Röda Huset

Stockholm

Showcasing the Scandinavian landscape in every sip

The red house – in Swedish, röda huset – that hosts the winner of the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award 2023 is a place of innovation. When Hampus Thunholm opened the Stockholm bar in 2021, he went back to his formative years working at world-famous destination restaurant Fäviken for inspiration. Just as Fäviken chef Magnus Nilsson had insisted that every ingredient come from the local area, Thunholm set to apply the same philosophy to cocktails.

The first step was eliminating all citrus. Any bartender would find this a daunting task – but Thunholm got testing and tasting, and finally discovered he could achieve the same acidic effect with a mix of local varieties of berries and green apples. He then focused on his sourcing policy, foraging native ingredients extensively and collaborating with ethical suppliers, such as female-led Lilla Labäck and Swedish farmers collective Bondens Skafferi.

The more you dig into Röda Huset, the plainer Thunholm’s deep care becomes. On the building’s roof, he grows vegetation and dry meadow flowers that nurture pollinators and provide a habitat for several species. When he was renovating the building before opening, he set ambitious goals, such as curtailing the carbon footprint of the works by 24% and reducing waste ending in landfill to less than 2.5%.

Bar furniture is – of course – created by local artisans from wood, including the distinctive curved bar, while some glasses and decanters were made by an artist who works with recycled glass and a biogas furnace. Both staff and patrons are encouraged to cycle rather than drive to the bar, with bike facilities making this an easy task. It’s this holistic way of living and breathing sustainability that sets Röda Huset apart as the winner of the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award 2023.

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