Creative cocktail bar and restaurant brand The Alchemist is best known for its theatrical drinks and all-day menu, but it’s not all smoke and mirrors. Underneath all the liquid nitrogen, froth and bubbles is a serious ethos of sustainability and zero waste that goes beyond biodegradable straws.
Alchemy is about making amazing transformations, so the popular hospitality company has introduced ‘five pillars of change’ to make a positive difference to lead change within the industry.
The Alchemist’s sustainability efforts include setting energy saving targets throughout the venues, training staff on recycling and waste separation, and using UK and local suppliers to reduce transport costs. Cooking oil is collected and turned into bio-diesel to operate delivery vehicles, together with their ORCA waste management systems means less pick-ups at the venues. Their investment into being a carbon-neutral company is the first step of many in their commitment to protecting the planet.
They work with charity partners such as Foodinate and Chase the Rainbow, donate and plant trees though a 99p bill contribution and are proud to work with brands that share the same sustainability ethos when choosing the very best tasting products in their menus.
They choose partner brands based on their ESG operations such as Canaima gin who are responding to South American deforestation and Sapling spirits who plant a tree for every bottle.
To showcase some of their efforts, they’ve crafted a sustainable food and cocktail menu in association with Meatless Farm, Discarded, Ellers Farm Distillery and Sipsmith. (Even the menus are printed on carbon balanced 100% recycled post-consumer waste pulp.)
The menu launches on 19th October but we went along to try some of the dishes and meet some of the producers at a preview of their sustainable supper club.
In true Alchemist style, things began with a cocktail. In this case, a Green Gimlet made with Dutch Barn Vodka, cucumber and mint syrup, lemon and lime which we had to sip out of some scientific glass contraption.
No citrus fruit are wasted at Alchemist, all peels and skins get recycled into garnishes and syrups.
The first course was a plant-based ‘tuna cracker’ made with Meatless Farm tuna on a black rice cracker with yuzu-kosho and pickled cucumber. It was slightly chewier than regular tuna – to its credit – but otherwise indiscernible. You’d really never know the difference – and you’re not contributing to over-fishing. Meatless Farm’s award-winning plant-based tuna is 100% vegan, high in protein, low in sugars, uses natural flavourings and is a source of Omega-3.
The menu was also a carbon efficient way to travel the world. Next, a meat free ‘taco’, with crispy harissa Meatless Farm mince, tahini and preserved lemon, all stuffed into a baby gem lettuce leaf. This was followed by a shredded Meatless Farm ‘duck’ bao bun with miso mayo, lettuce and fresh chilli. The Mince is made from pea protein but looks, cooks and tastes like beef mince.
Time for another drink and the next cocktail was a ‘recycled paper plane’ made with Banana Peel Rum from zero-waste spirits brand, Discarded Spirits, Aperol, red Wine and Averno Amaro. By creating drinks out of ingredients that would otherwise have been wasted, undiscovered flavours are unearthed along the way.
Even the garnish was made using dehydrated pulp from strained citrus juices.
The next course was a grilled skewer of teriyaki meatless farm chicken marinated in white soy, maple and fermented chilli. Alchemist also want to celebrate vegetables along with meat substitutes, so we were also served deep-fried smashed potatoes with smoked sea salt and vegan truffle aioli. There was also a bowl of barbecued baby leeks with black garlic vinaigrette, furikake shoestring fries and nori.
A dessert cocktail named ‘carrot top’ rounded things off. Served in an edible Stroodles cup it was a boozy mix of Sipsmith lemon gin, Kings ginger, carrot cake orgeat, vanilla, marmalade and white chocolate foam – although they’ll happily substitute that for vegan aquafaba on request.
Click HERE for more information on The Alchemist’s sustainability ethos and follow @thealchemistuk on instagram
The Alchemist, 3 Hardman Street, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3HF
