While extravagant cocktails covered in gold and billowing dry ice were once all the rage in the UAE, the trend for excessive and wasteful beverages is thankfully starting to die down.
In recent years, we have seen a surge in bars offering sustainable wines, spirits and now, conscious cocktails – that use every part of the fruit, incorporate homegrown herbs, repurpose waste, and even contribute to charity – are also on the rise.
Whether you’ve got visitors in town, or you simply want to wind down after a long day at work, these bars deliver the perfect combination of stunning views, upbeat vibes, and impressively ethical mixology skills.
Amazónico, DIFC
Inspired by the Amazon rainforest, few Dubai bars are as gorgeous as Amazónico. But don’t think that it’s all about appearances only. A bar with a strong social conscience, the global brand is a partner of non-profit organisation One Planted Tree, and it is on a mission to really make a difference. Since 2020, Amazónico has planted one tree in the 1.9-billion-acre Amazon River Basin for every sale of its Save the Jungle cocktail.
Now at 33,000 trees and counting, the refreshing and slightly sweet Caipirinha-like cocktail is also available in an alcohol-free version. Plus, with every sale contributing to saving endangered species, and restoring the biodiversity of the Amazon Forest, it would be rude not to try at least one – wouldn’t it?
BOCA, DIFC
Awarded with a Michelin Green Star and named Sustainable Kitchen of the Year by Gault&Millau UAE, it should come as no surprise to see the incredible BOCA in this list. Powered by 100 per cent renewable energy and immensely proactive when it comes to waste management, nothing symbolises its dedication to sustainability like its eclectic cocktail menu.
Made from whole fruits (including seed and pulp), adorned with garnishes made from dehydrated fruit skins, and completed with one-of-a-kind regional ingredients such as white Omani Frankincense, UAE-born Boon coffee, and bitters made from local desert plants, you’ll struggle to find a more exciting and ethical list of concoctions in Dubai. Also available with Lyre’s alcohol-free spirits, the tempting after-work happy hour provides the ideal opportunity to give them a whirl.
Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
Many of the cocktails offered across the 12 bars and restaurants at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers come flavoured and adorned with herbs, fruits, and vegetables from the hotel’s hydroponic farm. With 10kg of produce harvested per day, there’s plenty to go around, too. If you’re there in the daytime, head to the beautiful swim-up Lillet Pool Bar for refreshing mojitos and multiple different spritz varieties, or visit the very slick and lofty Ray’s Bar for a sophisticated night to remember. Perched on the 62nd floor, its panoramic sunset views are simply out of this world.
COYA Abu Dhabi , Four Seasons Abu Dhabi
Another striking venue that maintains strict zero waste standards, COYA Abu Dhabi’s iconic Peruvian pisco sours and other famously creative cocktails are enhanced with homemade ingredients like orange and pink peppercorn marmalade, and fresh plants and herbs grown in an onsite hydroponic farm. Along with reducing the need to import from overseas, making everything from scratch also ensures that every drink is of the same amazingly high quality, and the bar team loves to experiment by infusing and flavouring its own Pisco blends.
Completed with an intricate Incan-inspired interior, a spectacular waterfront terrace, plenty of tasty vegan dishes, and sustainable staff uniforms crafted by Peruvian artisans, it proudly remains one of the liveliest and most unique places to dine and unwind in the UAE capital.
Ginger Moon, W Dubai – Mina Seyahi
Ultra trendy and bohemian, Ginger Moon has long championed zero-waste food and drink, and there are few more picturesque places to enjoy a refreshing, guilt free cocktail in Dubai. Set by the hotel’s sweeping infinity pool, the views over the sparkling blue waters of The Palm are breathtaking, and its new menu of ethical sips offers something for all tastes. Inspired by the theme of ‘New Californian’ – in other words laid-back recipes made to be enjoyed by the ocean – the playful concoctions are all made with produce from the onsite hydroponic farm, and locally sourced fruit and veg, too.
Offering a cool avocado cocktail with mezcal, tequila, and avocado shrub, a classic Paloma with tequila, grapefruit juice, and kaffir lime cordial, and an exotic Aztec-themed creation with pisco, gin, and homemade cinnamon syrup, it’s a postcard-pretty spot for an extra special sundowner.
Laguna Beach Taverna & Lounge, Sofitel Dubai The Palm
Set against the majestic backdrop of the Palm Jumeirah skyline, Laguna Beach Taverna & Lounge invites you to soak up the winter sun in style. Completed with wooden and wicker furniture, it’s a masterclass in boho chic vibes, and you’re bound to fall in love with its friendly vibe and relaxed ambiance.
Committed to reducing waste and operating as ethically as possible, the talented bar team have elevated their efforts by creating a dedicated selection of ‘whole fruit cocktails’. Designed to use every part of each fruit (right down to the skin and rind and any leftover pulp), the innovative and multi sustainability award-winning Dragon Fantasy – made with homemade lemon peel cordial, leftover chickpea tin water, and dragon fruit-peel garnish – should be top of your list to sample first.
Time Out Market Dubai, Souk Al Bahar
The quirky and edgy Time Out Market Dubai has upped its eco-friendly efforts recently, and we couldn’t approve more. Intended as a tribute to sustainability, the new graffiti-style mural by Dubai-based artist Muhriz Murad is crafted from old Time Out issues, while the food hall’s newly revamped bar programme includes a series of low-waste processes. Around 40 percent of the drink garnishes are now made from unused kitchen ingredients, and eco-conscious drink brands, organic and locally sourced ingredients, and refined sugar alternatives are now favoured in every drink.
If you only have time for one cocktail, make it the signature Time Out Market Zero Cocktail topped with repurposed bell peppers, or the romantic Heartbeat Cocktail, made with real hibiscus flowers.
