Located in Prince Edward County, Wilda makes low-alcohol, “bee-friendly natural spritzers” with real juice in flavours like Cherry, Cucumber & Lime, Blueberry & Lavender, and Lemon & Ginger.
Drinks that love the planet
Nova Scotia’s L’Acadie Vineyards has been an organic pioneer since 2005. B.C. wineries La Stella, Le Vieux Pin, Stag’s Hollow, Tantalus and Tightrope are certified sustainable, as are two dozen Ontario wineries (see sustainablewinegrowingontario.ca).
In Ontario, Vodkow vodka is distilled from waste-product milk permeate, and King’s Lock Craft Distillery uses 100 per cent green energy. Nova Scotia’s Ironworks Distillery saves 50,000 litres of water a year through heat-recovery and other practices. In the West, farm-to-flask distilleries, from Black Fox in Saskatchewan to Shelter Point and DeVine on Vancouver Island, operate on a sustainable-agriculture model.
ArBru in Mallorytown, Ont., is Canada’s first entirely solar-powered brewery, and Karbon Brewing Co. in Toronto is striving to become the country’s first carbon-neutral brewery by 2024. Persephone Brewing, located on a farm on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, is a B Corp (a global sustainability certification) company, as is Ontario’s Beau’s — its Local Organic is Canada’s only certified organic and carbon-neutral brew.
From trash to treasure
While working in the U.K., Toronto bartender Kelsey Ramage became a global pioneer in cocktail and bar sustainability. Her Trash Collective consultancy is known for upcycling food waste into “citrus stock,” a sour solution that lasts in the freezer for months. Use it to replace the combination of simple syrup and fresh citrus juice in almost any cocktail!
Citrus Stock by the Trash Collective
2.2 lbs (1 kg) citrus husks (rinds left over from juicing lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits)
1/3 cup (80 mL) white sugar
4 tsp (20 mL) citric acid*
2 tsp (10 mL) malic acid*
In a large pot, boil water. Add citrus husks, cover pot and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and squeeze citrus husks with tongs before removing from pot. Return liquid to boiling and reduce to 1 litre in volume. Add sugar and acid powders, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Seal in freezer-safe bottles or jars, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for several months, thawing as needed. Use to replace simple syrup and citrus juice in cocktail recipes.
*Citric acid is available at Bulk Barn and many grocery stores, especially during canning season. Malic acid is available from home-brewing stores, or find both powders online at amazon.ca.
