From sipping on cocktails in the sunshine, to enjoying warm and hearty spirits in the winter, there really is a drink for every occasion. Aside from being refreshing and fragrant, these eco-friendly alcoholic beverages tick the ethical boxes, too, with locally-sourced ingredients and eco-friendly distilling methods – perfect for a spot of sustainable sipping at any time of year.
The best ethical drinks for every occasion
From hedgerow botanical vodka to the world's first climate-positive gin
1. Fair. Vodka, £34, Waitrose
Independent spirits brand FAIR. is on a mission to create high-quality products that don’t compromise on ethics or sustainability. The company sources the best ingredients from around the world, taking into account the people that produce them. The Fair. Vodka uses Quinoa Real, a pesticide-free quinoa produced by Bolivian Farmers. Fair. regularly fundraises to support its grassroots farmers like those in Bolivia, working together to ensure the sustainability of their land for future generations.
2. Nàdar Gin, £43, arbikie.com
Say hello to the world’s first climate-positive gin. Meaning 'nature' in Gaelic, Nàdar Gin has a carbon footprint of -1.54kg CO2e per 700ml bottle, which makes it a pretty revolutionary product in the world of beverages. The Scottish spirit is grown, distilled and bottled on Arbikie's single-estate, and boasts a silky smooth texture with a fresh and fruity aroma. The first experimental batch of Nàdar Gin was produced using British peas from Hodmedod's, but in the future Arbikie hopes to use lower-grade peas to create an ethically sound market for a crop that's normally considered a low-value product. If you're a gin lover like us, this one is definitely worth a try.
3. Fauna Brewing, £24 for case of 12, faunabrewing.com
London-based Fauna Brewing is one of the capital's newest craft beer companies. But this one is aiming to do more than just create refreshing brews – and it's got that part spot on. The brand has launched three vegan beers – Cheetah Lager, Wild Dog IPA and Pango Table Beer. Each has a distinct flavour, but more importantly, is dedicated to protecting its namesake by partnering with charities that protect these endangered species. So while you're sipping on a crisp, refreshing beverage, you can feel good knowing your purchase is helping to do good. In fact, the brand has already donated £3,000 to its charities, which include the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Painted Dog Conservation and African Pangolin Working Group, helping to remove poachers' snares and rewild the rare pangolin.
4. Small Beer, £2.15, Ocado
If you're looking for a healthier beer that's also sustainable, Small Beer should be on your radar. Small Beer is a South Bermondsey-based brewery specialising in brewing classic beer styles below 2.8%. The company is London's first brewery to achieve B Corp certification, an international accreditation that recognises a company for meeting the highest standards of social and environmental impact and using business as a force for good. The vegan range is all sustainably brewed, too: the brewery runs on renewable energy and the packaging is recycled. The company also uses a 'dry floor' policy, a concept that reworks the brewing process to reduce the amount of water needed to brew the beer. Using this method means that in the last 18 months, the company has saved 1.4 million litres of water. Oh, did we mention it also tastes great?
5. Hedgerow Botanical Vodka, £35, sloemotion.com
If you're a gin fan, this botanical vodka is a lovely alternative that blurs the lines between the two spirits. Yorkshire-based Sloemotion Distillery is a family-run business producing small batch spirits and liqueurs. The award-winning company is well-known for protecting British hedgerows and using foraged botanicals and ingredients for its hand-crafted spirits. The botanical vodka is no different, comprising foraged hedgerow fruits and herbs, including crab apples, rosehips, nettle leaf and elderflower. The ingredients are distilled in an innovative low-energy iStill, which uses at least three times less energy than the conventional copper still. This herbaceous beverage provides an earthy aroma with a smooth, clean finish. Serve it with plenty of ice, tonic and a slice of apple, or use it as a base for your favourite cocktail.
6. Discarded Cascara Vermouth, £19, Waitrose
Did you know that Britain consumes 95 million cups of coffee a day? During the coffee bean harvest, billions of tonnes of cascara, the leftover fruit, are thrown away. Enter Discarded: the brand aims to combat this huge waste by turning the fruit into a rich and refreshing vermouth. Discarded saves the cascara berries, dries and ferments then, then steeps them in alcohol for two weeks to extract the flavour. Even the fortified wine used in the process gets reused to season empty whisky casks. The drink is then blended with other botanicals to create a deep and aromatic drink with a natural warmth. This vermouth is ideal as a base spirit for your favourite cocktail, whether you want to put a spin on the classic G&T or enjoy a Reclaimed Cobbler.
7. The Wild Botanist, £29, aelderelixir.com
Inspired by the flavourful wilds of Scotland, these new limited edition cocktails are a luxurious way to combine your love for artisanal drinks and sustainable values.
Created by The Botanist Gin and Buck & Birch, both located in Scotland, the collection includes three unique cocktails, each packaged in recyclable bottles, that are delivered direct to your door. Each concoction is based around The Botanist Gin, which is hand-crafted using 22 foraged island botanicals. The drinks are then blended with exclusive liqueurs and sustainably harvested ingredients from the county of East Lothian. Think aelder elixir, sea buckthorn, Amarosa rosehip liqueur, and tansy and yarrow tincture.
The ethos of Buck & Birch is to go back to the source, to reconnect to the landscape and celebrate nature’s hard work and brilliance. So the brand's collaboration with The Botanist Gin seems only natural, and is the perfect way to let the flavours of nature really shine in cocktails that are unique and contemporary.
8. Copalli Barrel Rested Rum, £41.30, masterofmalt.com
Made from just three ingredients – sugar cane, canopy water and yeast – this organic, single estate rum from the heart of the Belizean rainforest is crafted with conservation, community and authenticity in mind. The rum is produced in a distillery that's zero-impact and supports full-circle conversion of waste from production to agricultural inputs. Leftover juice harvested from the sugar cane is used to fuel the pot stills, and the rum is rested in casks previously used for bourbon, lending the finished product wonderful vanilla-rich notes.
9. Nc'nean Single Malt Whisky, £49.95, ncnean.com
If you're a whisky lover, this single malt is smooth and elegant, with tasting notes of lemon posset, peach & apricot, and spiced rye bread. Sustainably produced, the whisky is made in small batches, and is packaged in what's billed as the industry’s first-ever 100% recycled clear glass bottle, plus is made in a distillery that's run on 100% renewable energy.
10. Scottish Pure Apple Cider, £29.50 for case of 12, lostorchards.co.uk
Just as its name suggests, Lost Orchards is on a mission to replant the lost orchards of Scotland. In preparation of the business’ launch in summer 2019, 5,000 trees were planted on land at a farm in Dundee. Today, the company produces branch-to-bottle premium cider from apples that are picked, pressed and fermented with champagne yeast on the farm, whilst berries used in the cider are sourced from Angus-based farmers. It may be a new company, but the brand has already cemented its status in the industry, winning Gold at the International Brewing Awards. Sustainable and supporting Scottish producers, this cider is ideal for sipping on in the sunshine.
11. Reliquum Plum, £30, reliquum.uk
When third-generation farmer Pete Thompson started thinking of ways to use up fruit grown on his farm that would otherwise go to waste, Reliquum was born. The company started with two spirits that blended tree-ripened apricots and plums grown in Pete’s orchards with London Dry Gin to create sophisticated spirits. Reducing food waste, each bottle of Reliquum Plum uses 750g of fruit that’s pressed to extract the juices, then blended with gin and a touch of water. After being left to allow the flavours to marry, it’s tweaked slightly to find the right flavour balance (which never involves adding sugar). Branching out from its signature beverage, Pete now creates a Reliquum London Dry Gin as well as an apple brandy, both of which use apples from the farm that would otherwise go to waste.
12. Avallen, £35, Ocado
Avallen takes its environmental efforts seriously. Meaning ‘apple tree’ in old Cornish, this positive apple brandy produced in France is sustainable from start to finish. The apples are grown in pesticide-free orchards and the labels are made from waste apple pulp. The company is also passionate about saving the bees. Avallen donates to the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust for every bottle sold, and has committed to planting 10,000 pollinator-friendly flowering plants in its first three years of business. What’s more, you’ll receive a pack of ‘Beeboms’ when you purchase a bottle of Avallen, so you can plant your own wildflower seeds to help bees thrive in your garden. The drink itself is floral, fruity and fresh, and can be sipped on straight, enjoyed long with tonic or mixed into a cocktail.
