​April is still roaring like a lion and we are hoping May will come in like a sunny, cheery lamb! The Chicagoland sunny then stormy and freezing weather is giving us whiplash! Stella and Sophia wanted to celebrate Earth month with planting a blueberry bush and a raspberry bush which we did in pots last week. They loved picking out and planting the berry bushes and it was great fun. Then, April whooshed in more freezing weather and the pots are in our hallway!

​While these chilly April days have flown by, we are still cheering on people who care about our planet and are celebrating businesses who are being good stewards. The Messy Mommies love a good cocktail and we love even more spirits brands that are innovative and focused on sustainability! We toasted three amazing companies last year!

​Today, we are sharing why we love how Maker’s Mark is making a wonderful mark in supporting our planet! A little back story first! The iconic Maker’s Mark bottle has been a part of our cocktails story for years. My husband, Tony’s grandfather, Anthony was a spirits salesman. Some of Anthony’s old cocktail glasses have found a new life in our home. Tony and my siblings love to make Manhattans and Old Fashions in those glasses and we toast to family, friends, old stories, and being together. I gave Tony a bar cart for Christmas which he loved. When I pass by the cart with the cocktail glasses and Maker’s Mark it makes my smile and think of special toasts together.
 
During the pandemic some of my family mastered fun cocktails. While there is an abundance of spirits choices for mixing the perfect cocktail, we love to support brands that also care about our planet. The iconic Maker’s Mark takes their responsibility of not only crafting exceptional whiskey but also executing exceptional sustainability practices.

​My daughter, Sophia did a school project on Kentucky so we love that the Maker’s Mark Distillery is located in Loretto, Kentucky! We love the innovation of the Maker’s Mark team and how they created a zero-landfill initiative that will re-purpose or recycle all waste from the Distillery by this summer! That is so amazing and it is so cool how employees and community neighbors can bring their recycled materials to the distillery. You might wonder how do you get to zero-landfill?! We sure did! Maker’s Mark has embraced onsite composting, recycling, and waste-to-energy processes. Collaboration and being a good neighbor are core to Maker’s Mark as you can see by how for decades they have provided spent distilling grains to local farmers as feed for animals. This also helps reduce the carbon footprint and impact on landfills.
 
Just like so many elements add up to make the perfect bottle of Maker’s Mark whiskey, so many eco-friendly actions add up to make a big impact for the distillery and our planet. From creating a 33-acre Natural Water Sanctuary of its grounds to preserve the watershed that feeds Bourbon Lake to pulverizing empty glass bottles into sand that can be reused for other projects to converting waste into reusable compost, helping our Earth is a way of life at Maker’s Mark.

​You know the Messy Mommies love deep traditions, family stories, and how to preserve things for our Messy kids and future generations. Well, we think the bourbon barrels are such a cool part of the bourbon story and are impressed with how Marker’s Mark is caring for the American White Oak trees which are used for the bourbon barrels. Maker’s Mark created the world’s largest research repository for American White Oak trees which acts as a living laboratory for more than 300 families of white oak trees. We love how they have collaborated with the University of Kentucky’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources to study the sustainability of the trees. This important work will help preserve the trees for many years to come!

While Earth Month is wrapping up, we know the amazing work to care for our planet will keep growing at Maker's Mark! We love how the Samuels family is carrying on the deep traditions at the Maker's Mark Distillery at Star Hills Farm! Rob, the Messy Mommies and our Messy crew would love to visit you all this summer! We can toast our families and friends and how you all are leading the way in sustainability and being wonderful stewards of our planet! In the meantime, Messy friends check out these great Maker's Mark cocktail recipes and how you could visit the Maker's Mark Distillery too!  

1. Noble Oak and Noble Hearts
If a bottle of Noble Oak Whiskey falls in a forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? We don't know the answer but you just might find a bottle of Noble Oak Whiskey in a forest since Noble Oak is planting an enormous amount of trees! For every Noble Oak bottle purchased, Noble Oak is planting a tree with the One Tree Planted organization! Noble Oak has already planted more than 203,496 trees! That is an amazing amount of trees and an amazing impact! We love Noble Oak's noble heart. Noble Oak is "on a mission to revitalize the earth by planting trees, building communities, and of course, enjoying great whiskey." We love this mission and the Noble Oak Double Oak Bourbon! You can also enjoy Noble Oak Double Oak Rye. 

Huge thanks to Tom from Noble Oak for sending us the great video message and toast from Noble Oak for our April Girls Night In! We talked about the impressive work of Noble Oak with planting so many trees and our Messy Girlfriends shared how they make great bourbon cocktails, put bourbon in hot tea, on a baby's gums when we were little, and even in sugar cookies! The Messy Mommies also love how Noble Oak is part of the Edrington brands. Edrington's sustainability strategy includes great people, giving more, cutting their carbon footprint, protecting water resources and more. Pick up a bottle of Noble Oak Whiskey today and they will plant a tree for you! What a fun way to celebrate Earth Month! Outstanding work Noble Oak and Edrington! ​

3. Ketel One 
Drawing on 300 years of distilling expertise, we love how the Nolet family and Ketel One are a driving force in promoting sustainability in cocktails and in inspiring bartenders to be innovative while thinking about their communities and the planet. Ketel One is helping the cocktail industry think differently about sustainability, is highlighting the positive impact of working with local growers, and is sharing how to create delicious zero-waste cocktails. Think about the lemon peel garnish in your favorite Ketel One Vodka Martini. What happens to the rest of the lemon? What happens to so many garnishes and other elements of cocktails? Instead of tossing so much waste into the trash, Ketel One is helping bartenders and bars around the world re-imagine cocktails and how to provide an even better drinking experience that will also care for our planet! Ketel One created the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Awards to highlight innovations such as climate-positive cocktails, sourcing raw materials with local farmers, and thinking about the use of straws and coasters. Even during the pandemic Ketel One Sustainable Award winners are adapting and innovating!  Cheers to your innovative work Nolet family and Ketel One!

We are also big fans of the garden inspired Ketel One Botanicals and love of the refreshing drinks are infused with natural essence of fresh, crisp and fragrant botanicals! The Messy Mommies are toasting the Nolet family and Ketel One with the Peach and Orange Blossom Ketel One Botanicals! Cheers! ​

Huge thanks to Noble Oak, Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, and Ketel One for caring about our planet, for driving innovation, and inspiring people make positive changes that will help the Earth for decades to come. Cheers to all of you from the Messy Mommies! ​

Baseball is back and the Messy Mommies are making a "Walk Son Song" playlist to share with you!

Walk on songs got a start in 1972 when Yankees reliever, Sparky Lyle, walked onto the mound with "Pomp and Circumstance!" Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" was a tune for one of our favs, @arizz_44. Join in on the fun and become part of our spring playlist! Share your Walk On song in the comments below!

One of my all time favorite Grammy Award winners is Sheryl Crow, winner of nine Grammy Awards! Several of her songs appear on my current workout playlists, but If I had to pick my ‘walk-on song’ for this spring season, Soak Up the Sun tops my list! Best line….”For every time I feel lame, I’m looking up!”
Meg’s ‘walk-on song’ would be Firework by Katy Perry and loves the lines, “If you only knew what the future holds, After a hurricane comes a rainbow, Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed, So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road.”

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