Vancouver bar removes controversial plant from cocktail menu
Cocktail bars are known for their creativity in the types of garnishes they use, but one Vancouver establishment has removed a controversial plant from its menu due to the potential health risks it may pose.
Bartholomew Bar, located in Vancouver’s Yaletown, is a local hotspot for wine and cocktails. Until recently, it has used baby’s breath as a garnish for a cocktail called the Momotaro.
Baby’s breath (known scientifically as Gypsophila) has tiny white flowers and long green stems and is commonly used in floral arrangements.
Baby’s breath is commonly used in floral arrangements. (KABIR PRO/Shutterstock)
Bartholomew’s owner, Michael Gayman, told Daily Hive that at his establishment, both management and the bar team are collectively involved in menu development and the selection of drink garnishes.
“In an effort to keep things fun, interesting and aesthetically pleasing, we –like many cocktail bars– occasionally use garnishes that are not intended for consumption,” he said.
Baby’s breath is popular in the cocktail world
The Vancouver bar is not alone in having used baby’s breath as a cocktail garnish. If you search for “baby’s breath cocktail” on Instagram or TikTok, hundreds of posts will come up, showing drinks decorated with the flower. It’s likely you’ll come across the garnish at other bars in the city as well.
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While the tiny plant seems harmless, there are some potential health risks that could develop if it’s ingested or touched.
Linda Jennings, a botanist and curator of the UBC Herbarium at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, explained to Daily Hive that baby’s breath is not something you want to eat.
“…It’s a known skin irritant. … And if we’re being introduced to a new food item, it could actually trigger an allergic response with somebody. Or if they’re on heart medications, it could cause that one person to have a massive problem,” explained Jennings, adding that the flower also may result in stomach issues and pain if eaten.
There are also dangers with the plant that may not be visible to the naked eye, she noted.
“I will tell you right now, all of baby’s breath is pesticides. There’s no way anybody is growing this organically,” said Jennings. “So [you could be] putting pesticides inside your drink on top of a plant that could [possibly] do harm.”
While many patrons do remove garnishes from drinks that they know aren’t edible, there’s always a risk that someone could ingest them, unaware of the consequences.
“So a restaurant is really risking a problem, maybe not for the many but for the few,” said Jennings.
Vancouver bar says it respects all guest feedback
The issue of baby’s breath was recently brought to Bartholomew’s attention by a concerned patron who also contacted Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) about the matter. That prompted the Vancouver bar to remove it from its menu.
VCH confirmed with Daily Hive that it did receive a complaint from a customer about the use of baby’s breath at the bar.
“Baby’s breath is not an edible flower; ingesting it may cause mild gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting or diarrhea,” said the health authority.
“A VCH Environmental Health Officer contacted the operator of Bartholomew and directed them to remove baby’s breath as a garnish; the operator agreed to do so.”
Gayman said that his team did research into the use of baby’s breath as a garnish.
A stock image of baby’s breath used as a cocktail garnish. (zanthrea/Shutterstock)
“We were unable to come across a single instance where someone claimed to suffer harm from this garnish. The vast majority of information, which is somewhat divided, states that it can be toxic if consumed in large quantities, and I would like to highlight that it was simply a garnish and not in any way an ingredient in the drink itself (the Momotaro),” he explained.
“That being said, this is the first time in almost six years of operation that a guest has taken issue with a garnish of ours and as we respect all guest feedback and take it seriously we did decide to discontinue its use.”
The use of the garnish and its popularity speak to how the cocktail and bar industry at large should take caution when it comes to what is being used to decorate drinks, noted Jennings.
In her interview with Daily Hive, she explained that while researching baby’s breath used as a cocktail topper, she came across social media posts that featured other plants with potential dangers as garnishes.
“People do want to make things pretty,” said the botanist.
“You can always put the garnish on the outside, right? So you can, you can garnish it, possibly by clipping it on the outside and not having it touch the lip. But I would be picking items that you know are edible.”