Hotels across the world are furiously competing for the luxury traveler, a flourishing industry projected to reach $1.679 trillion by year’s end. This high-end market is experiencing robust growth, and expected to continue its upward trajectory, exceeding $2 trillion within a few years.
The luxury traveler expects opulent accommodations, bespoke activities via personalized concierge services along with fine dining options. Some hotels are taking this a step further by offering exclusive spirits, beers and wines crafted with celebrated distillers, brewers and winemakers. From martinis shaken with property-specific gin to custom brews poured at check-in, hotels across the globe are upping the ante for the luxury traveler and hoping guests will book for their brew.
An Exclusive Vodka And Gin
Fairmont Royal York, Toronto
Perfecting the bar’s signature cocktail, the Birdbath Martini, the creative mixologists at Library Bar, Fairmont Royal York, collaborated with Niagara-region master distillers to create QUILL, an exclusive vodka and gin. Well-balanced with a full-bodied velvety mouthfeel, citrus, spices and earthy roots craft a complex spirit that is served tableside from a bespoke mixing glass. This essential downtown landmark has reimagined its lobby experience, rooms, dining venues, event spaces and Fairmont Gold– the property’s exclusive boutique experience.
Filled In 1995 And Aged For 27 Years
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico
Ron del Barrilito created an exclusive single-cask rum release from its ultra-premium Autobiografía line for Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Selected by the resort’s food and beverage team, the barrel was filled in 1995 and aged for 27 years, resulting in an exceptionally rare and complex rum available only to guests of the property in Puerto Rico, the rum capital of the world.
Limelight Lager
Limelight Hotels, Various Locations
Brewed in partnership with Odell Brewing, Limelight Hotels’ Limelight Lager is available across each of the property’s locations, with the brand’s Denver outpost offering the citrus-infused brew to guests upon check-in.
A Small-Batch Spirit
Wildflower Farms, New York
At Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection cocktails and wine offerings reflect the property’s deeply rooted connection to the land. At Clay, the beverage program offers a small-batch spirit, Forager’s Amaro, infused with local botanicals and used in the property’s exclusive Forager’s Negroni, paired with Pollinator Gin, Lillet Blanc and Dolin Vermouth. Guests are also welcomed in-room with the property’s exclusive wine blend, Wildflower Farms by Ev&Em Vineyards, crafted in collaboration with the acclaimed North Fork winery. This exclusive vintage is featured not only in-room but also on the Clay wine list and at the Dew Bar.
Side Hustle
NoMad London, England
Created via NoMad London in partnership with El Tequileño, Side Hustle Select Barrel Double Añejo is crafted under the careful supervision of El Tequileño’s third-generation master distiller, Jorge Antonio Salles. It began with a blend of tequilas aged in two different types of wood: one aged in new American Oak barrels for eight months, and another, an añejo, aged for 18 months in ex-bourbon barrels. This blend was then aged for an additional 19 months in new, medium-char American Oak barrels. The limited edition spirit is available both neat, and in cocktails at Side Hustle. Brewed in partnership with London brewery Two Tribes, Side Hustle Mexican Sour is the bar’s own beer, used in Side Hustle’s beloved Michelada cocktail, combining the sour beer with lacto-fermented scotch bonnet peppers, elderflower, valentina and white miso.
Spa Infused
The Joseph Nashville, Tennessee
The spa world is quietly shaking up its menu. From champagne scrubs to wine-infused scrubs, alcohol and wellness are finding their way into luxury spa rituals, which raises the question. Does alcohol elevate the spa experience and the very idea of self-care? Rose, perched on the 21st floor of The Joseph Nashville, offers one of the most tempting examples with its Luminous Limoncello Pedicure. Guests sip the crisp, aromatic Italian liqueur while enjoying a lemon-infused exfoliation that smooths, softens and revives skin, then head upstairs to the rooftop pool with drink still in hand. Inspired by the sun-drenched Amalfi Coast, it’s a boozy twist on pampering that’s as indulgent as it is conversation-starting.
Borgatcha
Borgata Resort & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Every cocktail tells a story at Borgata Resort & Casino. Lounges like B Bar or Sunroom’s garden-inspired escape and the Lobby Bar, a sleek piano bar, offer their own personality with specialty drinks designed to match. The Borgatcha is a margarita with a twist, served with a “magic” berry on the side. Its sparkling rim creates the sharp, tangy bite of a classic sour margarita on the first sip. After eating the berry and taking another sip, the same drink suddenly tastes different, with the rim’s citrus tang softening into a cocktail that’s pleasantly sweet with notes of berry. Playful and unexpected, it captures the lively spirit of B Bar on Borgata’s buzzing casino floor. Sunroom’s Island Gum Drop is a tropical cocktail that layers Malibu, Malibu Banana and Malibu Mango with cranberry and pineapple juice for a sweet, fruit-forward splash of flavor. It mirrors the Sunroom’s lush, garden-inspired atmosphere, where cascading water and greenery offer a bright escape from the buzz of the casino floor.