I first tasted Alpine Distilling spirits at a “Meet the Makers” event in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the inaugural Salt Lake City Food and Wine Fest held inside the Park City Culinary Institute, incredibly, located in Salt Lake City. From there, I headed to Park City and while dining at 350 Main, located at, well… you guessed it… 350 Main Street, I noticed Alpine spirits on the drinks menu and was happy to discover strong support for local businesses.

The distiller, Robert S. Sergent, Jr., greeted me with enthusiasm, kindness and generosity, offering me a cocktail I simply had to taste, made with his preserve liqueur — a blend of black tea, blood orange, ginger, raspberry and lemon — and his products are all kosher! Although I am not a regular consumer of spirits (I usually stick to wine), I trusted Robert’s recommendations on tastings, especially when he revealed his expert culinary past and education in Louisville, Kentucky, the mecca of grand spirits. This floral-forward cocktail tasted fresh, clean and worthy of a space on my shelf above my wine rack in my home. Due to the high altitude and void of a designated driver, I stopped at one sip and moved on to sip his single-malt whiskey, with a burning finish of a true spirit, and a taste of the vodka. 

In addition to a culinary past, Robert was a leader in the corporate sector, at Johnson & Johnson and the National Football League. But he wanted something more, as he states in his bio: “I wanted to create something from scratch that I am passionate about, teach my kids the value of hard work, and give back to the community we love.”

The next time I see Alpine spirits on the menu, and when I can enjoy a passenger’s ride, I will definitely order a cocktail; in the meantime, I turned to Crepe Suzettes drizzled with caramel and crowned with a dollop of bourbon-infused whipped cream as my “safe” consumption before my drive to Park City.

While the chefs kept busy, more than 30 guests mixed and mingled with the event’s numerous featured local distillers. Among the various liqueurs, single malt whiskeys, vodkas and mixed cocktails showcased, the event, titled “Meet the Makers”, singled out one Park City distiller named Rob Sergent, Jr., whose artisanal Preserve Liqueur, made with black tea, blood orange, ginger, raspberry and lemon, was especially memorable (and Kosher, too!).

Below, please enjoy the Ginger Berry Spritz recipe when you can relax, sit back in a lounge chair and soak in a sunset.

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Ginger Berry Spritz