Ask Umbra's pearls of wisdom on booze | Grist

Dearest readers,

Sitting down in the stacks today, I’ve got a lovely chardonnay on the brain as we amble into the weekend, so I can’t help but revisit some past alcoholic inquiries. And yes, most of these deal with the small stuff that I usually tell you not to sweat, but, hey, people ask, I answer. What eco-friendly beverage will you be cracking open when the clock strikes 5 p.m. today? Got a great recipe, perhaps involving your own homemade club soda? Let me know in the comments below.

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Drivin’ N Buyin’.
Don’t drink and drive, obvs, but also don’t drive and drink. Cranking up our cars to go buy alcohol is, by far, the worst impact (on the planet, at least) of our collective drinking problem. Bike to the bar, walk to the liquor store, pogo stick to the grocer. Whatever you do, try to skip the gas-guzzler in order to get your own guzzling going. Get the full Ask Umbra answer.

Shot through the heart and Jell-O’s to blame.
Ah, the age-old question of how to green your Jell-O shots. Well, unless you plan to reuse your tiny plastic cups over and over and over again, opt for little paper ones. Or better yet, pour the shots into reusable ice cube trays to chill. Get the full Ask Umbra answer.

We’ve got spirits; yes, we do.
And organic ones at that. Yep, nowadays, there are awesome options for organic wine, beer, liquor, and bubbly. So you can get your drink on, knowing that your beverage wasn’t produced using tons of chemical pesticides and that you’re supporting organic farmers. And rumor has it that drinking organic can cut down on hangovers. Hmm. You’ll have to test that one out to be sure. Get the full Ask Umbra answer.

Put the lime in the coconut.
Or in your beer bottle, without sweating how to remove it before recycling. Yes, bottles with little lime wedges inside can still be recycled; it’ll all get sorted out at the recycling facility. Looking for a tasty beer to pop that lime into? Check out Tom Philpott’s organic beer tasting results. Get the full Ask Umbra answer and video.

Put a cork in it.
More specifically, a natural cork. When it comes to a stopper for your wine bottle, cork comes in first place for having the least impact on the planet, plastic comes in second, and aluminum screw caps take last place. Plus, you can shred up the cork for mulch or composting. Get the full Ask Umbra answer.