The “green begets green” mantra has seeped into every corner of the purchasable world. So it was only a matter of time before eco-friendly vodka found its way into our cocktail shakers. Produced in Italy’s Piemante region and made with locally harvested, organic wheat and water from the Italian Alps, Purus boasts a 100-percent recyclable bottle and tree-free labels that utilize soy-based inks and water-based adhesives. Even the cork is 100-percent sustainable. As for getting it to the United States, well … What they’re spending in fossil fuel, they’re saving in trees. Purus has teamed with quintessential tree-huggers American Forests for a virtual forestation effort that plants one real tree in places like California and Florida on behalf of each of the first 100,000 visitors that register for the free program on the website. Buy a whole case to avoid feeling like a hypocrite while driving to New Jersey or Delaware to get it.
McCormick Distilling’s 360 Vodka (pictured) embodies a near-perfect philosophical and operational commitment throughout the entire production process. The one flaw: 360 Vodka is not organic despite using 100-percent locally grown grains and a five-time filtering process. Its pretty aquamarine bottle is composed of 85-percent recycled glass, and all packaging uses biodegradable materials and 100-percent recycled paper. Return the bottle’s Grolsch-like closure in the envelope provided, and McCormick will set aside a dollar for environmental organizations through its Close the Loop program.
Square One, another premium vodka, is made with certified organic American rye that’s fed with chemical-free compost and distilled with organic yeast and fresh Teton mountain water. Rye byproduct from the fermentation process is sold as feed to a nearby organic dairy farm.
