Every year on April 22, over a billion people from all over the world take action for Earth Day.

Some of things people do is clean up their communities, plant trees and contact their elected officials, all for the sake of the environment. One easy way to get involved is to participate in the farm-to-table or farm-to-bar movement. Farm-to-table refers to a movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. Many bars and restaurants around the world participate in this movement and use only fresh foods that have been grown locally on their food and beverage menus. The farm-to-bar movement includes using fresh, organic fruits and vegetables in cocktails and for garnishes, and also using organically-produced spirits.

Weisi Li, bartender at farm-to-table institution Blue Hill, has created some easy-to-make cocktails from seasonal ingredients featuring American Harvest, a 100% organic vodka distilled in the U.S. American Harvest is handcrafted in small batches from USDA-certified organic winter wheat grown on a family-owned and sustainably managed farm located in Rigby, Idaho. American Harvest adheres to strict sustainability guidelines during production. These include Sustainable Agriculture (using organic, locally-sourced materials including water from aquifers deep beneath the Snake River plain – which gives a distinctly clean and crisp character), Wind Power (one-third of the monthly electrical consumption at the distillery comes from local wind generated power), Reuse & Repurpose (unused materials from the distillation process are used as cattle feed), and Recyclable Glass (American Harvest bottles are 100% recyclable and are coated and decorated with organic inks and water-soluble varnishes).

Prairie Organic Spirits are made with organic, non-GMO corn grown exclusively on family-owned Midwest farms that also embrace sustainable farming methods. After being meticulously cultivated and crafted, farmers then recycle the leftover corncobs to create bio-fuel and feed.

This Earth Day, why not consider how you can incorporate environmentally-conscious beverages into your drinks rotation? For environmentally-friendly cocktails perfect for this Earth Day, try the cocktail recipes below, and check out the upcoming issue of Chilled Magazine which features the Artisan’s Journey and farm-to-bar movement of craft cocktails.

Harvest Basil Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 2 parts American harvest
• 4 parts Fresh or all natural lemonade
• 3 Basil leaves
• 2 Lemon slices
• 1/2 parts simple syrup

Preparation: Muddle the basil, simple syrup and fresh lemonade; Add ice, American Harvest and lemonade. Stir with a spoon and serve.

Spring Harvest

Ingredients:

• 2 parts American Harvest
• 3 cucumber slices
• 3 fresh lime slices (Sliced thin)
• 4 basil leaves
• 1/4 parts Agave Nectar
• Cucumber slice, basil leaf and lime wedge for garnish

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a shaker and add ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish and serve

Earth Day Smash

Ingredients:

• 2 parts American Harvest
• 4 blackberries
• 4 raspberries
• 4 mint leaves
• 1/4 parts Agave Nectar
• Ginger Beer
• Mint Sprig, blackberry and a raspberry for garnish

Preparation: Combine the berries and mint in a shaker with ice with all the ingredients except the ginger beer. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a glass and add crushed ice on top. Top with more crushed ice and garnish.

Garden Variety

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Prairie Cucumber Flavored Vodka
• 2 1-inch cubes of seedless watermelon
• 1 diced lime (bitter ends removed)
• 1 oz organic agave nectar
• Salt
• 1 cucumber slice

Preparation: Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, then serve in a lowball glass over ice with a lightly salted rim. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.