Graffiti Spirits Group’s ‘sustainable drinks lab’ is shortlisted for Innovator of the Year in the Restaurant Marketer and Innovator Awards
Independent Liverpool restaurant-bar business Graffiti Spirits Group (GSG) has been shortlisted for a national award.
The already award-winning group operates nine different venues across the city and this year launched a ‘sustainable drinks lab’ which focuses on helping the group to reduce its carbon footprint and cut their waste by 70%.
The lab, which is spearheaded by GSG director John Ennis, has been shortlisted for Innovator of the Year in the Restaurant Marketer and Innovator Awards alongside huge nationwide brands including Carluccio’s, Cafe Rouge and All Bar One.
GSG’s lab focuses on producing its own syrups, creams, liqueurs, bitters and jams that make up the cocktails which are available across the group’s multiple venues.
These include Slim’s on Bold Street, speakeasy bar 81 Ltd, Rodizio pizzeria Santa Maluco, Bold Street Coffee and Duke Street Food and Drink Market, where its mezzanine bar is entirely supplied by cocktails that have been made from the lab’s ingredients.
The lab was created when the group realised they were wasting a lot of perishable products and set about making a big change to adopt more sustainable methods, with the lab helping to heavily reduce waste and speed up service.
It also ensures quality control as cocktails are produced in batches meaning that guests receive the same great cocktail every time.
The lab team handle the ingredients with care to ensure they get the most of them with preservation being taken to the next level to ensure the cocktails have a fresh taste. They also use other techniques from sous vide cooking, carbonation, freeze distilling, filtration and pressurised batching.
Mr Ennis, said: “We’re very excited that the lab has been acknowledged alongside some big national brands. As a group we’ve made a real transition into adopting more sustainable methods and there’s a huge focus on reducing our carbon footprint across the whole group.”
The winners of the Restaurant Marketer and Innovator Awards will be announced in a ceremony on January 22, 2020, at Cafe De Paris in London.