Longleaf Distilling Co., Middle Georgia’s only distillery, is shooting for a world record at the Lorax Lounge event on Halloween night, and the company says it will plant a tree for every Lorax-themed Cocktail sold.
Starting at noon on Oct. 31, Longleaf’s event will run through the whole day until the bar closes at 10 p.m.
“It really correlates with well with our tree planting initiative. The Lorax wants to save the trees, and, I mean, that’s pretty much exactly what we want to do,” says Longleaf Marketing Manager Sasha Rex, who organized the event.
Rex says the lounge event’s inspiration derived from the parallels between the Lorax’s story and Longleaf’s mission. The Lorax is the main character in the children’s story by Dr. Seuss, and the the mystical character defends his forest’s Truffula Trees from another character, the Onceler, who wanted to cut down trees to create fabrics called thneeds.
The company’s name comes from the Longleaf Pine Tree, an endangered species native to the Southeastern US that has dwindled in coverage by more than 94% , according to The Nature Conservancy.
Rex says, “How many trees are you going to cut down until there’s none?
In partnership with Mercer University, Rex says the company planted 50,000 of the endangered pines earlier this year. For every “For the Trees” cocktail sold, there will be a new pine planted through the partnership.
Rex says she encourages guests to wear Lorax-themed costumes, and if they arrive as the Lorax himself, Longleaf staff will add a yellow mustache to their “mustache counter” as they strive for an unofficial world record for most Loraxes in one place.
The drink was developed by Longleaf’s bartender and Production Assistant, Sean McMahon. He says the cocktail will have the distillery’s house-made Liqueur of Life and Ginger Liqueur. To match the Lorax’s orange fur, the cocktail will be mixed with orange juice.
“Liqueur of Life is a lemongrass aperitivo. It’s got a little bit of, like, a bitter herbiness, but most importantly it’s got good fall flavors with cinnamon and citrus. It’s my personal favorite of what we’ve got,” McMahon says. “It’s super simple and super tasty.”
Attendees can expect McMahon himself in a Lorax costume, a Halloween-themed lounge and great service from the staff, “nothing too extreme,” Rex says.
McMahon says guests will have a “quirky experience” to start their Halloween night, since the bar opens at noon and closes earlier than many other downtown hotspots.
“We’re trying to revitalize the ecosystem. We’re trying to plant the trees. We’re trying to give something back to the world.” Rex says. “Rather than just buying a bottle, you’re buying a bottle and buying this cocktail because it does something good for the Earth.”
