These portable cocktails and mocktails are worth their weight.
Breckenridge Distillery’s Snowball Old-Fashioned
Some of winter’s most aprèsworthy activities—backcountry skiing, hut tripping, Nordic skiing, snowmobiling, fat biking—finish far from a bar. Tote the minimal ingredients for these elevated cocktails and recovery mocktails on your next mountain adventure and enjoy the ritual, DIY style.
1. Breckenridge Distillery, the world’s highest distillery, created six easy cocktails for its project and film Après in the Backcountry, including Backcountry Tea and Hot Smoked Cider. breckenridgedistillery.com
Snowball Old-Fashioned
2 oz. Breckenridge Bourbon
1/4 oz. maple syrup
3 drops of bitters (pack a mini bottle)
Orange peels
Dehydrated cherries (or dried berries from your trail mix)
(1) Combine all ingredients and stir.
(2) Optional: Smoke by turning the glass upside down over a smoking log, wait a few minutes and add the cocktail mixture to the glass. Swirl it around to get that smokey flavor.
(3) Add a snowball to your cocktail.
2. Proximus Paloma packs distilled Tequila Proximus, (14% alcohol) and sparkling grapefruit in a small, light can. Spruce up the can for an instant cocktail: To the rim, add spicy salt, a couple of sliced jalapeno rounds and an orange, lime or grapefruit wedge. Pour it over clean snow for a refreshing slushie with a kick. tequilaproximus.com
3. Marble Distilling’s award-winning handcrafted spirits blend natural Colorado grains and pure Crystal River water. This is the zero-waste distillery’s favorite adventure sip. marbledistilling.com
The Dude Abides
2 oz. Marble Moonlight EXpresso
1 oz. Marble Vodka
Skosh heavy cream
Chocolate shavings (served layered, not stirred)
Make it the Crunchy Dude by subbing coconut or almond milk for cream or the Hot Dude by subbing hot chocolate.
4. Chlorophyll Water harnesses the power of chlorophyll, the pigment found in green plants that’s said to increase blood-oxygen levels, boost energy, detoxify and alkalize the body. In a place like Aspen, where everything’s elevated, why not your water? Chlorophyll also has antioxidant properties that may help protect the skin from UV damage—always a concern for those of us skiing at 10,000 feet. One hundred percent recyclable and landfill-biodegradable bottles are filled with purified water (carbon filtered, reverse osmosis, UV treated), chlorophyll and vitamins A, B12, C and D. The refreshing water with a slight taste of spearmint goes down easy precoffee, postworkout or before your first cocktail. Try it mixed with coconut water for a high-country hangover helper. $40 for a case of 12, chlorophyllwater.com
Photography by: Jessie Unruh
