Novo Fogo invited eco-conscious bartenders to enter an original cocktail recipe centering around the theme of sustainable drinking using its thoughtfully produced Bar Strength Organic Silver Cachaça. 

Out of hundreds of entries these TWENTLY (20) sustainable and eco-friendly Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça cocktails stood out to the judges. *Winning cocktails will be announced FIVE (5) per week in no order, for a total of TWENTY (20) winning cocktails.

Thank you to all the bartenders who participated. Stay tuned for the announcement of the Final 10 Bartenders chosen to compete for the Grand Prize trip to Brazil coming in August, 22.

 

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Clean Bean

Created by Christopher Devern

Philadelphia, PA

cdevern12345@gmail.com

The “Clean Bean” is not only inspired by some of my favorite ingredients to eat and drink but a cocktail that keeps the environment in mind. Bartender shifts can be long and sometimes we form unhealthy eating habits. Whether it’s quickly eating in the dish room, late night meals, or skipping meals entirely, we can probably agree that a bartender’s diet isn’t always the best. Making smoothies has been a daily routine for me for the past few years. I get most of the vitamins I need and can bring one to work and drink it even on a busy day. When given the opportunity to participate in the Novo Fogo challenge I had an interesting idea that revolved around saving the excess banana peels I had from the smoothies. I was able to extract some delicious and funky flavors by using coconut palm sugar to create an oleo sacchuarum. The coconut palm sugar is produced by Madhava, an eco-friendly brand with multiple clean label awards. The coffee beans used in this cocktail are also from La Colombe, a brand that practices environmental sustainability in its packaging, growing methods, composting, and contributions to the National Park foundation. These flavors are of course brought together by the delicious carbon negative Novo Fogo Cachaça. Novo Fogo’s unique banana note and slight peppery finish pair with both the bittersweet espresso and rich banana oleo saccharum. The “Clean Bean” gives the old Espresso Martini a new identity and strays from the usual Caipirinha or citrus forward cocktail you’d find cachaça in. The essence of the spirit still shines through in a balanced cocktail that you could enjoy before or after dinner and feel good to know it was made with environment conscious ingredients. Bartenders, chefs, farmers, roasters, distillers, and other businesses alike have the power to make more eco-friendly decisions that collectively make for a cleaner world.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Novo Fogo
• 1 1/4 oz Espresso
• Banana Peel and Coconut Palm Sugar
• 3/4 Oleo Saccharum

Preparation: Mix 1 cup of coconut palm sugar with 3 banana peels in a jar. Make sure to coat the banana peels entirely for better results. Stir every few hours and let sit for 1-3 days until oil forms. To make a “clean bean” combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Double strain and serve with 3 coffee beans. Garnish with 3 espresso beans.

 

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The Amazon Always Wins

Created by Clint Spotleson

Phoenix, AZ

cspotty313@gmail.com

I was looking deep into practical ways to incorporate sustainability into a cocktail that was functional without overdoing it. My own backyard held the answers! Growing up and living again in Arizona, we are a state where one of our economic backbones is citrus. I am lucky to have a small kumquat tree in my yard as well as rosemary bushes, while my neighbor was ok with me taking (I asked) a couple lemons off the tree overhanging my yard as well. I wanted to utilize the kumquats fully since they are not as common of a citrus, so after making the oleo I saved the kumquat rings to dehydrate to use as a garnish later. All the discarded items can later be returned to my compost bin to fertilize the next generation of plants. I feel that localizing it as much as possible is the easiest way to contribute to saving the environment. I tried to keep my personal carbon footprint as small as possible while giving back to the harsh climate of the desert in a way that will help. If everyone takes these small steps, we can impact the Earth greatly.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz NOVO FOGO BAR STRENGTH CACHAÇA
• 1/2 oz Heirloom Creme de Flora
• 3/4 oz Kumquat Oleo Saccharum*
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
• 2 Rosemary Sprigs, muddled

Preparation: Muddle Rosemary into shaker, add in the lemon juice, kumquat oleo, Heirloom Creme de Flora, and NOVO FOGO Bar Strength Cachaça. Add a few cubes of ice, shake hard to cool and release flavors without over dilution. Fine strain a rocks glass, add crushed ice. Garnish with Rosemary Sprig and dehydrated candied kumquat ring**. Dump rosemary and discarded ice into a bin to compost later. *Kumquat Oleo: slice 8 large kumquats into thin rings, de-seed, and place in vacuum sealed bag with 1 cup of sugar (approx. one kumquat per ounce of sugar). Vacuum seal and allow to sit out for 18-24 hours, mixing around every couple hours, until sugar has fully liquified. Strain off liquid into a container, will keep in fridge for 2 weeks. Save the rings for the garnish. **Dehydrated, Candied Kumquat Rings- take rings from finished oleo, lay out in a dehydrator without rinsing. Allow to dehydrate at 135°F for 16 hours. Garnish with rosemary sprig and dehydrated, candied Kumquat Rings

 

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Leap of Fortune

Created by J.A. Harrison

Nashville, TN

jaharrison@cloud-monger.com

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Novo Fogo Bar Strength Silver Cachaça
• 1 oz Nixta Licor
• 1 oz acidulated corn water*

Preparation: To make acidulated corn water, strain the water out of canned golden sweet corn and combine with 3g organic citric acid for every 120g corn water and stir together to incorporate. Meanwhile, use the remaining corn to make a pot of chili. I prefer adding a can of strained corn to roughly 4 cans of whatever crushed or diced or roasted tomatoes are in your pantry along with 4 cans of assorted great northern, black, kidney, or any beans you have on-hand and approximately 1 cup or so of dried red lentils. Simmer together for an hour or two in about 6 cups of vegetable broth while seasoning to-taste with some peppers and onions, an absurd amount of garlic, and spices of your choice. I typically reach for chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, basil, and/or whatever else feels cozy in the moment.

 

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We Belong Together

Created by Keyatta Parker

Atlanta, GA

picturesandcocktails@gmail.com

This cocktail is very personal to me for two reasons, first, I’m Liberian, coconuts grow like crazy there, we had 5 in our yard back home, I drank a lot of coconut water when I was younger, and I love coconuts. Secondly, I am the owner and operator of a bartenders nonprofit community garden in Atlanta, we grow strawberries, mint, edible flowers and so much more. We have a massive compost bin system and we have been about to build it through the community we are in, we collect citrus that have been juiced from local restaurants in the area, we collect spent mash from the local brewery down the street from us and we collect coffee grounds from the coffee shop around the corner. With these actions we have been able to put that same compost in all the plots in the garden (29 plots on .25 acres of land). We all need each other to do wonderful things happen, that’s why we belong together.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Novo Fogo
• 1 oz Coconut Water
• 3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• One large strawberry or 2 medium sizes ones
• 5 Mint leaves

Preparation: Muddle the strawberry and mint together, next combine all the ingredients together and shake hard with ice. Double strain into a coupe glass, wrap a mint sprig around the stem of the glass, secure it with a piece of twine and place your favorite edible flower in the cocktail. Garnish with sprig of mint and your favorite edible flower.

 

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The Tale of Tucupi and the Night-Sun King

Created by Maxwell Berlin

Phoenix, AZ

maxology.berlin@gmail.com

High up in the jungle trees, prowls a predator both feared and revered. The Brazilian Jaguar hides beneath the canopy, stealthily stalking its next meal. The big, yellow cat has been iconized by many meso-American cultures as the deity bridging the light and shadow, the sun and moon, and life and the afterlife. Sadly, because of deforestation, this glorious cat’s home is in danger. As more and more of the Amazon Basin is deforested for pasture lands, monoculture farming, and human life, the jaguar and other native flora and fauna will quickly cease to exist. As Novo Fogo challenges us bartenders to create environmentally thoughtful cocktails, my Tale of Tucupi and the Night-Sun King, pays respect to the spirits that prowl the jungle’s shadow Inspired by famous Brazilian son, Chef Alex Atala and his infamous restaurant D.O.M. and a classic Brazilian drink, Leite de Onça made of cachaça and creme de cacao. Tale of Tucupi and the Night-Sun King, digs deep into the Amazonas utilizing native ingredients and eco-friendly cocktail techniques, to create a cocktail that bridges the light and darkness of the rainforest ecosystem. A perfect template to achieve this balance of light and dark flavors is the 20th Century cocktail, normally composed of gin, lemon, Lillet, and creme de cacao; I put an Amazonian rum spin bringing the 20th Century cocktail into the 21st Century. Tucupi is one such ingredient beloved by Chef Atala. Made from the fermented juice of the manioc root, tucupi is a sacred yellow liquid used by many indigenous tribes of the Amazonas as a souring agent. Harmonizing with the tropical fruit and lightly dry dark chocolate tones of Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça, I concocted my own Tucupi comprised of cane vinegar, turmeric scraps, and used lemon hulls blended perfectly with juicy jackfruit, Meyer lemon wine, creme de banane, and salty chocolate bitters. Jackfruit is also quickly becoming a darling in the food world for its ability to grow in shade so no trees are cut down, no pesticides needed, and so nutritious it can easily replace meat in one’s diet, so no need to cut down the Jaguar’s trees for grazing pastures. Served on an ice cube created by creating a frozen tea of banana peels, this cocktail is both eco-thoughtful and delicious. Perfect for prowling the jungle, or maybe reading up on Chef Atala’s beautiful cookbooks, my Tale of Tucupi and the Night-Sun King celebrates the diversity of the Brazilian biomes and those that dwell within. Cheers and Obrigado!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz Novo Fogo Bar Strength Cachaça
• 1 oz “Tucupi” jackfruit vinegar
• 1 oz Meyer LEMONPOP
• 1 oz Marie Brizard creme de banane
• 2 dashes salted cacao bitters
• Banana peel tea ice cube*

Preparation: Shake all ingredients with large banana tea ice cube. Serve on shaken cube in chilled coupe “Tucupi” jackfruit vinegar- blend 1 cup cane vinegar with 4 pieces fresh or canned jackfruit, 3 juiced lemon halve hulls, turmeric scraps or pieces of dried turmeric. Blend and strain. *Banana peel Tea ice cube- take ripened black banana peels and steep in hot water for 15 min. Strain. Pour in 2×2 block silicone ice molds. Freeze till solid. Garnish with strips of jackfruit- canned or fresh and shaken banana peel tea ice cube.