News & Events

CANCELLED South Burlington, VT: Made in Vermont Marketplace

Why travel when you can find everything under one roof! 

The Made in Vermont Marketplace is the only trade show in Vermont that showcases the wide variety of quality products made right here in the Green Mountains. From wood producers to specialty food products to Vermont’s finest spirits and so much more.

This is your opportunity to come and enjoy browsing, tasting and purchasing products made all under one roof. You will be able to meet and talk with each artisan, maker and manufacturer of these fine goods. With over 125 exhibits, you will discover products you did not know existed in Vermont.

CANCELLED South Burlington, VT: Made in Vermont Marketplace

Why travel when you can find everything under one roof! 

The Made in Vermont Marketplace is the only trade show in Vermont that showcases the wide variety of quality products made right here in the Green Mountains. From wood producers to specialty food products to Vermont’s finest spirits and so much more.

This is your opportunity to come and enjoy browsing, tasting and purchasing products made all under one roof. You will be able to meet and talk with each artisan, maker and manufacturer of these fine goods. With over 125 exhibits, you will discover products you did not know existed in Vermont.

Hinesburg, VT: Free Tasting at 116 Wine & Spirits

Join us at 116 Wine and Spirits  for free tastings of our Maple Cask Rum, Bourbon Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, and our newest spirit, Rum 44! Ask our team about Mad River Distillers and what goes into the process of making our spirits. Bottles will be available for purchase through the Vermont Agency Store.

Winooski, VT: Free Tasting at Beverage Warehouse

Join us at The Beverage Warehouse in Winooski for free tastings of our Maple Cask Rum, Bourbon Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, and our newest spirit, Rum 44! Ask our team about Mad River Distillers and what goes into the process of making our spirits. Bottles will be available for purchase through the Vermont Agency Store.

Bristol, VT: Free Tasting at Bristol Discount Beverage

Join us at Bristol Discount Beverage for free tastings of our Maple Cask Rum, Bourbon Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, and our newest spirit Rum 44! Ask our team about Mad River Distillers and what goes into the process of making our spirits. Bottles will be available for purchase through the liquor store.

Burlington, VT: Josh's Retirement Party!

Our beloved Bar Manager Joshua Wilcox has his last shift behind the bar on Saturday, February 29th. We're sad to see him go but excited for his next journey! Come celebrate Josh and get one more cocktail from him!

By in Blog Comments Off on Bartender Spotlight Series: Kate Wise of Juniper Bar at Hotel VT

Bartender Spotlight Series: Kate Wise of Juniper Bar at Hotel VT

“For the love of god please refrigerate your vermouth!”. That was the one thing Kate Wise of Juniper Bar at Hotel Vermont wanted to make sure I put in this piece about her, so there you go Kate!

It was a warm and sunny Wednesday in October when myself and Josh, our Burlington Tasting Room Manager, went to go visit Kate Wise, a Bartender at Juniper Bar located at Hotel Vermont. A rustic and modern home away from home nestled in downtown Burlington, VT overlooking beautiful Lake Champlain. They’re known for their cocktail program that is oriented around using local ingredients. They pride themselves on stocking their bar with the finest craft spirits from all over the state of Vermont. Patrons will find Rum, Whiskey, Brandy, Gin, Vodka, and more, all produced in our little state alone. Look closer at their cocktail menu and you’ll see that the ingredients paired with the spirits are also locally sourced, coming from Vermont farmers, foragers, and other producers. They really do stay true to their mission of highlighting the finest products in Vermont, and do a great job of it. One of our favorite cocktails currently on the menu is their ‘Sweater Weather’. It features our Maple Cask Rum, Ploughgate Creamery Butter and Cold Hollow Cider. It’s a perfect concoction of local ingredients that will warm you up during this cold Winter. We are fortunate enough to have a great relationship with Juniper Bar, and have almost every single one of our spirits on their bar shelves. Therefore it was a no brainer to go visit our friends there and ask them what their favorite Mad River Cocktails were!

A PX Rum Negroni

When we arrived it was pretty quiet, meaning we had Kate all to ourselves. We sat down at the copper bar and said our hellos to the staff and then got right to the point; we asked Kate to make us her favorite cocktail using one of our spirits. Without hesitating she chose to make a PX Rum Negroni. The PX Rum happens to be my personal favorite spirit of ours, therefore I was very excited for her to make something with it. The PX Rum is distilled from Fair Trade Demerara Cane sugar, aged in oak barrels for 6 months, and aged in PX sherry barrels for another 6 months. The result is a nutty, fruity, and subtly smokey spirit that currently claims our highest award, a Double Gold Medal from the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco.

We decided to take the photoshoot and interview outside since it was such a nice day. Out on the hotel patio she started pouring the ingredients into her mixing glass while I started to snap photos, and she started to share the story of how this cocktail came to fruition. It was actually inspired by one of her favorite patrons, Kim, a familiar patron at our own Burlington Tasting Room as well. Kim has been a fan of ours almost since day one, so it’s no wonder she went into a local bar asking for a cocktail specifically using the PX Rum. She asked for it to be boozy, a little bit bitter, but still smooth on the palette, and the answer was a PX Rum Negroni. The ingredients included the PX Rum, Campari, and Dolin Rouge. The Campari provides the bitter component, the Dolin Rouge adds spice notes, and the PX Rum adds that little bit of sweetness to balance it all out. It was the perfect cocktail for a Fall day, but I honestly would have it any time of year. I had Kate pose with her creation, and from the pictures you can really tell that she loves what she does, and is just super photogenic it’s almost unfair.

Kate is the kind of Bartender that usually gravitates towards making classic cocktails with her own twist on them. She has been bartending for over 17 years but has been with Juniper for only a short time. She absolutely loves working there because of the people she’s with every day. The team there is great; they are supportive, fun and love what they do. She also enjoys the customers she gets to meet everyday; they come from all over the world and share their stories and ask all about Vermont. On the side she has her own business where she teaches private cocktail classes and does consulting. We definitely recommend a visit to Hotel Vermont or booking her for a class. She will be able to stir you up the perfect drink that you are looking for without hesitating.

Written by Isabelle Federico, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Burlington, VT: Grazing Dinner to Benefit Australia at the Great Northern

Bushfires in Australia have been burning out of control since late fall ravaging huge swaths of the Australian countryside. The massive wildfires have killed more than 30 people and an estimated 1 billion animals, and burned over 2,500 homes and over 72,000 square miles of land, that's an area the size of the entire region of New England.

Although the fires are almost out and news crews are moving on the devastation and cleanup remains and Burlington's headline chefs are rolling up their sleeves to help out and you can too by joining us at The Great Northern on Sunday, February 23rd from 5:30-8:30 for a grazing dinner. All Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Country Fire Authority of Victoria. https://www.facebook.com/cfavic/

Silent auction will also be present with some amazing prizes with all proceeds going to Wires animal refuge https://www.facebook.com/WIRES.wildlife.rescue including a live paint at the event by Aussie/Vermont artist Charlie Hudson. https://www.facebook.com/charlie.a.hudson

Tickets available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aussie-bushfire-benefit-vermont-tickets-92068428147

The Great Northern
Hen of the Wood - Burlington
Penny Cluse Cafe
Honey Road Restaurant
Juniper Bar & Restaurant
Butch + Babe's
Matt Jennings
and Molly Stevens

Beverages from
Zero Gravity Craft Brewery
Foam Brewers
and Mad River Distillers

Burlington, VT: Tiki Time with Café Mamajuana

We've got the Winter Blues but we found the perfect way to beat them!

Join us for a night of Dominican Fusion food by Café Mamajuana and all your favorite Tiki Cocktails with Mad River Distillers Rum!

Mai Tais, Rum Punch, Daiquiris, Mojitos and more!

5:30pm - Sellout

Burlington, VT: Cocktail Class with Jesse Luberoff

The Evolution of Whiskey, the Old Fashioned, and Bitters

Do you make an Old Fashioned with Bourbon or Rye? Simple syrup or a sugar cube? Angostura bitters, or something unique and obscure? Join Jesse Luberoff, of Leunig’s Bistro for a journey through the history and evolution of whiskey, and its most ubiquitous cocktail.

Formerly of Peg & Ter’s, Mule Bar, and the Great Northern, Jesse has a strong and diverse bartending background. A whiskey collector and enthusiast, his wealth of knowledge on the topic is mesmerizing. He is excited to share with you the world of whiskey and bitters, one of his favorite ingredients for drinks. He’ll be discussing the differences and origins of Bourbon and Rye, as well as taking you through the history of the Old Fashioned and the wide variety of bitters available at our Burlington Tasting Room. The class will culminate in attendees matching their favorite bitters with their favorite whiskey into a personalized old fashioned to sip and enjoy.

Class includes 2 Old Fashioned and a whiskey tasting. You will also leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off retail items on the day of the class (excludes alcohol).

Tickets are $40.00 per person.

Space is limited so grab your ticket!

Burlington, VT: Valentine's Day Sip and Shop

Love is in the air and we're here to help make your Valentine's Day extraordinary! Stop by our Pine Street store on Thursday, February 13th from 5-7pm, the night before Valentine's Day. We'll be open late and stocked and ready for all your Valentine’s needs. Make a custom gift box with some of our specialties (like Belgian cognac truffle, marzipan hearts, cherry cordials, chocolate-covered strawberries), or shop our collection of beautiful, ready-to-gift heart gift boxes. Plus, our Chocolate Sculptress will be there personalizing chocolate hearts and Mad River Distillers will be there with a boozy hot chocolate bar, samples, and sweet chocolate pairings. What more could you need? It's time to make way for Valentine's Day!

Burlington, VT: Après Ski Night with Ski Vermont

Ski season sure isn't over and we want to help you get on the mountain before it ends!

Our friends from Ski Vermont have hooked us up with a bunch of lift tickets to mountains all over the state, and we want to give them to you!

Join us for the kickoff event on Thursday, February 20th. Ski Vermont will be here with a grand prize basket of all your favorite winter goods (t-shirts, gloves, socks) to give away and we'll be serving up Après Ski Cocktail Specials all night long! All you have to do is show up and you're automatically entered in the drawing, post on social media about us and get entered again!

We'll be raffling off lift tickets every following Thursday between 6pm and 8pm;

Thursday, February 20th: Grand Prize AND 3 passes to Bolton Valley
Thursday, February 27th: 1 ticket to Sugarbush Resort and 1 ticket to Mad River Glen AND 3 ticket to Burke Mountain
Thursday, March 5th: 2 tickets to Stowe Mountain ResortAND 3 tickets to Middlebury Snowbowl
Thursday, March 12th: 3 tickets to Smugglers' Notch Resort
Thursday, March 19th: 3 tickets to Jay Peak Resort

Show up, get entered, win, hit the mountain.

Burlington, VT: A Night in New Orleans: Cocktail Class

Love is in the air and what better way to celebrate than learning how to make cocktails for you and your loved ones?! Join bartending duo/couple of the century Olive Robb and Milo Ryerson for their New Orleans style class! Come solo, come with your best friend, your parent, or your significant other! It’s a class anyone will enjoy!

They’ll be walking you through the history and culture of the cocktail world developed in New Orleans. From the original cocktail the Sazerac, to the colorful Hurricane, you’ll dive deep into the flavors and styles of NOLA cocktails.

Class includes 1 welcome cocktail and you will leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off barware in our retail store on the day of the class.

Tickets are $50.00 per person.

Rated R because of Olive. (She swears a lot).