The alcohol industry has gone green. From bars specializing in (eco)cktails to spirits culled from the world's most preeminent "superfruit," vice is becoming — dare we say it — virtuous.

Sugarcane

Andrew Adams grew up just around the corner from where his new eco-centric concept, Sugarcane, now stands. Adams and his brother, Doyle, (also owners of the Washington Avenue Drinkery) owned the now defunct Corkscrew, but closed it when the wine bar market exploded to reevaluate their niche.

What emerged was an eco-friendly bar showcasing organic spirits and somewhat elaborate cocktails (it is not meant for a Drinkery-sized crowd; my favorite cocktail, the Cucumber Mist, takes some time to prepare).

I chatted with Adams a few days after their grand opening about the concept and the trend toward healthy(er) drinking. He first encountered organic spirits in New York, when he tried an organic vodka drink. Adams had known there were organic wines, but hadn't realized that nearly every liquor had an organic counterpart.

"It's no longer a movement, you know. It's a fact of life," he says.

We've all heard (and spread) the health benefits of red wine and chocolate, but can it really be argued that drinking is, you know, healthy?

"We're trying to do the best we can. We're still a bar — but we are trying to give you a healthier alternative," Adams says.

Is it effective?

Adams laughs, "If you drink enough, the result's the same."

Adams draws parallels to the paper/plastic conundrum at the check-out line. It's a minute decision with one only infinitesimally better than the other, but a million of those decisions (or cocktails) over the alternative might just make a difference.

But don't call him a bleeding green heart.

"We're not green certified and we'll never be," Adams says. "Are we eco-friendly? Yes. Emphasis on the friendly."

VeeV

One of the organic options featured prominently at Sugarcane is VeeV, an Acai-infused spirit brand (and the first carbon-neutral alcohol company in the world). Founded by two extremely cute brothers who quit their jobs on Wall Street to focus full time on their drinking, the first bottle was sold in Los Angeles in summer 2007 out of the back of the boys' car. (Now it's in 40 states.)

Courtney Reum, the elder of the two, says he and his brother saw a hole in the alcohol market.

"It hadn't really evolved compared to some other industries," Reum says. "And we were sick of drinking Red Bull vodka and soda."

Their background in finance positioned them well, but neither brother anticipated launching a liquor company.

"Four years ago if you told me I was going to be starting an alcohol brand I'd have said you were crazy," Reum says, "but I guess I'm a new-age treehugger. The term someone told me recently was scuppie — it's a socially conscious yuppie."

Although he characterizes himself as somewhat of a promiscuous drinker (it's an occupational hazard), Reum says he best enjoys his own brand on the rocks with a bit of lime or, in the summertime, cut with lemonade and garnished with mint.

Grab one at Sugarcane — I'll join you.