Looking for a happy hour choice that’s as sustainable as it is delicious? Diplomatico Rum may be the answer.

This Venezuelan rum is made by one of the only liquor companies in the world to have earned the ISO 14001 certification, a prestigious recognition that helps provide practical tools for companies looking to develop their environmental responsibility. It doesn’t hurt that the rum is totally delicious too — we’re sure it’s going to become your new go-to liquor.

The Ecological Endeavors of Diplomatico Rum

In recent years, Diplomatico Rum has undertaken several endeavors to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its sustainability.

“As part of our company’s philosophy, respect and protection of the environment has always been one of our main goals,” explain Diplomatico representatives Mariana Calderón and Susana Curbelo. “From the beginning, DUSA (owner and producer of Diplomático Rum) established a system to manage its sub-products, to recycle its waste and to optimize its resources.”

“In 2009, the Board of Directors decided to support and sustain the company’s environmental policy by certifying its environmental management system under the ISO 14001 norm. This certification remains in effect and is renewed every two years through annual audits.”

The efforts that help sustain this certification can be broken down into three categories.

1. Recycling Lingering Water

Lingering water from rum production is not wasted. Instead, it is recycled into a compost for sugar cane, as Calderón and Curbelo explain. “After being treated, the liquid waste is used as an organic fertilizer for the cultivation of sugar cane and grass, minimizing nutrient requirements.” This choice helps Diplomatico Rum participate in replenishing the local ecosystem.

2. Salvaging Solid Waste

Diplomatico Rum salvages 100 percent of its solid waste for recycling. This includes all plastic, cardboard, and glass waste, meaning that all packaging materials used for the rum are recycled.

3. Giving Back to the Community

Diplomatico also partakes in several local outreach programs to give back to the community. “As part of the company’s pollution prevention program and voluntary corporate social responsibility, every year we implement recovery activities along rivers and forests of the Simon Planas municipality (where the distillery is located),” Calderón and Curbelo explain. Whether it’s planting fruit trees in the local forests or taking part in a two-day beach cleaning project, employees are encouraged to take part in these efforts to give back to the community that sustains the distillery.

“In general there are about 150 volunteer workers involved, and some of them go with their children, which promotes and builds environmental awareness for new generations,” Calderón and Curbelo explain.

Once you’ve tasted the product, these efforts become even easier to support. While Diplomatico Rum is delicious served simply over ice or mixed into a mojito, we’ve got two far more interesting ways to serve the spirit, straight from the source.

Photo Credit: Lauren Volo

The Flying Paloma by Tad Carducci

Ingredients

1.5 oz Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva
.5 oz. fresh lime
.5 oz. ginger liqueur
3 oz. grapefruit soda
pinch salt
wedge lime, for garnish

Directions

Add all of the ingredients, including the salt, to a tall glass filled with ice. Stir briskly and garnish with a wedge of lime.

Cherry Blossom Fizz, by Mixologist Rael Petit

Ingredients

1.5 oz Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
0.5 oz simple syrup
0.5 oz cherry heering
1 oz lemon juice
2 dashes of orange blossom water
Champagne, to finish
fresh mint, for garnish

Directions

Shake all of the ingredients except the Champagne, and pour into a rock glass with ice. Top with Champagne, and garnish with mint.

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Images care of Diplomatico Rum

The post Diplomatico Rum: Your New Favorite Liquor is Sustainable and Delicious appeared first on EcoSalon.

Get tipsy without tipping the scale.

A lot can go wrong in the preparation of a cocktail. The most common culprit – sugar. Whether it be by way of corn syrup, an artificial fruit blend, or straight up white cane, it is very difficult to get a forgiving cocktail when out on the town. And who wants to fuss at the bar? Going out is a time to let loose and relax, not bring a subtext of conditionality with every drink order.

But when you’re at home, the game changes – you have complete control! The trick is now to bring your hard-earned buzz the flavor, not the kill. A standard restaurant or bar mojito will contain upwards of 200 calories. Replace the sugar with a calorie-free alternative and you can cut the calories by nearly half. This recipe is a fun twist on a mint mojito. It uses fresh peaches for summery sweetness and stevia to replace the otherwise pound-packing cane sugar.

Enjoy!

Skinny Peach Mojito

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 peach
• 6-8  mint leaves
• Juice of half a lime
• 3-4 drops liquid stevia (1 small packet powder stevia)
• 2 ounces rum
• Large handful of ice cubes
• Club soda

Directions:

Skin and then puree the peach. Pour it into the bottom of a cocktail glass. Add 6 mint leaves, the stevia, and the lime juice. Muddle the ingredients to release the mint’s flavor as well as distribute the sweetness from the stevia.

Add the rum and ice cubes. Top off the remaining space in the cup with the club soda. Garnish with mint leaves and serve. If you want a virgin peach mojito, nix the rum altogether. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve.

Bottoms up!

Photo Source: DavidKenny

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Lightening Up Your Cocktail’s Calories appeared first on EcoSalon.