Why Analogue Initiative won the Sustainability Award at Asia 50 Best Bars

Embracing experimentation  

Vijay Mudaliar is driven by a desire to embrace alternative methods, ingredients and technologies. This can be seen across the business; from the fully vegan drinks and food menu to the impressive 3D-printed bar made from 1,600kg of recycled plastic bottles and the tabletops made from mycelium spores, it’s obvious that creativity abounds. This is a business that’s happy to embrace experimentation.

Their approach is demonstrated perfectly through their cocktail, Cactus; designed to reflect the cactus’ resilience in a warming climate. Any leftover ingredients from the drink itself are blended with salt to create a rim for the glass.  

Sustainable sourcing  

All drinks and food served at Analogue Initiative are vegan. Staff are trained on bio-diverse ingredients, and their best-selling drink contains at least one bio-diverse ingredient. 

Drinks are designed to showcase local, seasonal and heritage ingredients, with seasonally changing cocktails showcased alongside regularly changing beers and an all-natural wine list. The bar doesn’t source fresh citrus, instead making use of locally available ingredients such as prickly pear and yuzu.

Analogue Initiative’s relationships with its suppliers are critical and highly valued. The bar deliberately chooses producers using sustainable production methods, and supports social enterprises and minority owned farms.  

A commitment to community 

The bar plays an important and involved role in the local community, working closely with local non-profit organisations. One company collects the bar’s leftover plastics and turns them into coasters; Analogue Initiative then buys back these coasters (at market price), while also offering the bar as a venue for masterclasses held by this organisation. Other items within the bar are sourced from local artists and producers, such as the specially commissioned ceramic cups.

Responsible drinking is made easy at Analogue Initiative: all cocktails are available in non-alcoholic versions, meaning that guests who are avoiding alcohol don’t need to compromise on range of options – or on flavour. 

Team members at Analogue Initiative receive a wide range of training and benefits, including sustainability training, diversity and inclusion training, visits to suppliers and producers, and opportunities to shadow other job roles both within the company and within other businesses.  

Environmentally friendly 

The bar has undertaken a carbon assessment of its menus and has written policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water management.  

The majority of all organic waste is composted and staff are regularly trained on waste management. ‘Single-use’ is simply not an option here: from napkins to cocktail sticks, everything in the bar is either re-usable or edible. If no sustainable alternative can be found for a particular item, that item is simply not offered.  

Closing the loop by finding innovative uses for by-products is a priority. An example is the mushroom soy reduction made from the leftover marinade created for one of the bars cocktails, the Smokey Jerky. By-product from the edible mushroom jerky garnish is also turned into mushroom crisps.  

As demonstrated through the bar’s coasters, table-tops and the 3D printed bar itself, collaboration with other local businesses plays a big part in finding uses for otherwise wasted materials.  

We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Vijay Mudaliar and the entire team at Analogue Initiative. Their commitment to sustainability and creativity in finding better alternatives are truly impressive. 

Is your bar, restaurant or hotel ready to embark on its sustainability journey? Learn how the Food Made Good Standard can provide practical steps towards measurable results.