Fact #1: Monday, April 22nd is Earth Day.
Fact #2: As one of the most energy-efficient distilleries in the world, with almost no waste sent to landfills and bottles made from at least 40% recycled glass, Absolut is Planet Earth’s favorite vodka.
Fact #3: Fact #1 and Fact #2 should probably go together, somehow...
Here’s one idea: Raising a toast to Mother Nature with an Absolut cocktail.
See, to celebrate Earth Day, Absolut asked four L.A. mixologists to create refreshing spring cocktails. In the spirit of saving the planet and stuff—a mission Absolut is extremely passionate about—they also challenged these bartenders to put sustainability at the fore, by repurposing, reusing and recycling ingredients, and otherwise wasted fruits for garnishes.
Fortunately, they were up to the task. And now, you're reaping the benefits.
Absolut's sustainable cocktails are available now through the end of April at the fine LA establishments listed below.
What Mother Nature wants, Mother Nature gets...
The place: M Bar, the date-ready lobby bar at the swanky Mayfair Hotel.
The Absolut cocktail: May Day, a refreshing spring-forward concoction with Aperol, lemon juice and Lillet, developed by M Bar's beverage manager, Iain Walling.
The extras: After a May Day or two, you'll have worked up quite the appetite. The hotel's bistro, inspired by one of Raymond Chandler's most memorable gun molls, would be happy to help you sate that appetite with wild mushroom and duck ragout pappardelle or their rotisserie prime rib.
The place: Broken Shaker. It's the decidedly beachy (and award-winning) cocktail bar on the roof of the Freehand Hotel.
The Absolut cocktail: Trash Tini. The brainchild of mixologist Christine Wiseman, it's something of a cross between a vesper and a Gibson martini. To add a bit of smoky-sweetness, she infused dry vermouth with charred onions from the kitchen that typically would've been tossed at the end of service. Hence the name.
The extras: Did we mention the rooftop had a pool? Well, we're mentioning it now.
The place: Beelman's, a homey bar with a spacious patio and plant-based pub food. Because, Earth Day.
The Absolut cocktail: Captain Planet (pictured), a citrus-y libation with Lillet Rose, lemon, grapefruit and orange bitters, created by Vance Daniels, the beverage manager for Artisanal Brewers Collective. (They own the next three bars, too.)
The extras: We can say with some authority that they make the tastiest slaw-covered sunflower cutlet-and-Sriracha aioli sandwich in Los Angeles.
The place: The Fountain, a laid-back '80s-inspired cocktail bar in the back of Corporation Food Hall with a thing for old-school viewfinders.
The Absolut cocktail: Captain Planet.
The extras: When at a food hall, do as the food hall-ers do: grab a South City fried chicken sandwich or some gyoza from the Gyoza Boyz. (The food hall-ers do very specific things, apparently.)
The place: Spring St. Bar, an industrial-chic beer bar with the kind of comfort food you crave on Sundays.
The Absolut cocktail: Captain Planet.
The extras: We'll just say that the Meatball Sub—slathered in bacon amatriciana sauce and giardiniera—is hard to so much as describe without getting hungry, and leave it at that.
The place: Corner Cantina, a lively Mexican joint in downtown L.A., where meaty nachos and mezcal margaritas happen.
The Absolut cocktail: Captain Planet.
The extras: Chicken tinga tacos. Crispy pork belly tacos. Beef barbacoa tacos. In summation: tacos.
The place: Providence, the famed two Michelin-starred seafood restaurant helmed by Chef Michael Cimarust.
The Absolut cocktail: Passion Pit, so named for its dose of passionfruit seeds. Whereas the pastry department in Providence's kitchen uses the passionfruit juice for a dessert, bartender Kim Stodel relies on the seeds, which add some extra flavor to this already-flavorful amaretto, vodka and OJ concoction.
The extras: As delicious as the Passion Pit may be, if you're coming here, you're not just coming for a cocktail or two. Order the tasting menu (and don't balk at the supplemental cheese cart service).
