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Organic Drinks for the Holidays...or Any Other Occasion

By Shanti Menon

Published: December 21, 2009

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Most of the parties I go to these days are primarily attended by the knee-high set, and the beverage of choice is organic apple juice. But every once in a while I get invited to an event where partygoers drink out of real glasses and this sudden entry into kid-free land, cocktail in hand, always makes me feel a little giddy. The other night, however, as I was served a green tea martini I had a sobering thought. Why can’t grown-up drinks be organic, too?

It turns out organic spirits are popping up all over the place, in enough depth and variety to create just about any type of tipple. “It’s a logical extension of the organic foods movement,” says Paul Abercrombie, author of Organic, Shaken and Stirred. “It’s jumped from the kitchen to the bar.”

Why drink organic spirits?
Organic distillers use organic grains, such as wheat, rye or corn, to make alcohol. The payoff for consumers is in the support of earth-friendly farming practices—any chemical or pesticide residue would be removed in the distilling process anyway. “You would have to have a superhuman palate to notice a taste difference,” says Abercrombie. “But a distiller who’s taking the trouble to make an organic spirit is someone who’s interested in a high quality product.”

Many makers of organic spirits also use recycled and recyclable packaging materials, low-energy production methods and eco-friendly labels. Peak Spirits, for example, makers of CapRock gin and vodka, use only grain and water procured within 20 miles of their Colorado distillery. Tru Vodka, in addition to using several green manufacturing techniques, plants a tree for every bottle purchased, a maneuver that allows them to claim that every two ounces of Tru Vodka you drink removes 62 kilograms of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. (If only they had taken this to Copenhagen!)

Where to find organic spirits
A good liquor store in a big city or college town will stock organic vodka and rum at the least. If your liquor store doesn’t carry organic spirits, you can always check online. Nearly a dozen organic vodka brands are on the market today, and some have extended their offerings to flavored varieties, including lemon, cucumber, vanilla, and acai berry. You can also find a handful of organic gins, rums, tequilas, whiskeys and liqueurs, as well as an organic cachaça. Organic bitters have just hit the market, and the first organic bourbon, distilled by Bainbridge Organic Distillers on Bainbridge Island, Washington, will make its debut in December 2010.

Tips for green holiday cocktails

Stock your bar with a few easy-to-mix basics: organic vodkas and rums are the most widely available. Cachaça is also fun for the holidays.
For larger events, don’t try to shake every cocktail. Serve a punch instead and spend more time with your guests.
If you can find every ingredient but one for your organic cocktail, don’t sweat it. This is supposed to be fun!
For extra eco-points, stay local in your choice of spirits. Several organic vodkas are made domestically, as are a few gins. If you’re close to Mexico, go ahead and try some organic tequila.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/feastguru_kirti/ / CC BY-SA 2.0