It’s finally here: a luscious liqueur that’s good for you and the environment. The brainchild of eco-chic entrepreneurs Courtney and Carter Reum, VeeV has catapulted the açaí berry—a fruit known for its antioxidants and health benefits—from the Brazilian Rainforest to the martini glasses of the country’s most influential tastemakers. Creating awareness in the industry while giving consumers a green option, the Chicago-born brothers discovered açaí during a surfing trip to Brazil and combined their personal philosophies and passions to change the way people think about exotic cocktails. “VeeV has given us a cause and a purpose,” says Courtney. “We have taken increasingly larger steps to become a socially minded, green company.” As the first and only certified carbon neutral liqueur corp. in the world, VeeV is a business of many eco-friendly firsts.

Grown and harvested in the rainforests of the Amazon, açaí is considered to be the healthiest food on the planet. Packed with nutrients, the dark purple berry contains 57 percent more antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries and 30 times more heart-healthy anthocyanins than red wine. Renowned dermatologist and best-selling author Dr. Nicholas Perricone is a fan of the fruit, claiming it’s his “No. 1 superfood,” and according to Dr. Perricone, açaí’s powerful nutrients fight premature aging, promote cardiovascular and digestive health and are essential to proper muscle contraction and regeneration. VeeV, a 60 proof liqueur that mixes like vodka but with a smoother finish, fuses this exotic berry with 100 percent all-natural ingredients to form a handcrafted, column distilled base wheat spirit available at high-end restaurants and lounges in the nation’s hottest spots, from Miami to L.A. and Las Vegas.

Açaí grows atop Amazonian palm trees, which locals call the “trees of life” and attribute mystical powers of vitality. Its growing popularity has led to more sustainable farming, financial support for growers and biodiversity protection. To further these causes, VeeV donates $1 for each bottle sold to its charitable partners Sambazon’s Sustainable Açaí Project, which benefits the families and farming communities that live in the Rainforest and harvest the berries, ensuring that the fruit is “wild harvested” to preserve the surrounding ecosystem. $35 per 750 ml bottle; at veevlife.com.

Eau De VeeV
2 oz. VeeV Açaí Spirit
1 wedge of lemon
1 wedge of lime
1 wedge of orange
0.75 oz. Rose’s Lime Juice
3 oz. tonic water
Fill a highball glass with ice. Squeeze the fruit wedges and drop them in. Add VeeV and the lime juice and stir. Add tonic and garnish with a citrus wheel.

Spa Cooler
1.5 oz. VeeV Açaí Spirit
4 sprigs of fresh mint
(can also substitute basil or sage)
4 slices of cucumber
0.5 oz. triple sec
0.5 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. lime juice
In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, place the simple syrup and mint and muddle well. Add VeeV, ice and the rest of ingredients and shake vigorously. Double stain over ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a mint sprig.