ON-PREMISE SUSTAINABILITY

CARLEY GASKIN in September was crowned the North American Winner of the 12th Annual “ Most Imaginative Bartender ” Competition , presented by Bombay Sapphire gin and the U . S . Bartenders ’ Guild , thanks to her innovative zero-waste cocktail recipe , Geb ’ s Reviver . We caught up with the Chicago-based bartender to learn more about her approach and philosophy on sustainable bartending .

products that aren ’ t made in a sustainable manner . I wouldn ’ t say that I promote these products , but I do support them by using them .

If a guest asks about a product I ’ m using or have listed on a menu , I ’ m always happy to talk about how it ’ s made , where it ’ s from , etc . I think it ’ s important to steer away from knocking other products when talking to a guest . Give them the facts , give them a taste and let them decide .

BD : Is sustainable packaging a consideration with beverage alcohol products ? CG : Definitely ! There are a lot of bartenders that will tell you that they love a certain spirit not only because of the taste or how it ’ s made , but whether or not the bottles can be reused for batching or syrups . Is the neck long ? Does the sticker come off easily ? Is it a weird shape ? Bartenders — myself included — get weirdly excited about the small things such as a “ sexy unbranded bottle .”

Beverage Dynamics : How did you created the zero-waste ingredients for the Geb ’ s Reviver ? Carley Gaskin : I wanted to showcase how to use ingredients that would normally be thrown away , such as pineapple pulp or lemon rinds , to create a new cocktail component that adds a lot more flavor and complexity to a drink . With Geb ’ s Reviver , I saved the pineapple pulp from a pineapple I juiced for the foam and mixed that with the lemon rinds I used for juicing lemons and let sit over sugar for 24 hours to create a beautiful , bright oleo saccharum . I then saved the carrot pulp from a carrot I juiced to make the foam and dehydrated it to use as a garnish .

BD : Is sustainability important in the bartending community today ? CG : I think sustainability is very important to most bartenders today . We ’ re beginning to see the impact we ’ re able to have and the amount of waste produced by each bar every night . If you think about how many bars there are across the world , the amount of waste really adds up . Guests seem to have become a bit more aware of the low-waste and zero-straw movements and more interested in what lengths bartenders are going to be more mindful of waste .

BD : What are some of the things bartenders are doing to minimize their environmental impact ? CG : Over-prepping and over-ordering is something we ’ re becoming more aware of . I ’ ve been seeing a lot more bars begin to use powders such as different citric acids instead of lime juice , or moving towards clarifying ingredients to keep them longer . I ’ ve also seen a lot more bars begin to compost , which is great !

BD : Do you seek out and stock sustainably made products , such as spirits , beer and wine ? CG : I do . I think bartenders are becoming more aware and are beginning to move away from

1 ½ oz . Bombay Sapphire gin ¾ oz . Pineapple-lemon oleo ½ oz . Lemon juice ½ tsp . Matcha powder

Combine all ingredients and shake . Top with pineapple , carrot , Bombay Sapphire foam . Garnish with dehydrated rhubarb and carrot powder .

10 Beverage Information Group • Sustainability Guide 2018 www . BevInfoGroup . com