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Anyone perusing the liquor aisle recently will surely have noticed the increasing number of organic spirits and liqueurs that are emerging. So what’s all the fuss about, and why should you pay extra?
Well, the answer is simple. An organic spirit has a higher attention to quality. And as we all know, quality ingredients combined with passion and ingenuity usually make for an excellent product.
It’s not about what’s removed during the distillation process, but about the inclusion of a higher quality product to begin with. Melkon Khosrovian, organic spirits expert and Founder of the GreenBar Collective, cites an experiment: he made two identical batches of vodka, with the only difference being one used organic ingredients and the other did not. The result? “It was not even a close call,” said Khosrovian. “Organic spirits simply taste better.”
While an organic product may be more expensive, this is usually justified by the fact that sourcing organic ingredients tends to cost more. Though many time there is more to it than that. Generally, a company willing to go the extra mile to provide a high quality product carries this ideology through more than just the finished product.
There is now a heavy emphasis on packaging – from both an aesthetic and an environmental standpoint. The bottle that caught your eye the other day? Little did you know that it is shaped like that because it uses 50% less materials and it is clear because the cloudy bottles use a harsh (read, inorganic) acid wash to get the effect.
GreenBar takes sustainability to another level with the Carbon Negative Cocktail. The ingredients? Up to you. Their environmental practices assure that for each cocktail you drink using their product, you are carbon negative for one day. Through their use of organic ingredients, recycled packaging, and planting a tree for every bottle sold, the organization has literally reversed their environmental impact.
So enjoy the enhanced flavor of organic spirits and the fact that you are supporting sustainability. However, whatever you do, don’t tell your friends that you are “drinking healthily.” Oh, and keep an eye out for that USDA Organic logo!
Some of our favorites:
Square One Organic Vodka (definitely try the Cucumber)
Bar Keep Organic Baked Apple Bitters
