Diageo’s Ketel One Vodka wants to encourage sustainable habits in the trade in a partnership with a bartender competition called World Class.
The brand has joined forces with community gardening groups in a bid to promote locally grown, natural ingredients and reduce waste in the drinks industry.
The initiative will run from 2-8 September with a menu of three cocktails, including one drink that customers would be able to replicate at home.
Ketel One Vodka brand ambassador Kate Jackson said: “We’re delighted to be launching our One Square Mile initiative – designed to inspire bartenders and local communities to come together to utilise their skills and resources to create something great.
“We love to encourage bartenders to explore alternative methods for championing urban flavours. Not only is using seasonal ingredients and local produce to create cocktails sustainable, it really elevates the flavour in cocktails and is a great way to engage with local people.
“People are more and more interested in the provenance of their food and drink, and this is a fantastic example of how you can use resourcefulness to make quality drinks.”
Bars participating in the challenge include Nine Lives, London Bridge; Amicos Bar, Ingatestone, Essex; and Terroir Tapas, Bournemouth, Dorset.
Bartenders will have the chance to showcase their drinks the World Class Global Finals in Glasgow.
The initiative comes at a time when the sector is reflecting on how to be more sustainable. Food wasted by pubs equals a fleet of 13,675 double-decker buses per year, according to Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) research.
