Pretty much everything is going Green these days. Good for the planet – yes, but also great for marketing. So get ready for green alcohol, and we don’t mean absinthe (well, not yet). Vodka360.com is selling ‘green’ vodka. Touting everything from packaging to production as being eco-friendly. Here’s a run down.

• Uses locally grown grain
• State of the art distilling equipment that uses 200% less energy than ‘pot distilling’
• EPA approved water treatment plant
• Reduced sulfur dioxide and VOC emissions
• 85% recycled glass
• 100% recycled eco-friendly paper for labeling
• Water based inks

Here’s a hi-ball with a bit of history. Seems back in 1961, an American company acquired the rights to distribute Smirnoff Vodka. Before this time, vodka was considered a pretty rare and unpopular liquor. No one in the U.S. knew what to do with it. Gin was king. The American company meant to give gin a run for its money with their Smirnoff. John Martin, an employee of the company, was sitting in a bar one day contemplating how to market this vodka. He overheard the bar owner complaining that he had way too much ginger beer just delivered. John and the owner talked. The two ended up mixing ginger beer and vodka together and added a dash of lime juice to provide a bit more character. Bingo! The Moscow Mule was invented. The word “Moscow” was used in the name as a tip of the hat to the land of Vodka. The drink was originally served in copper mugs for an extra exotic touch. James Bond came along the following year and provided yet another use for the Russian potato juice.

This drink has a surprising punch of character. Very easy to drink.

Here we go –

Pour vodka and lime juice into a hi-ball glass. Add cracked ice. Pour ginger beer to fill. Garnish with a wedge of lime on glass. Add a stirrer.

Here’s a drink my Dad used to whip up during our Family’s two weeks at the beach back in the early 70’s. I have great memories of my Dad wearing his Robert Culp shades mixing up this drink for his pals while the wives had us kids down on the beach. Apparently, the Harvey Wallbanger was named and or created for/by a California Surfer in the early 1960’s. Old Harvey had a habit of wiping out while surfing and would head on off to a local bar to nurse his aches and pains. He’d end the day drinking vodka and Galliano liquor with a little orange juice to tie it all together. He’d end the night by banging into walls on his way out of the bar. This is a wonderful Spring/Summer cocktail; a great cap on a day out on the golf course or before a barbeque. The drink calls for Galliano Italian Liquor. Easy to find, this yellow liquor tastes like a combination vanilla and licorice with a nice sent of flowers. Not too expensive and nice to have at your bar.

Here we go –

Pour the vodka and o.j. into a medium tall glass filled with cracked ice. Stir. Float the Galliano on top of the drink by slowly pouring over the bottom of a bar spoon. Garnish with an orange slice and a straw.