Earthfriendly Imbibing
EXPERIMENTATION for the sake of sustainability makes Lost Whale (2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) one of the most innovative and environmentally progressive craft cocktail bars in the city. On opening night in July, owners Tripper Duval and Daniel Beres used the normally discarded hulls and “goop” (left from juicing strawberries for soda) to enhance a simple syrup for a kegged batch of Tom Collins. If you want to see their brains working, give them something that normally gets tossed away, like croissants from a local coffee shop that gave them the idea to craft an unusual liqueur made of pastry-steeped (and strained) orange curaçao. These salvaged creations find their way onto a special chalkboard, which could feature three limited-release cocktails or none, the owners say, depending on the bar’s waste and customer demand. And the cocktail shown here, Oops Not Berry’s (bourbon and rye whiskey, with Crunch Berries cereal-infused coconut milk, Jolly Good fruit punch, amaretto and a blue whale gummy), is an apt manifestation of the Whale’s eco-conscious mindset.