Drink Up: Fair Trade Vodka
So you're having a cocktail party fundraiser to help victims of human trafficking, but you don't want to serve any beverages that may be tainted by slavery. What do you do? Why, serve Fair brand vodka, the first Fair Trade certified vodka on the market.
The Fair Trade alcohol industry is still way under legal drinking age. A few options for wine and beer are available online, but most are still very hard to find in local grocery store or liquor stores (and I've looked). That's one of the reasons everyone thought Fair founder Jean- Francois Daniel was crazy when he set out to create a Fair Trade liquor. Well, that and the fact that he gave up a job that allowed him to sip cognac with Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. But Daniel showed them it could be done and launched Fair brand vodka.
Fair vodka is made from organic quinoa grown by farmers in Ecuador. It's distilled in France. And according to at least one blind taste test in New York earlier this year, it's delicious enough to win "Best Unflavored Vodka." Fair will be available online and at selected distributors as of September 2009, so check back with their website for details. I certainly hope it will be available in the U.S., but I wouldn't be surprised if this is initially launched in a European market.
To help get you excited about your next cocktail party/human trafficking fundraiser, here are a couple of my favorite cocktail recipes that I've doctored up with a Fair Trade twist:
The Bloodless Mary
1 1/2 ounces Fair vodka
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Tabasco to taste
1 celery stick for garnish
1 lemon wedge for garnish
The Fairsmopolitan
1 oz Fair vodka
1 oz orange liqueur
1 dash cranberry juice
1 dash lime juice
Happy drinking!








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