| Sarah Blair — Positive News For You |
Recently I designed a special liquor tour for my baby sister and friends. We were celebrating “From Miss to Mrs. & Birthday Wishes!” My sister is not a fan of beer. In my opinion, she just hasn’t had the proper introduction, but this wasn’t the time or place. Instead, I designed for her a tour that was more her speed.
“Our roots say we’re sisters, our hearts say we’re friends.”
– Unknown
I am the oldest of three girls. The three of us could not be more different from the next. My Mom must like to do things in threes because we are three years apart each. And… each of our birthdays days are roughly 30 days apart. Strange yes, but we don’t ask questions. Growing up the three of us went through phases of sibling rivalry. At times we even went through spells of not really being fawned of one another. Awe… who am I kidding, we are still like that from time to time. We are sisters, yes, but we have our own likes, desires, and needs. One thing that will never change though is our love for one another. Mary and I were the worst in our teen years. In our adult years, I am happy to say we have found our common ground and have become the best of friends. That is why hosting a special tour that she would not only enjoy but remember forever was important to me. I have never been as nervous about a tour as I was this one. I was nervous about my sister and I was nervous because it was my first liquor tour as well. I myself was visiting most of these locations for the 1st time. In the end, I am happy to report we all had an unbelievable time!!!
“Come on Barbie Let’s go Party!” -Aqua
Growing up Mary loved Barbie dolls. Me…. Not so much! Mary loved EVERYTHING BARBIE!!! She had the Barbie dream house, the electric Barbie Jeep. BARBIE, BARBIE… BARBIE. Her favorite group was Aqua for years because of their song Barbie Girl. Keep in mind, the mind of a child has no idea the real meaning of the said song and she was only 6 when it released. She use to beg and plead with me to play Barbie with her. I did ONCE. This event was a surprise for her. All I told her was that I was going to take her out for a special meal and to wear a dress. My only hit was that I wanted her to get dolled up. When we arrived at her house, we all had our best dresses. We were Dolled up. Now, none of the places we went to require being dressed up, it is just fun to do so sometimes. We played her childhood song from the car, she came out and SURPRIZE!!!! Away we went! A bunch of girls, all dressed up with places to be.
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough.” – Mark Twain
1st Stop New England Sweet Water Farm & Distillery, in Winchester, NH (NESW). We arrived to NESW and walked into a beautiful display of bottles. The atmosphere projected a more modern rustic industrial feel.
New England Sweetwater Farm and Distillery, is located on Main street, in Winchester, NH. They are in the Brick building on the corner of the traffic light as you enter the town, coming from Keene, NH. When we walked in wearing our cocktail dresses, we all were unsure what to expect. None of us had experienced a liquor tasting before. Part owner and distiller Joshua welcomed us. We sat in the beautiful tasting room, in awe of the array of choices. At NESW, they offer tastings only. While you sample these fine liquors, you can see through the glass the distillery operation. Joshua, was a fine host. We were a group of lost puppies, and he made us feel right at home. We each had a flight of samples. You get your choice of 6 small tasters. Please keep in mind this is not a beer you are drinking. This is liquor, a little goes a long way! Some of the tasting options were 100 proof. We each selected our choices of samples.
While we sat there enjoying our choices, Joshua shared with us how his operation started and enlighten us with some history of the craft. Distilling has been a family past time dating back pre-prohibition. He and his brother learned their family recipes from their grandfather. They have an array of handcrafted Vodka, Gin, Whiskey, Bourbon, and Moonshine. My sister is a big fan of cucumber. NESW had a Cucumber Vodka that stole her heart. This naturally warmed my heart, or was that the liquor? I can’t be certain. Either way, we were a group of happy ladies. We left there with a better understanding of the craft, a few bottles of our favorite liquors. Ironically the number of bottles was THREE. We left happy and excited to come back and share this experience with our spouses. Now I love Vodka, but I also love Rum. That cucumber vodka didn’t have that typical burn going down, It went down smooth and that hint of cucumber, giving it a cooling feel. It was fantastic. My favorite of the day was the Maple Bourbon, however. The smooth texture and taste. The hint of smokey. It honestly reminded me of perfectly cooked bacon in the morning. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!!!
“Good Friends, Good Food, Good Times.” – Unknown
After an amazing array of liquors from New England Sweetwater Farm and Distillery, we needed to get some food in our tummies. I am from New Hampshire, but I currently reside in Vermont. My sister doesn’t often come to Vermont. This was my chance to give her a Vermont experience. I had to take her to my friends over at Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery, located in Brattleboro, VT right on the border of New Hampshire. Yes, that is right, I took my non-beer drinking sister to a brewery!!!! But did you know that Whetstone has a full bar and offers several signature cocktails? To this day I think they make the best Bloody Mary’s around. On top of having a full bar, they have a great food menu, offering many gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. Our youngest sister happens to be vegan and so in choosing a place to eat and drink, Whetstone had all signs pointing to YES!
When you show up to a down to earth casual place all dolled up in cocktail dresses, you are going to turn a few heads. Add a Birthday Crown and a sparkly sash people may ask you a few questions.
When we arrived at Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery, we were seated right away. We arrived between lunch and dinner rush. Perfect, timing on our part, this place is always jamming. On our way to our table, a man stopped my sister and asked her why we were all dressed up? I mean she was the one wearing the crown. She replied: “Celebrating From Miss to Mrs. and Birthday Wishes!” He congratulated her and we all went to our table.
We sat there eyeing over the menu. My sister and mother admired the riverside view. Then the man came back to the table, to welcome us more formally. He shared a few jokes with us and had a few laughs. Never told us at the time he was one of the owners. Now, I have been working with Whetstone for a few weeks now, for Country Brew Tours. I have not officially met the owners of this great place. I have been working with their head of brewing operations James and their restaurant managers. I didn’t tell anyone we were coming, this was about My sister. This place was chosen based on several factors, mostly because well I LOVE THEM. David is one of three people who had the vision that makes Whetstone what it is today. I have been a fan of Whetstone since I moved to Vermont. I have not a single time had a bad experience there. In business, their staff has been beyond supportive and helpful for Country Brew Tours, and on this special day, David and his staff made my Baby sister day, treating her like a princess! I am grateful to them all for that! I wanted Mary to experience Vermont at its best, and she received more than she could imagine.
We each ordered a meal and a delicious “Fancy Drink” as Whetstone calls them. I ordered a blueberry-lemonade cocktail. My cucumber and vodka loving sister ordered the Cucumber and Elderflower martini. Whetstone is known for supporting local businesses, this cocktail is made with Barr Hill Gin with elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, a touch of simple syrup and garnished with salt and pepper rolled cucumber. Barr Hill is a Vermont Distilled Spirit. I had to try a sip naturally and it was AMAZING!
“It’s beginning to look a lot like cocktails.” -Unknown
Onward and upward, we were off to our next stop Saxton River Distillery in Brattleboro, VT. They are known for their award winning handcrafted liquors. Saxton River Distillery, is bringing old world traditions and putting a Vermont flavor to them. Saxton River was a new place to all of us in the group. When we arrived we were in awe of their new location. When we walked in, everything was new and shiny. They recently moved to their new location over behind the Hannaford plaza in Brattleboro, VT. When we arrived the place a bit quiet. It didn’t stay this way for long. Soon after arriving small groups of people started to circle in. Which is awesome because while we were there, we learned that they recently just opened in this new location and won’t be celebrating their GRAND Opening until September 6th.
When you stop in at Saxton River Distillery, you can choose from your choice of a flight or cocktail. If you opt to have a flight of their fine liquors, you have a choice of 4 what looks to be one ounce samples. If that sounds a bit too intense for your liking try one of their signature cocktails. They have a fully licensed bar in their tasting room. We opted to have cocktails. I found the names of most of them to be quite whimsical. I choose the “Friend in Mead” which was not only made with their handcrafted spirits but also with organic local honey. While you’re there you will find a set of bleachers. I had to of course ask why bleachers. Come to find out that this location use to play host to a gymnastics studio. Saxton River thought it would add to the charm and their story by keeping the bleachers. I would have to agree. I found it quite interesting. We sipped our cocktails, played some shuffle board and took notice of the large window looking into their operation. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was the place. The longer I was there the more items I would take notice to. My favorite feature they have on display there, is a rather large world map. On this map people from all over the world have marked where they are visiting from. I found this quite fassinating. I have always had a love for the world and the various cultures it contains. In college I studied International studies and have taken up one or two languages along the way. I found myself in awe over this map. Make sure when you visit you mark your place on the map with one of their little flag pins that they use to also mark your flight samples. This map fascinated me so much, I looked deeper into it. Come to find out that the owner and founder of Saxton River, learned the art of distilling from a long family line dating pre-prohibition period. His family came to America with a vision and brought with them this family pass time. Learning the background of this history and seeing the large map only enhanced our experience. Make sure you pop in and see our friends and check our their new location.
“Every once in a while a girl has to indulge herself.”
– Carrie Bradshaw
Three stops later and one still to go! Girls just wanna have fun don’t you know! It was time for something a bit different. You might be thinking how can you get more different, there is only so much that you can do when you are touring. WRONG every place has their own signature and story to share. Next on our list was another good friend of mine, Elm City Brewery, in Keene, NH. Elm City is the 1st brewery to ever be in Cheshire County NH. When you are drinking, it is most important that you make sure you are drinking responsibly. That is why I made sure we all had plenty of water and time in between locations. It was time to put some food in our tummies once more. While we were at Elm City, we shared a few apps and some salad to keep us balanced. Our indulging was saved for our liquor tasting while we were there.
Elm City Brewery, is one of my brewing partners just as Whetstone is. But this was not about the beer. Elm City also has a full bar with specialty cocktails. What made them ideal for being the final destination on this liquor tour is that they offer flights of signature cocktails. YES!!!!! SIGNATURE COCKTAIL FIGHTS!!!! This is super cool. Every weekend they offer these and every weekend they have different flavors. When I told the group what we were doing they were ECSTATIC!!! When you order one of their cocktail flights, you receive four, four ounce signature cocktails. This week every cocktails was of a seasonal fruit or berry. The votes were split in half for our favorite cocktail. Half of us loved the Blueberry and other loved the Apple Pie. With this said they were all FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!! This is one of those must do experiences. I think the concept of a flights for cocktails is enlightening. I mean how many times have you ordered a cocktail excited about it and then once you received it, you were less than impressed and wished you had picked the other one you mulled over. This concept is wonderful, you have the chance to try a variety and have no guilt or worries over making a decision. That is the whole reason I prefer flights of beer. Why not have this option for cocktails? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this concept!
“Girls just wanna have fun.” – Cindy Lauper
Living in a rural location, doesn’t mean that you can’t find enjoyment. Our little spot on the map has a lot to offer you. I do recommend that if you have the chance to explore the area to its fullest, you do so. Not to sound biased, but if you are going to go on a liquor tour or alcohol tour of any kind, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A DESIGNATED DRIVER and always drink responsibly. Now we had a DD for the day. Find yourself a friend to be yours or check out Country Brew Tours and allow me to be your DD for the day. Either way make sure you are safe! I highly recommend that you visit these fine distilleries and breweries. We had such an incredible time. This was my first time doing a liquor tour and it was an experience worth having. For the other ladies if you ask them they will all agree. Every location had its own personal story and we all now have stories of our own to share. I cannot wait to do this again with my family, friends and with all of you.
Till our next adventure friends.
Cheers
-Sarah E. Blair
