage creativity. From pulp to peels being made into cordials; overripe fruits and vegetables are given new life when made into shrubs and syrups. The easiest ingredients to reuse for sustainable cocktails are raw scraps of fruit and vegetables and clippings, shells and peels.

James Reap, Mixologist at Ignite Creative Services shared

When we see something that’s still fresh and edible being thrown away, we ask ourselves, can this be used for something? Can we create candied, caramelized, or dehydrated fruit and vegetable peels rather than tossing?

Practicing sustainability at the bar reduces your consumption, saves you a little bit of money, and also creates another element of flavor in your cocktail. All while doing something good for the environment.

Check out the sustainable cocktail, The Matcha Mojito, Tony and James came up with behind the bar.