Flor de Caña Reduces Food Waste with Sustainable Cocktails
Ten Top Bars in Hong Kong and Macau Get Behind Campaign to Help Fight Climate Change
This August, Flor de Caña, a carbon neutral, Fair Trade certified and sustainably produced premium rum, launches a global initiative called “Zero Waste Month”. The initiative invites eco-conscious bars, restaurants and consumers around the world to join forces to reduce food waste, one sustainable cocktail at a time.
Part of Flor de Caña’s broader sustainability program “Together for a Greener Future”, the brand is working hand in hand with the bartending community in more than 30 countries worldwide to create delicious zero waste cocktails that consumers can enjoy during August 2021. The sustainable cocktails are made with Flor de Caña rum and ingredients derived from re-purposed food or leftovers from each respective bar or the local community.
In Hong Kong and Macau, Flor de Caña has joined forces with ten of the most prominent and award-winning bars in the city including: The Pontiac, The Wise King, Stockton, Argo, Foxglove, Ozone Bar and more. Each bar and mixologist has infused their own flavours and ingredients to pair with Flor de Caña enhancing the beautiful characteristics of the rum.
Global personalities such as Lorenzo Antinori (Hong Kong), Ashish Sharma (Kuala Lumpur), Jesse Vida (Singapore), Seven Yi (Taiwan), Bastien Ciocca (China), Remy Savage (UK) and Mario Farulla (Italy) have joined the Zero Waste Month initiative as Sustainability Ambassadors. They are working alongside Flor de Caña to raise awareness through social media on the issue of food waste and inspire the community to become agents of change and help reduce food waste locally.
For the newly launched Four Seasons Hotel Bar Argo, Lorenzo Antinori has created a refreshing summer concoction, named the ‘Upcycled Gimlet’. Using leftover lemon from the bar, the peels are dehydrated, powdered and then combined in water, sugar and citric acid to create a cordial. Mixed with a touch of fair trade, sustainably sourced cocoa from the hotel’s Chocolate Concierge.
Conscious of wastage from the bar, Foxglove has completely relooked at its footprint and how to best use fruits that are not always entirely utilised. With that in mind, the mixologists curated the ‘Above Zero’ cocktail. The cocktail infuses mango seeds in Flor de Caña to give it a juicy, caramalised sweetness and adds leftover lime peel saccharum for a tropical summer drink.
Stockton’s Head Bartender Lok Gurung has developed his Flor de Caña cocktail by extracting every possible component of the coconut in his ‘Coco de Caña’ creation. Stockton’s cocktail uses the meat of the coconut which would normally be thrown out in a blend to produce a cordial, the shell is used as the container holding the drink and the outer cover is made into a coaster to rest the drink on.
Other sustainable creations include The Pontiac’s ‘The Bunny Shack’ – a twist on the bar classic Old Fashion. The Wise King’s cocktail named ‘Rum Healers’ is an interpretation of the Head Bartenders favourite cocktail, The Penicillin. While the cocktail from 360 Bar at Hong Kong Jockey Club was named ‘El Viaje’ – meaning the journey in Spanish – to pay homage to the journey the team went on to find all the ingredients.
The initiative is supported by Food Made Good, a global non-profit that promotes sustainability within the foodservice industry, which has helped participating venues design their zero waste cocktails and adopt meaningful sustainable practices in their everyday operations. “Working with an ambitious, outward-looking and creative partner like Flor de Caña is the most effective way we can accelerate progressive practice across hospitality, making bars and restaurant a part of a global sustainability solution,” said Simon Heppner, CEO of Food Made Good Global.
The official Zero Waste Month website (www.zerowastecocktails.com) includes a list of participating venues per country, videos of world-renowned bartenders sharing their original zero waste cocktail creations, practical tips to reduce food waste in daily life and information on how bars and restaurants can join this cause.
About Flor de Caña Rum
Flor de Caña is a sustainably produced premium rum that’s Carbon Neutral & Fair Trade certified. From an 1890 family estate, it’s distilled with 100% renewable energy and naturally aged without sugar or artificial ingredients. The brand was honored with the prestigious “Sustainability Award” during the 2020 Green Awards for its leadership in sustainable practices.