Barcode: Bambara

Drink to the planet

It can be hard sometimes to justify the enormous amount of energy that goes into producing the food and beverages you find at most bars and restaurants. In recent years, of course, many places have begun incorporating eco-friendly practices into their operations as demand for locally grown and organic products has increased. Now, green-minded drinkers might ease their conscience further by imbibing at Bambara.

Like other hotels in the Kimpton Hotels Group, Hotel Marlowe - where Bambara is situated - works environmentally friendly products and practices into their mission. At Bambara, they do things like use only recycled materials for food packaging and recycle cooking oils for bio-diesel fuels. They also bottle their own water on the premises.

"We don't sell regular bottled water," says assistant general manager Bill McKinney. "We have our own in-house filtration system. That way we're not wasting glass, not paying for a ship to come over from Italy with Pellegrino."

With that approach in mind, Bambara is featuring a collection of "green" cocktails to celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday. For example, there's Green Aid (Square One Cucumber vodka, basil, lemonade, $11). To start, Square One is a certified organic spirit. And during the warmer months, the basil, along with other herbs like mint and rosemary, are grown in a garden at the hotel. The lemonade is from Jansal Valley, a farm in Massachusetts. It's a nice balance of tart and citrus with a wholesome vegetal taste. It's a green cocktail both literally and figuratively.

The Mother Earth (True Earth vodka, Makers Mark, Aperol, fresh tangerine juice, agave nectar, $10) is also worth a try for its blend of bitter, sweet, and fresh, natural citrus.

The Eco-rita (Herradura tequila, blue agave nectar, fresh lime juice, $12; below center) works a natural angle as well. Herradura is an organic spirit made with sustainable farming practices. It's an extraordinarily smooth tequila on its own, and at some bars, it's wasted with subpar margarita mix.

Here, the blue agave nectar gives it a natural sugar. The fresh lime juice is a nice touch as well, although that goes without saying. If you find yourself drinking at a bar somewhere that's not squeezing its own juice by now, slowly turn around and step away from the bar. And, perhaps, make Bambara your next stop.

Bambara, 25 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge. 617-868-4444. www.bambara-cambridge.com

Boston Globe