Sustainable Native Journeys

Some sustanability pointers given to you by the new Altos Bartender’s Bartender Vijay Mudaliar

We would like to share some of the ethos and practices cultivated over our three years of exploring the local food system, and add our two cents’ worth to your thoughts on being mindful in your craft.

• Get Your Hands Dirty

We dig dirt. Our urban rooftop garden is 10 minutes away from the bar, set in the heart of the Business District. Growing food in the city means we utilize vacant spaces more effectively and adhere to urban permaculture principles, hoping to contribute to the dialogue around hyper-localization, and what that could look like. 

• Renewables

We’re big on renewables. We switched to these sun–drenched (solar) particles of hope a year back and have watched cost savings increase. Take the time to consider alternative energy suppliers and seek to understand the source and process of each provider’s service. 

• Celebrate Small

We do not discount our small size—it makes us nimble and quick to process ideas. Our horizontal, non-hierarchical team dynamic could be messy, but instead it fosters participatory discussions. Team input is welcomed and heard, leading to robust group decisions that reflect a diversity of views.

“I BELIEVE SUSTAINABLE BARTENDING IS HERE TO STAY AND IT WILL EVENTUALLY EVOLVE INTO SOMETHING THAT BECOMES THE NORM.” VIJAY MUDALIAR. ALTOS TEQUILA BARTENDERS’ BARTENDER OF THE YEAR, 2018.

• Adopt the Spirit of Tinker

We seek to cultivate a culture of tinkering: connecting loose ends within agro – food supply chains; working with discards from food hawkers and market vendors, and leftovers from our own preparations. Nothing is undervalued. Tinkering allows our team to find creative uses for these materials—ingredients from-the-ground-up. Try starting with something basic, such as making your own enzymatic cleaners using discarded citrus peels, sugar, and water. 

• Tap into networks

Akin to the rhizomatic networks of mycelium, having a community allows us to crowdsource ideas and scaffold knowledge. We are plugged into an ever-growing network of local artisans, makers, creatives, and others. Improving our understanding of sustainability would be impossible without the help and input of the local sustainability community, made up of environmental NGOs such as Conservation International (Singapore) and PM Haze, farmers, and urban gardeners. They, too, are our compadres at the bar. With them, we learn and grow every day.

Related:

Check out the video Vijay, the forager to learn more about he and his team’s sustainability work and philosophy, based on discovering the wonderful world of local ingredients that inspire and motivate them to create the very best cocktails.