According to the National Park Service, Americans use 500 million straws a day. That’s enough straws to fill 125 school buses.
More often than not, these straws are made of plastic and not recycled. Some businesses, like Aramark, which serves 2 billion meals daily across 19 countries, has set a goal of reducing 60% of straws in their operations by 2020. Other businesses have created straw alternatives, like Starbucks’ “sippy lid.”
But what if a straw is part of the experience of a product? In a perfect world, all beverages would be straw-less, but what about some cocktails, in particular, pre-mixed canned libations? A paper or compostable straw would be a better step forward for sure, but these straws could still end up as litter or in landfills.
As part of their goal to reduce plastics used in their operations, Diageo has created an innovative solution to cocktail straws—make them an edible garnish.
Packaged in paper, these straws are flavored to pair with some of their premixed cocktails: Pimm’s & lemonade comes with a strawberry flavored straw, Gordon’s gin and Schweppes tonic includes a lemon flavored straw, Bailey’s and iced latte is paired with a chocolate flavored straw, Captain Morgan’s rum and cola is served with a lemon flavored straw, and Smirnoff and cranberry comes with a lime flavored straw.
These flavored straw pairings echo the traditional garnishes that come with these classic drinks. They also serve as a cocktail enhancer, all while reducing single-use plastic.
It’s a creative alternative that’s better for the environment and only enhances the consumer experience.
No word yet on whether or not you can eat the paper wrapper for the straw, but we’re pretty sure that weird kid we sat next to on the bus in middle school has some thoughts about that.
