Sipping Sustainable Cocktails at voco
We’ve all heard of sustainable growing, dining and even wining, but sustainable cocktails? Really? It’s just what you’d expect from voco Kirkton Park, a progressive hotel with a conscious that’s committed to going the extra mile when it comes to sustainability.
Everything tastes better when it’s fresh, right? Which is why voco Kirkton Park have extended their sustainability philosophy to the cocktail menu. That’s right, the mixologists have just released a selection of cocktails that contain not only ingredients sourced from their onsite gardens but those of their preferred local supplier-collaborators.
According to Caleb Morris, Director of Sales and Marketing for voco Kirkton Park, the idea of sustainable cocktails was a natural progression for the hotel which altered their direction a few years back, with the purpose being to support more local producers and wineries. “The hotel originally engaged with contracted suppliers and one main winery, and when the new management team came on board we thought, that’s not fair on the winery down the road who are producing phenomenal Rosé, so let’s bring them in.”
As Caleb notes, “we try and play in that local space much more, which can be difficult but it’s so much more interesting to our guests who expect a certain quality of product and are looking for something different in their food and beverage experience.” Cue, their Six Signature Cocktails that have a hero element of produce from the estate as well as a hero local produce, gin or other aperitif.
Starting with the Honey Cocktail which features honey and lemons grown on the estate, the Rose which looks and tastes just as pretty as the name and actually contains dehydrated rose petals from voco Kirkton Park’s beautiful rose gardens. The new menu also includes the Lavender which is served with The Farmer's Wife Distillery Gin, a Rosemary which is topped with Margan's Off-Sweet Vermouth and the Mint which is a twist on the 'Old Cuban' classic served with Black Gate Rum from Mendooran.
Naturally, the wine list also celebrates local winemakers, even going so far as to feature specific Oakey Creek wineries (located in the immediate local area) and not just wines from the broader Hunter regions. voco Kirkton Park also have Vegan and Organic offerings from some of the Hunter Valley’s best.
As Caleb so eloquently puts it “whether it’s the ingredients for our cocktails or produce for Locavore [restaurant], it just makes sense to support and buy local. We want to help the Hunter Valley community prosper and at the same time, give our guests a unique experience. Something that they can’t get anywhere else in the Hunter Valley.”
Case in point is Drayton’s, one of, if not, the oldest wineries in the Hunter which is located on the same road as voco Kirkton Park. “That’s pretty significant for us", says Caleb. "It’s that emotional connectedness to the land, a celebration of our origins and our neighborhood that we want to be our point of difference."
Cheers to that.