At an event held for Earth Day, Venezuelan rum brand Diplomático showcased its commitment to sustainability alongside a plant-based menu.
Alibi Bar & Kitchen, which is part of the Ovolo hotel group, played host to a special sustainability dinner in partnership with Diplomático Rum.
At the event, diners were treated to a menu including aged beetroot tartare, mushroom pithivier and a bombe Alaska, flamed in Diplomático. These dishes were paired with specially- created rum cocktails from Diplomático Brand Ambassador Sai Hamsala, including a pineapple-infused Air Mail and a Banana Old Fashioned.
Guests at the event were also some of the first in Australia to try Canaïma Gin, produced by the same distillery that makes Diplomático.
The cocktails demonstrated how food waste can be avoided by using the whole fruit, with dehydrated elements adding another dimension to the drink.
Sai explained how these drinks fitted in with the wider approach of the Diplomático brand, “Diplomático boasts a strong duty of care to both people and the planet, working to distil premium rum in the most sustainable way possible.”
“Being eco-friendly isn’t and shouldn’t be boring, and our range of dark spirits, the Reserva Exlusiva specifically, provide the perfect base for creating so many conscious cocktails like the exciting Air Mail or Banana Old Fashioned.”
Diplomático has previously highlighted the potential of its rums as a base for Old Fashioneds.
Ian Curley, Group Creative Culinary Director for Ovolo Australia also commented on the event, saying, “Diplomático and Alibi are the perfect alignment, with sustainability and innovations at the forefront of all they do.”
“We want to drive the message of just how easy it is to minimize our impact on people, animals and the entire planet.”
This event has clearly connected with diners and drinkers, as the May 4 date is now totally sold out.
Ovolo has recently made its ‘Veg Pledge’ to serve only vegetarian and vegan meals at its hotel restaurants and bars, having trialed this approach in 2020 under its ‘Year of the Veg’ campaign.
After the event, Bars & Clubs spoke to David Palacios, Global Communications and PR Manager for Diplomático Rum, about the brand’s sustainability practices, with particular attention paid to its ‘ISO 14001’ credential.
As David explained, the ISO 14001, while lesser-known than B Corp status or the ‘1% for the Planet’ campaign, is “an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system.”
David says the accreditation “helps organizations improve their environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders.”
“To be certified you need to comply with 100 per cent of the requirements, mapped out in 43 chapters.”
“The ISO 14001 standard’s main aim is to contribute to the ‘environmental pillar’, which is something we have been working on since the distillery first opened its doors.
“We are the only distillery in Venezuela to have this certification. We are proud to be pioneers in Latin America since 2009 with our certification renewed every two years,” David said.
David believes that with drinkers more aware than ever of the marketing practice of ‘greenwashing’, standards such as the ISO 14001 can offer reassurance to customers looking for genuinely sustainable products.
“Consumers are increasingly aware of the brands’ commitment to sustainability, and the trend towards ‘ethical consumption’ has grown even more pronounced since the onset of the ongoing health crisis,” David said.
“Today, consumers are not only looking for quality in the products they buy, but also for brands that are responsible for the impact they have on both the environment and society.”
In this regard, David feels that Diplomático is going above and beyond.
“Our ambition is to go one step further in our sustainability commitment and generate a positive impact by involving consumers in an important cause close to their hearts.”
“For this reason, we are committed to the fight against food waste – with our partners around the world, we want to encourage consumers to join us in this initiative,” David added.
Of course, the challenges that Diplomático is seeking to tackle go far further than anything that one brand can achieve, and to this end, David is hoping for greater support from consumers and the industry at large.
“We want to create awareness on this issue by partnering with NGOs and other key stakeholders to make a more significant impact in our fight against food waste,” David said.
The dinner at Alibi is an example of the sort of partnerships Diplomático is seeking to execute.
“At Diplomático, we envision our next initiatives in favor of sustainability as a joint commitment between ourselves, partners, importers and our consumers, whom we want to see actively participating with us.”
“This is the next challenge that we want to take on, and we hope that others in the drinks industry will do too,” David concluded.
The Diplomatico x Alibi Bar & Kitchen Sustainable Dinner series continues, with another event on Wednesday May 18. Tickets are available here, and retail for $150.
