5 Eco-Friendly Ways To Create A Sustainable Home Bar
If one is a bartending enthusiast interested in curating and designing a home bar, one of the key elements to look out for in this endeavour is sustainability. A home bar ought to be so designed that it is complete with diverse spirits, mixers and infusions which are required to blend cocktails, across different seasons of the year.
Such a bar will also contain lots of apparatus carefully used, cleaned and organised to craft a variety of drinks.
And the process of creating this space would mean taking on a slightly more environmentally conscious approach which propels one to go for those ingredients and products that minimise harm to natural ecosystems.
Read on below to know more about some of the essential elements required to curate an eco-friendly and sustainable home bar:
Using Seasonal Ingredients
One of the most essential tips in crafting a sustainable home bar which lasts for years together is to use seasonal ingredients. This will ensure that the components required for preparing cocktails are always in rotation according to the changing climes.
The bar will have room for newer ingredients available in a particular season and will comprise the apparatus needed to make a variety of cocktails across several months ensuring lots of diversity in drinks.
Use spices and crispy fruits like apples and pears in winters and go for citrus numbers like lemons and oranges in summers to sustain the bar’s seasonal touch.
Repurpose Glass Bottles
Turn used glass or spirit bottles into interesting decor items that can accentuate one’s home bar for a long period. Glass bottles can be converted into jars containing succulents. They can also be turned into bulbs which house dim lights that emit a whimsical glow at the bar, accentuating its overall look.
As well, empty jars and bottles can be put to use in creative ways to store infusions and garnishes which can then be arranged aesthetically on the bar. With this, it will be possible to minimise waste and repurpose cocktail apparatus for a sustained duration.
Experiment With Zero Waste Garnishes
An interesting and creative way to cut down on the waste produced at one’s home bar is to go for zero waste garnishes. These are adornments generally made out of leftover peels and scraps that often find their way into garbage cans. Instead, fruit skins and peels can be twisted into different shapes to decorate sweet and sour cocktails.
Vegetable peels and scraps can pair well with botanical and herbaceous drinks like gin and tonic or a martini cocktail.
With this, it is possible to minimise waste and build into the flavour profile of a cocktail in a more organic manner.
Source Organic Produce
Another way to make one’s home bar more sustainable is to source ingredients that have been cultivated without the use of harmful pesticides and fertilisers. This not only helps to build potent flavours in cocktails that come through ripe and fresh fruits and citruses but also makes for an eco-friendly alternative that cuts down on the harm done to the environment.
Organic produce can also be grown at home by rearing a small herb and fruit garden in one’s backyard complete with basic ingredients like lemons, oranges, basil, mint and thyme required to make classic cocktails.
Make Homemade Infusions
Cut down on the preserves and the packaging waste that comes home when infusions are bought from the store by making homemade, flavourful syrups. These can be variations of simple syrup containing flavours of mint, lavender or vanilla.
Alternatively, one can also infuse about 250 ml spirits like vodka, tequila and rum with different flavours like orange and cinnamon to make use of these infusions in cocktail craft.
The organic waste generated while making infusions can be put into a composting bin which serves to fertilise a home garden.
Drink responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
