Hotel bars often aim to make guests feel right at home, offering familiar cocktails and favorite brands, catering to the familiar. But a few upscale venues in the South are taking a different approach by serving up custom spirits, made with ingredients grown on-site and produced in collaboration with the beverage team.
Most often, such custom spirits take the form of gin, which is quick to produce and—given its botanical makeup—ideal for showcasing local flavors. For venues with identities rooted in location, like Blackberry Farm in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains or The Old Edwards Inn, tucked into picturesque Highlands, North Carolina, a custom gin serves as a liquid compass point—another way for visitors to experience the natural beauty that surrounds them.
