Absolut Superheros: The Green Hustle
What does bartending, the environment and Absolut have in common? The Green Hustle.
The green what? Sounds like a superhero. If Absolut has anything to say about it, they are inspiring the next generation of environmental superhero. And they are recruiting bartenders around the world to apply.
The Green Hustle initiative by Absolut was launched in November of 2018 at the Athens’s Bar Show. Senior Brand Manager Dan Flecker stated: “The Green Hustle reflects our belief that brands should be transparent and responsible about their production practices. Absolut is proud of our One Source production process, which uses circular business practices to minimize the impact on the environment and local communities; we are the world’s largest carbon neutral distillery and practice the words that we preach from grain to bottle and beyond.”
Ultimately the Green Hustle is a call to action for bartenders to rethink the industry from an environmental standpoint. Encouraging new ideas and development of more sustainable best practices.
How is this possible? The Green Hustle has introduced “Hacks” to re-invent standard operating procedures and support new systems. Particularly where the use of single-use items, like straws and limes, are concerned.
“Locally we have partnered with a number of bars to educate and create sustainable cocktails for their menu’s. This is still quite new, however the Green Hustle is a movement that is gaining momentum fueled by the need to live and act more environmentally conscious,” Flecker said of the project scale.
Two green thumbs up for Absolut and the Green Hustle initiative with their global reach and local focus. Going forward, Absolut plans to recognize the efforts of bartenders through a series of events to highlight and celebrate sustainable practices. The first of which will be a “consumer facing seminar on how to drink sustainably” at the Supernova Ballroom during Toronto Cocktail Week.”
What is in the toolkit?
The Hacks, which can be found on the Green Hustle website, include:
The Straw
Recommends the use of tasting spoons, recyclable or compostable straws as a way to reduce the amount of plastic flowing into the garbage.
Stock & Roll
These are recipes as solutions to utilize those tasty husks of orange, lime and passionfruit that still have plenty of punch even after the juice has been squeezed out.
For example, making “stuice”. Is it lime juice? Is it simple syrup? It is stuice! A stock made from boiling lime husks with water and adding a few other ingredients to create a “stuice” in-house. Stretching the use of limes that extra mile and cutting down on having to purchase prepacked juices. Save on transportation, waste and have a homemade taste? We are in!
Put a lid on it
Interrupting regular practices by doing things like adding a lid to disposal bins, bartenders are encouraged to evaluate whether an item is truly ready for disposal or if it was even needed in the first place.
The Green Hustle doesn’t stop at the glass. Sustainable practices also include in-house composting using bokashi composting bins. Bars can take it one step further by growing their own garnishes with the compost.
“Sustainability is an overwhelming topic and we hope The Green Hustle will make it more accessible for everyone – the smallest act can make a big impact and you can have fun and be inventive along the way,” Flecker commented. “The ingredient-led, mindful bartenders of the world are already leading the way on the battlefield and showing everyone just what’s possible.”
Cocktail hour has gone from feeling good to feeling great knowing there are eco-conscious, dedicated companies and individuals working not just for a better day but a better planet. And that qualifies for superhero status in my books!