Skiers have always sought out a refreshing drink or two after a day of racing down the mountain. Every afternoon, they can be seen unbuckling tight boots and heading into slopeside bars. Beer flows freely while a cheesy guitarist or cover band wails away.
But now resorts are making après ski a bit fancier.
For instance, the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Avon, CO, offers beer floats, made with local beers and ice creams or sorbets. One cocktail pairs New Belgium Brewing Company’s 1554 Enlightened Black Ale with a regional version of rocky road ice cream, plus raspberry-Champagne sorbet.
A unique libation called the Aspen Crud, which mixes bourbon with vanilla tea and cinnamon syrup plus cream floated on top with a sprinkle of nutmeg, can be found at the J-Bar at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen, CO.
Most ski resort hotels have their own version of hot chocolate, and many enhance the offering with an infusion of spirits. The Four Seasons Whistler in British Columbia, Canada, offers its ultimate hot chocolate in large mugs with a chocolate lattice work over top with a Belgian or Verona chocolate in dark, milk or white. The beverage is then topped off with “boozy truffles” filled with either mint liquor, Baileys Irish Cream or Kahlua.
Local ingredients are common in unique après-ski cocktails, and the trend isn’t limited to craft spirits. For example, the Moonlight Basin Resort in Big Sky, MT, offers a Bloody Mary with vodka from Montana’s Vigilante distillery, topped off with a bit of locally sourced elk jerky.
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