Ideas and practices to bring sustainability to your bar.
- Use reusable straws or even better, no straws at all:
- Straws from stainless steel, wheat, paper, bamboo.
- Rethink how ice is used.
- More premixed and chilled cocktails in bottles and on tap; fewer drinks shaken with ice. Use only fresh ice in glass.
- Use themed sustainability menus.
- Reduce plastic packaging:
- e.g. Get fruits delivered in bulk.
- Reduce paper napkins or even better, replace them with cork – based coasters.
- Fewer drinks served in martini glasses.
- Narrower glasses such as Collins or highballs maximize space on a dishwasher rack, cutting down on water usage.
- Avoid using one-use decorations in cocktails (plastic monkeys, umbrellas).
- Explore sustainable cocktails:
- Recycle “waste products” into cocktail ingredients. The ultimate goal is to become zero waste. If lime juice is squeezed, the peel is zested to flavor syrups.
- Seek out the best of local produce and use only seasonal fruits. Evaluate where products and spirits come from and how they are made, grown, and transported.
- Choose products that don’t require extensive shipping, thus you reduce your carbon footprint.
- Use reused take away glasses for cocktails: e.g. coconut sells.
- Recycle (food scraps etc.).