Food may get all the press, but specialty liquors are just as important in imparting the true taste of a place. The creation of such spirits are a celebration of the history, landscape and culture of a particular region or destination. We traipsed across the globe in search of authentic experiences to taste and toast the romance of some of the world’s most famous liquors. No matter your happy-hour preferences, from tequila to cognac, we’ve got a spirit tour for you.
Become a Cognac Connoisseur in France
You don’t have to love cognac (or know a thing about the spirit) to love Cognac, the place. This city in southwest France may be synonymous with the caramel-hued grape-based spirit that has been distilled here for 300 years, but its location also makes it an ideal base from which to explore two highly romantic neighboring destinations: medieval Saint-Emilion for its award-winning red wines and sunny Ile de Ré for its fresh seafood and beaches. Still, the heart of Cognac is the production of the “king of brandies,” blended by celebrated cellar masters and then barrel-aged in oak casks for decades, not years.
Photo Credit: Région Poitou-Charantes/Pascal Bakery
Where to Taste: Five major cognac houses offer tours and tastings detailing how grapes from six distinct terroirs (lands) are double-distilled into eaux-de-vie (a golden liquor) and then barrel-aged and blended. Begin at the oldest, Martell, which was established in 1715 and crafted the cognac served at the 1956 wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. Next, visit Rémy Martin. Founded in 1724, the house is known for its $2,700-per-bottle Louis XIII cognac made with 1,200 eaux-de-vie aged for 100 years. At Hennessy, you can taste eight of the world’s top-selling cognacs. D’Usse, a bold newcomer, is located in 500-year-old Chateau de Cognac, birthplace of King François the First, while two-century-old Courvoisier is set in a circa-1870s chateau in neighboring Jarnac. And for a personalized souvenir, head to Camus to create your own blend during a two-hour workshop.
Photo Credit: Région Poitou-Charantes
Other Adventures: Cognac is set along the romantic River Charente. Enjoy a two-hour cruise on La Dame Jeanne, a traditional wooden gabarre (barge). Beforehand, shop the indoor market near Place d’Armes to purchase fresh local ingredients (bread, cheese and paté) for a delicious picnic to be enjoyed while afloat. Head to Ile de Ré, about an hour northwest of Cognac, for cycling, horseback riding, shopping and sunning. And finish your vineyard sojourn in Saint-Emilion, one of the region’s most picturesque towns, which also offers bicycle tours of its famous vineyards and excellent macarons.
Where to Stay: Centrally located in a circa-1861 building on Cognac’s main square, the recently renovated Hotel François Premier features suite accommodations with sleek contemporary decor (room rates start at $219 a night; hotelfrancoispremier.fr). Repose on nearby Ile de Ré, and book into the opulent harborfront Hôtel de Toiras (room rates start at $245 a night; hotel-de-toiras.com). You’ll also want to savor a few nights in Saint-Emilion at Château Hôtel Grand Barrail, set in a seven-acre park and offering a relaxing spa (room rates start at $227 a night; grand-barrail.com).
Next: Scotland ►
Sip Single-Malt Whiskey in Scotland
Scotch is certainly having a major moment, but it’s been the favored libation of every Scot from shopkeepers to kings for two centuries. The single malts, which are distilled, barrel-aged and bottled by Scotland’s 120-plus whiskey (which, here, is spelled whisky) makers, are more popular now than ever. Meant to be slowly savored, single malts warm the palate with intense flavors that range from light and delicate to rich and smoky. The spirit is produced mainly in the Highlands (but also along the western coast and on islands such as Islay and Skye). Scottish whiskey- tasting adventures are the perfect complement to the country’s romantic craggy landscapes, secluded castles, cozy tartans and crackling fireplaces.
Photo courtesy of Kinloch Lodge
Where to Taste: Begin in Edinburgh, where there’s no shortage of whiskey bars, such as sophisticated Scotch at The Balmoral hotel. Here, an ambassador will customize a three-dram Whisky Journey culled from 400 single malts and blends. At trendy The Devil’s Advocate, you’ll find more than 200 options, plus delicious whiskey-based cocktails. And the old-school Bow Bar is popular with visitors and locals. Hire a driver/guide to explore the heart of single-malt country in Speyside and you can learn how malted barley, spring water and yeast combine to create this strong (40 percent alcohol) spirit. Two favorite distilleries include Strathisla, the region’s longest operating (since 1786) and most photogenic distillery, and Glenlivet, where history meets modern mega-commerce. Then head to the Isle of Skye to visit Talisker — the producer makes whiskies with a smoky taste, which is created as barley is malted over a peat-fueled fire.
Other Adventures: From the cobblestone lanes of medieval Old Town to the prim, flower-box-adorned Georgian townhouses of New Town, Edinburgh is quite charming. Walk the Royal Mile from brooding Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of the Holyroodhouse (home of the British Royal family when they visit). Book a table before 6:30 p.m. for the superb market menu at Restaurant Mark Greenaway or enjoy modern Scottish brasserie fare at lively newcomer The Raeburn. Stroll the picturesque gardens at Cawdor Castle near Inverness and look for the pasture of adorable shaggy-haired Highland cattle. En route to the Isle of Skye, tour haunting Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness and postcard-perfect Eilean Donan Castle near Kyle of Lochalsh. And once you’re on Skye, you won’t want to leave. Its panoramas are seductive, especially from late July to early September when its hills of heather are colored dusty purple for as far as the eye can see.
Where to Stay: Indulge in five-star Scottish hospitality at The Balmoral, offering 188 luxurious rooms and suites, many with splendid views of Edinburgh Castle (room rates start at $340 a night; roccofortehotels.com). En route to the Highlands settle in at Fonab Castle Hotel in Pitlochry, where baronial architecture meets eye-catching interior design, delicious food and wine and, of course, warming whiskey (room rates start at $230 a night; fonabcastlehotel.com). Travel back in time at Culloden House near Inverness, a classic ivy-covered 18th-century manor house where a bagpiper calls you to cocktails (room rates start at $285 a night; cullodenhouse.co.uk). At Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye, the welcoming Macdonald family, talented chef Marcello Tully and friendly bartenders pour from a selection of about 70 whiskies (room rates start at about $550 a night and include a tasting dinner; kinloch-lodge.co.uk).
Next: Tennessee ►
Take a Shine to Moonshine in Tennessee
For a spirited getaway closer to home, check out the wildly popular honeymoon destination Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where legal moonshine distilleries are abundant and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is ripe with spectacular scenery. The city also has more than a dozen wedding chapels, which is one reason it’s such a hit with honeymooners. Visitors score with affordable hotels and restaurants (southern barbecue, anyone?), fun attractions, abundant shopping and warm hospitality — all served, of course, with a chaser of fiery Appalachian moonshine.
Where to Taste: Try some white lightning at the Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Distillery. Here the unaged corn whiskey liquor is crafted using century-old recipes. In addition to tastings, the distillery hosts live bluegrass music. Pick up some samples to bring home: You can choose from the original 100-proof deal or slightly less lethal flavored versions (peach, watermelon, apple pie, sweet tea). All are packaged in Mason jars. A visitor-friendly trolley makes imbibing easier.
Photo Credit: Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine
Other Activities: The area’s crisp mountain air, trickling Little Pigeon River, cascading waterfalls and even a picturesque covered bridge are perfect for day-tripping. If outdoor activities are your thing, you can hike the Gatlinburg Trail, an easy two-hour trek that winds past old homesteads and across pretty waterways. Or go whitewater rafting or ziplining. Couples with a sweet tooth might want to taste-test the pecan brittle at Aunt Mahalia’s Candies and the Bavarian pillows at The Donut Friar. And don’t miss the local barbecue, which offers hefty servings of ribs, grits and corn bread. Bennett’s, Calhoun’s and the Hungry Bear are popular joints.
Where to Stay: The Lodge at Buckberry Creek offers upscale rustic decor in pretty, roomy suites with private balconies, many with mountain views (room rates start at $180 a night; buckberrylodge.com). Set at the edge of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the charming Christopher Place offers canopy beds and whirlpool tubs in some suites (room rates start at $150 a night and include breakfast; christopherplace.com).
Next: Riviera Nayarit ►
Taste Tequila in Riviera Nayarit
Home to the golden Pacific shores of the resort area collectively known as Riviera Nayarit, Mexico’s Jalisco state is also the birthplace of tequila. A honeymoon along this 200-mile stretch of palm-fringed coastline can be spent lounging poolside at a luxury resort in Punta Mita or Nuevo Vallarta or riding waves in a vibrant surf town such as Sayulita. There are also six golf courses and plenty of tennis courts for newlyweds who’d like a friendly one-on-one match before toasting the sunset with icy margaritas.
Photo courtesy of Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit
Where to Taste: On The Ultimate Tequila Tour (available at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, where the bars stock 120 different tequilas), you’ll fly via helicopter to the José Cuervo distillery in the town of Tequila for a private tour and tasting, all the while learning about how the blue agave plant became Mexico’s most famous export. The Tequila Bar at the St. Regis Punta Mita is a welcoming spot to experience an exclusive tasting of aged tequilas — and try a Mita Mary, the resort’s Mexican-flavored (with tequila, of course) nod to the Bloody Mary — which was invented at the St. Regis in New York. The tequilas and tequila cocktails are just as plentiful at all-inclusive Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, where the menu at Mexican restaurant Frida also includes dishes flavored with tequila and agave (sugar sap tapped from a succulent of the same name).
Photo courtesy of Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau
Other Adventures: Continue your spirit-centric trance with a Tequila Spa Experience — exfoliation, body wrap in agave azul (from which the finest tequilas are made), a tequila-scented body mask and more — in the couple’s suite at the Remède Spa at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort. Drive up the coast to Sayulita for a day of casual surf-inspired fun, shopping and a tasty lunch of fish tacos. You’ll also want to head south to legendary Puerto Vallarta to sample one of the city’s top culinary experiences at Trio or Hacienda San Angel Gourmet.
Where to Stay: The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita features sophisticated, Mexican-style casita rooms and suites, plus a serene spa, set on a photogenic section of the Bay of Banderas, which is known for its amazing sunsets (room rates start at $795 a night; fourseasons.com). In addition to stellar service, the allure of the St. Regis Punta Mita is its stunning infinity pool, elegant Mexican-Mediterranean decor and sprawling 10,000-square-foot spa (room rates start at $799 a night; stregis.com). At the all-inclusive, all-suite Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Nuevo Vallarta, the contemporary-style accommodations are deliciously spacious and feature private terraces, some with views (room rates start at $699 a night and are all-inclusive; vallarta.grandvelas.com).
Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita
Photo courtesy of St. Regis Hotels
Next: Barbados ►
Enjoy Rum in Barbados
You’ll find a thriving rum culture on most Caribbean islands, but on Barbados you’ll also discover an almost religious reverence for rum shops—small wooden houses (about 1,500 of the them, in fact) where locals gather to drink, play dominoes and nibble flying fish cutters (sandwiches), along with rice and peas. Barbados’s history is robust with this sweet spirit, which is derived from sugarcane. The rum tradition dates back to the 1600s when the island was dotted with 500 windmills that were used to cold-press the cane. Today, Barbados is ringed with romantic beach resorts, and when you are not soaking up sun or dining while bathed in moonlight, you can toast the sunset on the beach with the island’s favorite libation, rum punch.
Photo courtesy of Tamarind
Where to Taste: Start at the source: Mount Gay — named for Sir John Gay, whose business partner was the improbably named John Sober — has been making rum since 1703, when this spirit distilled from molasses was known as “Kill-Devil.” Here, you can choose from one of three tours/tastings, before continuing your rum lessons at beautiful St. Nicholas Abbey, which was built in 1660 and is home to a rum and sugar museum and distillery. Tip: In November, the island welcomes the Barbados Food & Wine & Rum Festival, during which top Bajan chefs and international names, such as Anne Burrell and Marcus Samuelsson, demonstrate cooking techniques, along with loads of rum sipping.
Photo courtesy of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
Other Adventures: Barbados is beautiful by day, but it really shines at night when torches flicker over al fresco dining patios like the one at The Cliff, one of the island’s most celebrated and splurge-worthy restaurants. The Fish Pot is another top, romantic seaside option. Before the sun sets, tour the boulder-strewn Bathsheba Beach on the untamed Atlantic coast, explore the otherworldly Harrison’s Cave or enjoy catamaran cruises to snorkel with sea turtles or toast the sunset — both sails feature plenty of perfectly chilled rum punch. On Sunday, reserve a lunch table at the 350-year-old Fisherpond Great House and savor historic ambience and delicious food.
Where to Stay: Enjoy sweeping views of a pink-sand beach and relax in a spacious mahogany four-poster-bed suite at The Crane (room rates start at $192 a night; thecrane.com). Pair perfectly chilled (and potent) rum punch with spirited steel-pan music and sensational sunsets at Fairmont Royal Pavilion Barbados Resort (room rates start at $499 a night; fairmont.com). Or hide away at the intimate eight-room The Atlantis Hotel, which overlooks Bathsheba. The retreat’s decor is nautical- historic romance (stone walls, beds draped in white netting) and the restaurant serves celebrated local favorites (room rates start at $255 a night; atlantishotelbarbados.com). Delight in modern tropical-chic decor, a laid-back vibe, a chill pool scene and easy beach access at Tamarind (room rates start at $418 a night; tamarindbarbados.com).