Eco Booze Eco Buzz

By far the most abundant organic alcohol is vodka. Two popular options
are available: 360 and Rain. Vodka 360, which markets itself as
“eco-luxury” vodka, is especially environmentally conscientious—its
packaging is all green, right down to the bottle-closing clasp that can
be returned to 360 (in the pre-paid envelope!) for re-use. Other
organic vodkas are Square One and Sunshine, which is made in Vermont
and available at www.dandm.com. And while their ingredients aren’t
purely organic, top-notch Cold River Vodka—available almost
everywhere—gets sustainability points for its regionally grown
ingredients, including potatoes from Green Thumb Farms in southwestern
Maine.

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Unfortunately for me and my Irish roots, organic whiskeys are harder to find. The kind folks at the Benromach Distillery in Scotland sent a sample of their Benromach Organic Speyside Single Malt Scotch Wisky, which
is certified organic by the United Kingdom Soil Association. The
distillery uses organic barley and yeast, and ages its product in
American-made barrels made of wood from environmentally managed
forests. Because Scotch whisky needs to age for at least three years
before it can be bottled, Benromach must have foreseen this trend
early—and lucky for us, because it’s smooth, oaky, sweet and tastes
delicious straight. Find it online at www.fourseasonswine.com, for
$60.99 per 750-ml bottle. Another Soil Association-certified Scottish
organic whisky (it’s whiskey if it’s Irish) is Highland Harvest, which
uses three organic malts and an organic grain; it’s available at some
online shops.

The same people who make Highland Harvest (Maison Jomere Organic
Spirits Company) are responsible for Juniper Green Organize London Dry
Gin, which employs organic juniper berries and coriander to achieve
that pine-tree smell, and Papagayo Organic Spiced Rum (supposedly, the
organic sugarcane used in the fermentation process allows for a higher
alcohol percentage). Both of these are available at several online
liquor stores for between $25 and $50, and they’ve both achieved high
marks from international beverage institutions.



Of course, you can’t combine organic liquor with corn-syrup-based
chemicals; that’s where the Modmix Organic Cocktail Mixers come in.
With flavors like Citrus Margarita, French Martini (pineapple,
raspberry and a hint of lemon), Lavender Lemon Drop, Mojito and
Pomegranate Cosmopolitan, these U.S. Department of Agriculture
Organic-certified mixers match perfectly with the organic alcohol of
your choice (and sound like the perfect accompaniment to a Sex and the
City party). They’re available online at www.btcelements.com, where
they go for $21.94 (including shipping and handling) for a 750-ml
bottle.

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What have I forgotten? Oh yes, that most crazy-making of liquors,
tequila. 4 Copas Tequila, which recently signed a distribution deal
with Southern Wine & Spirits, bills itself as the world’s only
certified organic tequila. We can’t guarantee it’ll stop you from
drunk-dialing or making an ass of yourself—but maybe you’ll wake up
tomorrow feeling slightly more ready to face the
day.



This article originally appeared in the Portland (Maine) Phoenix.