It’s fresh powder and après ski season in mountain towns across America. The best apres ski parties happen at the bottom of ski runs that make you earn your turns, like the ones included in this blog. If you like taking shots with a group of slope slayers, here are some of our favorite après ski cocktails paired with some of the most gnarly ski runs in the United States.
ATTEMPT THESE ROUTES AT YOUR OWN RISK, AND TRY THESE WHISKEY COCKTAILS AS YOUR OWN REWARD.
Ski Run #1: Pipeline
SNOWBIRD SKI & SUMMER RESORT
SNOWBIRD, UTAH
Pipeline begins at a summit of 11,000 feet and is located at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Utah. This run is only accessible by foot, and Ski Patrol won’t allow you to attempt without a partner, avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe. Sign the waiver and drop in on this vertical 700-foot couloir.
APRES SKI COCKTAIL: BUSTED PIPE
- 1.5 oz Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- .5 oz Amaro Nonino
- Luxardo cherry, garnish
- Lemon twist, garnish
Place a large ice cube in a glass. Pour in Amaro Nonino and Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Garnish with luxardo cherry and lemon twist. Stir with a spoon and enjoy immediately.
See the full recipes and instructions here.
Ski Run #2: Goat
STOWE MOUNTAIN LODGE
STOWE, VERMONT
Stowe is a small town located in the picturesque Vermont mountains, and Goat is a ski run with a narrow, twisting, and 40-degree pitch. Phew.
APRES SKI COCKTAIL: BOURBON MAPLE LEMON TWIST
- 2 oz Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- 1 oz maple syrup
- 1 oz lemon juice
- Lemon twist, garnish
- Gold leaf, garnish
Combine Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and gold leaf for sparkle.
See the full recipes and instructions here.
Ski Run #3: The Fingers
PALISADES TAHOE
OLYMPIC VALLEY, CA
Test your shredding skills at the birthplace of G.N.A.R: Palisades Tahoe aka Squaw Valley. Line up early after a snowfall to participate in “The Fingers Race,” an unofficial race down the mountain. Listen as spectators cheer – and jeer – as you bomb down this legendary slope.
APRES SKI COCKTAIL: THE RACE
- 1 oz Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- .5 oz Thatcher’s Organic Blood Orange Liqueur
- 1 oz apricot nectar
- 1 dash of strawberry syrup
- 2 dash of lemon juice
Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake well. Serve in a cocktail glass frosted with tangerine.
See the full recipes and instructions here.
Ski Run #4: Rambo
CRESTED BUTTE MOUNTAIN RESORT
CRESTED BUTTE, CO
Rambo is one big drop and has a reputation as the steepest ski run in North America. Its average pitch is 55 degrees. Hold your breath and drop 300 short and sweet meters.
APRES SKI COCKTAIL: STEEP ON IT
- 2 oz Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- 2 oz chilled chamomile with lavender tea
- .50 oz lavender honey syrup
- .25 oz lemon juice
- Soda water
- Lemon twist
- Fresh or dried lavender sprigs
Combine all the ingredients, except soda water, in a cocktail shaker and shake over ice until well-chilled. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with soda water and garnish with fresh or dried lavender sprigs and lemon twist. Serve with a straw.
FOR THE LAVENDER HONEY SYRUP
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp dried culinary lavender
Combine honey, water, and dried lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Strain off lavender and store syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.
See the full recipes and instructions here.
Ski Run #5: White Nitro
SUGARLOAF
CARRABASSET VALLEY, MAINE
White Nitro is New England’s steepest lift-serviced ski hill. Plan to arrive early in the morning before the shadow of the mountain compromises the snow.
APRES SKI COCKTAIL: SHADOW WOMAN
- 1.5 oz Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- .5 oz pear brandy
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 large ice cube
- Orange peel twist
- Lemon peel twist
Combine Flying Ace Straight Bourbon Whiskey, brandy, honey, and bitters in a mixing glass. Fill the mixing glass nearly to the top with ice cubes. Gently stir mixture until well combined, chilled, and diluted (20 to 30 seconds). Pour mixture through a cocktail strainer into a rocks glass over a single large ice cube. Garnish with orange and lemon peel twists.
See the full recipes and instructions here.
These are expert-level, bucket list ski runs. If and when you start crossing them off your list, enjoy an après ski cocktail post-run and tag us on social media using #flyingacespirits.
