5 Earth-Loving Spirits Every Bartender Should Know

These five sustainable spirits are rewriting the rules of conscious cocktailing, proving that eco-friendly doesn’t mean compromising flavor. Ready to sip your way to a better world?

Wheyward Spirit

It isn’t just upcycling; it’s alchemy.

Here’s a plot twist worthy of a sustainability superhero story. Wheyward Spirit takes leftover whey—that protein-packed liquid that gets ditched during cheesemaking—and transforms it into liquid gold. In the process, they’ve saved 500,000 pounds of whey from heading for landfills.

We’re talking a smooth, clean spirit that can fit into endless summer cocktail recipes, including your beloved spritz. It’s a match made in heaven for a good, hard twist on a Hugo, for one of those special summer nights out, on the town or terrace.

No matter where you enjoy your spritz, it becomes a conversation piece that literally prevents food waste from hitting landfills.

Alma Finca Liqueur

Saving the bees with every bottle.

Alma Finca is like sunshine in a bottle. The Mexican orange liqueur comes from the vibrant Yucatan peninsula, and is made with only citrus from there, too. From bitter oranges to sweet oranges to fragrant Persian lime leaves, this liqueur is juicy and alive in every cocktail it encounters. And don’t get us started about the spritz. The liqueur comes alive when paired with all things that sing relaxation, like hibiscus and ginger. Still, all you need is a little prosecco or cava with some rosemary sprigs and soda, and you’re good to go.

But we didn’t even get to the best part; the company’s collaboration with Chef Richard Sandoval. The all-star team set up beehives to pollinate the fruit orchards, allowing more bees to thrive and keep our planet alive. Not only that, Chef Sandoval continues to host events with Alma Finca, contributing proceeds to the World Bee Project.

Procera Gin

Bringing gin back to its origins, Procera reminds us that there wouldn’t be a good London Dry without Africa, where the most marvelous juniper grows. And not just any juniper; the Juniperus Procera.

Procera Gin is a liquid illustration of alluring African botanicals that will set your simplest gin & tonic ablaze with sweet spice. With fresh (not dry) juniper berries, it has a flavor profile that you will not find anywhere else. It also has a sustainability model you won’t find anywhere else, either.

This spirit’s brand keeps everything Kenyan, from botanicals to bottle. Besides minimizing the supply chain of shipping gin to some distillery in Europe, Procera handpicks its juniper just nearby its Kenya distillery, and it combats deforestation in the process. For every bottle sold, a tree is planted in Kenya’s highlands. Moreover, the Procera team commits to the community from spirit to glass, with all Procera Gin packaged in a stunning bottle made of recycled glass, by Kitengela Glass in Nairobi.

Lost Explorer Mezcal

Few mezcals are this transparent about their sustainability measures. Just a glimpse at Lost Explorer’s site, and they lay out the truth about making a Mother Nature-loving mezcal for the most novice of drinkers.

From local community-building partnerships that uplift women entrepreneurs to remarkable regenerative agriculture measures, Lost Explorer ensures that every step of its mezcal production respects the foundation that enabled this exceptional mezcal to become what it is: a smoky sultry spirit that will elevate your usual Hugo spritz or give a good kick to the beloved negroni Sbagliato.

Arbikie Distillery

Forget farm to table—let’s talk seed to bar. Arbikie takes sustainability to the next level by covering every aspect of the supply chain itself. That means that every bottle has a consistently low carbon footprint and unadulterated flavor.

One innovation—spirits made from peas. Yes, those green things your mom used to force you to eat. Master Distiller Kirsty Black spent years researching the most eco-friendly crop to create a captivating base spirit. The discovery? Peas. They require 0 nitrogen fertilizer, which is a cause of soil degradation and water pollution.

The result? The world’s first climate-positive gin and vodka; the Nàdar series, named after nature itself in Gaelic. The revolutionary Nàdar line-up adds a dose of hope to your spritz, letting you sip towards a more sustainable future. We love their Nàdar vodka transformed into a lime berry spritz; the ultimate way to cool off on a hot summer’s day.

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