Planet-Positive Strategies for Earth Month

Just as nature springs to life, it’s time to celebrate Earth Month in April and Earth Day on April 22. Several bars and restaurants have planet-positive promotions that give back to environmental causes. For instance, Riviera Dining Group in Miami partnered with One Tree Planted so that for every purchase of a specialty cocktail called The Awakening, the organization will plant one tree in a region around the world.

STK Steakhouse, with 18 locations in the U.S., is offering a Martini named The Dirty Pearls for Earth Month and donating $1 from every Dirty Pearl Martini sold to the Billion Oyster Project, an organization dedicated to restoring oyster reefs in coastal communities. The Dirty Pearls, made with Bombay Sapphire gin, dry vermouth, olive brine orange bitters, sea salt (a nod to the oceans it will support) and absinthe, is garnished with an olive and a spoonful of sustainably sourced caviar.

A number of operators have implemented sustainable practices year round. For instance, all bartenders at Botanist restaurant in the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver, Canada, undergo sustainability training. They use closed-loop-oriented cocktail and ingredient creation, which aims for as close to zero waste as possible, with methods such as saving waste trimmings for citrus, fruit and vegetable garnishes to create syrups and using alternative acids instead of freshly imported citruses for a lower carbon footprint.

The Weekender, a low-waste cocktail at Lola 55 in San Diego.

At Buffalo & Bergen, with two locations in the Washington, D.C. area, restaurateur and cocktail expert Gina Chersevani keeps libations waste-free by juicing and using all of the fruit in her drinks. Citrus ends and herb stems are the foundation in Chersevani’s infused syrups, and garnishes remain a byproduct of already-incorporated ingredients, while locally sourced spirits contribute to the low carbon footprint the businesses.

Lola 55 in San Diego adheres to its sustainability-driven ethos with a spring cocktail called The Weekender. Created by Gareth Moore, The Weekender uses a house-made, ginger-infused beet tomatillo syrup made from kitchen scraps like beet water and charred tomatillo ends. The end result is an earthy nectar that complements the warm reposado base that’s perked up with Aperol and lemon juice, for “a low-waste interpretation of a modern classic,” according to Moore.

And Superbueno in New York is all about zero waste drinks and repurposing cocktail byproducts in the kitchen. For instance, the team uses plums cooked down into a syrup and strained for the Salted Plum & Tamarind Milk Punch; the fruit is then repurposed in the kitchen for the Salted Plum Donut.

The bar’s Adobada Bam Bam cocktail (recipe below), created by Superbueno owner Igancio “Nacho” Jimenez, uses a pineapple with zero waste, making use of the juice and grilled skin, which is infused into the mezcal base. The remaining skin gets used for a vinegar, and leftover pulp is mixed with maldon salt and ancho chili pepper for the garnish. The kitchen and bar team collaborate to use excess birria stock from the Birria Grilled Cheese as part of the Dashi Papi boilermaker, with raicilla, birria broth and Monopolio Mexican beer dressed with Masa’s hot sauce.

Adobada Bam Bam 

1 ½ oz. Grilled pineapple-skin-infused Ilegal mezcal *

1 oz. Pineapple juice  

¾ oz. Adobada Falernum/rum mixture **

½ oz. Lemon juice 

4 dashes Pineapple vinegar ***

Pinch of salt     

Add all ingredients to a blender with ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a dessert coupe and garnish with dehydrated pineapple and pineapple salt rim.****

*For Grilled pineapple-skin-infused mezcal:  

Skin of 12 pineapples 

12 L Ilegal Mezcal

Remove the skin from the pineapple (with as little meat as possible). Place the pineapple skins on the grill until roasted. Mix all the ingredients together and let it sit for 2 days. Strain  

** For Adobada Falernum syrup:

Zest of 6 limes

Zest of 3 oranges

30 oz. Agave nectar (not diluted)

24 oz. Hot water

12 oz. Adobada rum infusion

3 pinches Achiote paste 

Combine all ingredients in a double quart container and let infuse for at least 1 hour and no longer than 4. Fine strain.

** For Adobada rum infusion: 

120 g whole Ancho chili

150 g whole Guajillo chili 

12 pieces Allspice berries 

12 pieces Whole star anise 

18 pieces Cloves 

6 tbsps. Cracked black pepper

6 tbsps. Maldon salt 

3 L Charanda 

Combine all ingredients in a double quart container and let infuse for 3 days, shaking vigorously daily. Combine with Adobada falernum. 

*** For Pineapple vinegar:

32 oz. Water 

1 Whole skinless pineapple, chopped 

½ cup Brown sugar  

Combine all ingredients in a large glass jar covered with cheesecloth and stir daily for no less than 3 weeks. 

**** For Pineapple salt:

4 qts. Maldon salt 

2 qts. Pineapple pulp 

2 tbsps. Ancho powder

Mix everything together and spread on a baking pan. Cook at 200F for 20 min or until dry. Add ancho powder to taste, roughly 2 tablespoons. Note: Check every 5 to 10 min and break the big chunks apart and monitor for burning.

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