As part of The Savoy’s partnership with ecoSPIRITS, the London hotel’s esteemed Beaufort Bar has revealed the all-new Co-Naissance cocktail, which is staking a claim as the most sustainable cocktail in Europe.
Conjured up by the Beaufort Bar’s senior mixologist Cristian Silenzi, at first glance, the Co-Naissance appears just like any other delicious cocktail you’d expect to see served at The Savoy, teaming champagne, gin, elderflower and fig. However, behind the scenes the team has gone to extra lengths to hugely reduce the environmental impact of this tipple.
The gin element of the Co-Naissance comes courtesy of Portobello Road Gin in ecoSPIRITS format. EcoSPIRTS works with premium spirit brands and bars around the world to implement its innovative closed-loop packaging system and therefore eliminates single-use glass, limiting both packing waste and carbon emissions.
Using the low-waste Portobello Road Gin as his starting point, Silenzi wanted the rest of his new creation to be just as eco-conscious. The champagne used is re-carbonated from what would otherwise be wasted elsewhere in the hotel and the elderflower element is foraged from Little Venice, while the fig comes from the nearby Embankment Gardens. Together, these carefully selected ingredients create a cocktail that is not only delicious, but also impressively eco-conscious.
[See also: Unusual Methods Making Wine and Spirits Sustainable]
And, to further boost its environmental credentials, for every Co-Naissance cocktail ordered, The Savoy will plant one native tree in Borneo’s endangered Kalimantan rainforest, with the project’s progress fully trackable via greensteps.com. The culmination of these extra efforts ensure that more than 1.8kg of C02 emissions are eliminated per cocktail
“We are on a journey to revolutionize how cocktails are developed and produced and this is just the first step, but it’s a significant one,” said The Savoy’s food & beverage executive assistant manager, Jan-Peer Lehfeldt. “It reflects The Savoy’s commitment to reducing waste and actively supporting the environment. We plan to continue and expand our collaboration with ecoSPIRITS … and we really hope that other hotels, bars and restaurants will follow suit as this can only benefit our industry and the environment.”
The Co-Naissance joins the menu at the ultra-glam Art Deco style Beaufort Bar, where it should be enjoyed alongside one of the bar’s indulgent truffle pizzas, as well as the Thames Foyer, which is affectionately regarded as the heart of the hotel.
While re-carbonating your own champagne might be a bit of a challenge, the Co-Naissance can easily be replicated at home using your choice of champagne, your favorite gin (Portobello will complement the other ingredients best, but a locally made label will be just as delicious) and homemade fig and elderflower liqueurs.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Portobello Road Gin
- ½ oz fig leaves liqueur
- ½ oz elderflower liqueur
- 3 ¼ oz champagne
Method:
Add the gin, fig liqueur and elderflower liqueur to a mixing glass and stir thoroughly before adding to a flute and topping with champagne.
See more Cocktail of the Week recipes here.