Trend Alert! Hotels Brew their Own Booze!
The bartenders at these hotels are so wholehearted about hooch, they're mixing their own blends. Pull up a stool!
English-Style Ales in Vermont
Vermont's Norwich Inn has been brewing beers in the English style since 1797. But until recently, they were only equipped to make three 5-gallon jugs at a time. After adding on a four-barrel brewhouse, they now turn out 125-gallon batches of English ale and 15 other brews. In tradition's name, some hops still come from the motherland; the rest are grown on-site. All are pumped into the house pub from beer cellars. (325 Main St., norwichinn.com, 802-649-1143; $5.50 for an imperial pint, $5.50 for a 22-ounce bottle)
Kentucky-Style Bourbon in California
After their first bourbon-themed dinner got rave reviews, the chef de cuisine and head bartender at the Grange Restaurant in Sacramento's Citizen Hotel headed to the Bluegrass State to sample the best barrel-aged bourbons and blend their own. After rounds of tastings with Kentucky master distiller Chris Morris, they devised the hotel's exclusive Grange Special Blend Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Spicy,
caramelly and citrusy, it now stocks the bar's top shelf. (926 J St., citizenhotel.com, 916-447-2700; $11 for a house Manhattan, $65 by the bottle)
Japanese-Style Sakes in Las Vegas
Wanting to give guests a transporting experience, the Shibuya restaurant at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino teamed up with the famous Northern Japanese distiller Oomuraya Shuzo to produce three exclusive sakes. The nuanced blends run the gamut from fruity to light to dry, and come in fancy bottles ($59 and up) and single-serving cans ($17). (3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S., mgmgrand.com, 877-880-0880)
By Karen Catchpole | Photo by Lisa Shin
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