10 Hotels That Make Their Own Liquor and Are Worth The Trip

A collaboration with Watershed Distillery, the custom gin and tonics served at VASO, the rooftop bar at the AC Hotel, is the hotel’s best-selling cocktails. Made with four peels of Sevilla Orange and Meyer Lemon, it’s a more citrus-forward flavor than a traditional gin. The tonic syrup was custom made by Bitter Cube and the drink is spectacularly garnished with an elegant sprig of baby’s breath, juniper berries, and an orange swath to marry the aromas.

Even more impressive are the drinking vessels. Hand-blown glasses designed by none other than fashionista and mogul Nigel Barker, it took three years of research and development alongside food and nutritional experts to heighten the spirit’s taste and aroma. The glass bottom was designed to keep contents colder longer and a narrow stem minimizes the loss of carbon dioxide to keep the tonic bubbly. Three etched bands serve as a measuring guide for home bartenders and make for one hell of a souvenir.

A stone’s throw from Kentucky’s famous Bourbon Trail, Griffin Gate is ideally positioned for whiskey lovers. Despite being down the road from Buffalo Trace Distillery and Woodford Reserve Distillery, it’s actually Maker’s Mark that the hotel collaborated with to create their own custom blend of Kentucky bourbon. Guests can try the signature spirit at the JW Lounge on a privately guided whiskey tasting with one of the bourbon-certified bartenders and then sample chef-inspired bourbon bites like Jim Beam Apple Glazed Chicken Wings. What can I say? They’re equal-opportunity drinkers.

The signature spirit of the Connaught was created in celebration of the hotel’s 10th anniversary and each bottle is marked with a limited-edition number to commemorate the occasion. It’s believed that gin originated from England so it’d be doing the entire country a disservice to not try the local bespoke beverage.

The base botanicals are hand-crushed juniper berries, coriander seeds, licorice, angelica root, and orris root, accented with aromatic mace and their key ingredients: fresh lemon peel imported all the way from the Amalfi Coast in Italy and a hint of Boudreaux from the basement wine cellar, collectively representing travel near and far. The drink can be sipped straight, mixed with tonic, or shaken into a martini.

In the city that never sleeps, Ty Bar at the Four Seasons has their own handcrafted, small-batch gin. It was made exclusively for the hotel by Prohibition Distillery, one of New York’s top distillers. If you prefer the darker liquids, they also have a signature Hudson Baby bourbon made in collaboration with Tuthilltown Distillery, New York’s first whiskey distillery since prohibition. The original blend was selected from six different barrels and vintages.

Designed for long-term stays, the AKA hotel collection targets business travelers looking for weekly and monthly luxury lodging. Their maker program includes thoughtfully curated details like made-to-order furniture and locally sourced wine and spirits to ensure an extended rental feels as much like home as possible. And what better way to tuck in for the night than with the perfect nightcap?

Producing only 90 cases at a time, their signature a. vod vodka was created by Philadelphia Distilling, the first craft distillery in the state since prohibition. It’s recommended to sip the small-batch spirit chilled on the rocks with a twist of lemon, but the bartenders also have a whole host of cocktails using the clean drinking spirit.

Real tequila must be produced in the state of Jalisco like how authentic champagne must originate from that region of France. Under the tutelage of Jose Cuervo, the Marriott‘s in-house tequila sommelier helped the resort develop their own proprietary label, CasaMagna, as a way to educate guests on the nuances and culture of Mexico.

The resort fee includes a guided tequila experience and 80 percent of the hotel staff is certified in the art of tequila tasting. Despite being made of 100 percent pure agave, you can detect hints of vanilla, almond, and chocolate because of the oak used. While they recommend sampling the five varietals (white, silver, gold, aged, and premium) neat first, the bartenders also love creating personalized margaritas based on guest’s palates from spicy blends to the Mexican Flag made with lime juice, white tequila, and sangrita.

In 1915, Raffles introduced the Singapore Sling to the world. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the iconic cocktail, the hotel teamed up with Sipsmith Distillery to create another signature spirit: bespoke gin. It really was the perfect pairing; the co-founder of Sipsmith, Sam Galsworthy, is actually the great, great, great-nephew of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore for whom the Raffles flagship hotel was originally named.

Named 1915 for the landmark year, the flavor profile is wrought with Asian influence with notes of jasmine, pomelo peel, lemongrass, Kaffir lime, nutmeg, and cardamom. Rated five-star plus by Difford’s Guide, it’s a clean sipping, full-bodied spirit with the warmth of sweet orange spice with a bright, balanced finish.

A family-owned and operated five-star resort in St Lucia, Cap Maison actually has no official spirits program, they just give their employees creative freedom to run with ideas. The result? Two signature drinks designed to embody the islands, Solera Rum, and a 10-year aged rum punch (most is made from young rums aged no longer than two years).

To create the mixes, they buy a few rum barrels from local distilleries and blend them in unique proportions through a “Solera” system so each batch is hard to replicate, truly indicative of the passion project of a few select staff members. Guests can try the spirit neat or served in a Cap Maison Cask Elixir, a toddy of mango, citrus, and fresh mint mixed into a plantation punch with cracked ice and house-made cream of coconut. Along with signature beers and wines, the hotel is also working on two new blends: a mead and a rum punch beer.

Once part of one of Soufrière’s oldest and most famous cocoa plantation, the Ladera Resort is a dreamy St. Lucia getaway and the only resort on the island located on a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whether the romantic setting plays a part in the fairytale or not, they’ve made it their mission to ignite the spark with a little liquid courage.

Created by late head bartender, Marcus Barley, Ladera’s signature drink is called the Seduced Mojito. Said to evoke flavors of black licorice, cinnamon, and vanilla, the cocktail is fashioned with a house-made spiced rum which includes bark from the bois bande tree, an aphrodisiac according to local lore. Natives swear it’s a love potion, but we think you’ll just have to judge for yourself.

With a name like The Vines Resort & Spa, it should come as no surprise that this gorgeous Argentine property has intense ties to the vineyards. Located at the base of the Andes in Mendoza, their house Recuerdo blends (Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Torrontes) were created by an award-winning team that includes head winemaker, Pablo Martorell, and wine director, Mariana Onofri. You can sip and swirl tasty varietals through a series of curated, hands-on wine learning experiences from personalized blending sessions to harvest “Winemaking Camp,” but the most unique opportunity is to become a winemaker yourself.

Under the tutelage of the Vines team, the fully-supported winemaking experience teaches you everything from planting to bottling. To date, The Vines has over 230 private vineyard owners from around the world who have each successfully made their own premium-quality boutique wine. Over 300 unique blends have been created using 30 different varietals, many earning international awards and 90-plus point ratings themselves. If nothing else, it’s a pretty good excuse to plan a return trip to taste the fruits of your labor.