A bar located in downtown Sudbury has unveiled what it calls the "Farmed and Foraged" program to incorporate local ingredients and flavours into its popular cocktails. The initiative comes out of The Alibi Room, a club located at 113 Durham Street.
In a news release, Alibi bar owner Kyle Marcus revealed the new program builds on its "sustainable bar" program to educate consumers "about the rich flavours that surround them but also supports those in need within the community."
Marcus said the initiative is the brainchild of general manager Daniel Cronin.
"We do specialize in creating cocktails from scratch,” he said. “So we're making our own syrups, and making our own juices from the ingredients we can find.”
Marcus said this includes adding flower and plant ingredients, such as peonies, lilacs, elderberry leaves and other varieties.
"We even did a dandelion cocktail, which is fantastic," Marcus said.
"Building upon its national award-winning Sustainable Bar Program, The Alibi Room is proud to introduce its newest program, Farmed and Foraged. This program is a deviation that expands upon the bar's commitment to connecting vulnerable populations to the land that surrounds them. Farmed and Foraged not only educates consumers about the rich flavours that surround them but also supports those in need within the community," said the release.
Marcus further explained that part of the idea is to connect bar clientele with traditional northern flavours that come from the environment and are added to the menu.
"The idea was, in particular, connecting our Indigenous vulnerable population back to their elders, back to their heritage, back to their land. And, you know, then offer them an honorarium while they're out there as well as an honourarium for whatever they would bring back. So that way, we can pay them on two levels," he explained.
Marcus said the bar and its staff were pleased to be picking up an initiative that is sustainable and sets an example for the community.
"We are excited and honored to show off the delicious flavors that exist all around us in seasonal patterns. We are even more excited to learn how we can be better global citizens, better to our local landscape, and develop more ways in which we can lead by example," Marcus said.
