Lifestyle

Where You Should Travel To Next, Based On Your Favorite Drink

by Kristin Corpuz

It's no secret that a huge part of traveling revolves around the food and drink experience. Many frequent travelers pick their destinations based off of what kind of food and drink they like (I personally plan on eating all the ramen and sushi when I travel to Japan.), and while wine and beer destinations are quite common, many people forget about the other kinds of drinks that are available. So, when planning out your next trip, there are more than a few under-the-radar spots that are worth checking out. Here's where you should travel, based on your favorite drink — so start packing your bags.

I don't know about you, but I appreciate a good cocktail and will go out of my way to visit a place that has a particularly yummy one. I love discovering different tastes and flavor combinations that I didn't know about before. I just wish I was talented enough to make my own drinks. Luckily, many of these destinations offer mixology classes so you can learn how to bring the party home with you.

Whether you're a cocktail connoisseur or just someone who enjoys the occasional drink, you should definitely add these places to your travel bucket list right now.

01Blantyre — Lenox, Massachusetts

blantyreresort on Instagram

If you're feeling particularly bougie, head to Blantyre in The Berkshires for an exclusive Dom Pérignon experience. The hotel partnered with the iconic champagne brand to create an upscale salon that features all things Dom.

Depending on the weather, guests can enjoy their bubbly in The Cloister, located in the hotel's impeccably manicured garden, or in La Cave, which is a space inspired by speakeasies. The first-come, first-served salon offers exclusive vintages of Dom Pérignon for true connoisseurs (They even carry a bottle that costs $6,200!) as well as light bites to enjoy with your champagne.

02Marigot Bay Resort — Marigot Bay, St. Lucia

Courtesy of Marigot Bay Resort

If you enjoy rum, you absolutely have to visit the Caribbean. Marigot Bay Resort's Rum Cave offers a deluxe rum tasting experience and blending sessions for guests to enjoy. Sample a wide variety of rum in a space that draws inspo from colonial-era distilleries, while overlooking the marina in the bay.

03Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach — Clearwater, Florida

Courtesy of Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach

If you're a Patron drinker, you'll definitely want to visit the Wyndham Grand in Clearwater, Florida. The hotel collaborated with the iconic tequila brand to create their own custom blend, the Patron Wyndham Grand Reposado Tequila, which is exclusive to the property. Guests can enjoy it like any other tequila, or in the hotel's specialty cocktail, the kiwi margarita.

04JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa — Cancun, Mexico

Cameron Whitman / Stocksy

If margaritas are your go-to cocktail, make the JW Marriott in Cancun your next visit. The lobby bar boasts their 150 Margarita Menu, made with 150 varieties of tequila available at the resort. The drinks are exquisitely colorful, making for a perfect addition to your Instagram feed. Take your pick of one of the four categories — Classic, Modern, Fusion, or Exotic — and find the perfect margarita to match your mood.

05AC Hotel Columbus Dublin — Dublin, Ohio

Martí Sans/Stocksy

For gin and tonic drinkers, head to the AC Hotel in Dublin, Ohio. The hotel offers a "Keep Your Gin Up" package that entirely focuses on — you guessed it — gin. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with an in-room DIY gin cocktail kit so you can make yourself at home. You'll then have a night of gin and food tasting at the Watershed Distillery in Columbus. The package also sends you home with a bottle of the hotel's custom gin so you can continue to perfect your gin and tonic mixing skills.

06JW Marriott El Convento Cusco — Cusco, Peru

Trinette Reed / Stocksy

Pisco is Peru's national spirit, so there's no better place to drink it than at the JW Marriott in Cusco. Guests can experience a tasting of different Piscos, while also learning how to mix up the perfect Pisco sour. In addition, the hotel offers a nightly mixology lesson, where guests can learn to recreate some of the hotel's signature cocktails.

07The Franklin London — London, United Kingdom

Pixel Stories / Stocksy

Whether you like them shaken or stirred, you should enjoy a gin martini at The Franklin London. The Franklin Bar features a wide array of martinis, ranging from classics to modern takes. The space itself is incredibly Instagrammable — from the mirrored walls to the velvet chairs — so you'll want to stay in there sipping cocktails for as long as you can. Plus, while you're enjoying your cocktails, you can order up some small food tasting dishes created by Michelin-starred Chef Alfredo Russo.

08Fairmont Scottsdale Princess — Scottsdale, Arizona

Jeff Wasserman / Stocksy

La Hacienda at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess features a whopping 240 tequilas on their menu. Yes, you read that right. 240. Katie Schnurr, the restaurant's resident tequila expert, offers tequila tastings, mixology classes, and a Tequila 101 info class.

09The Dorsey At The Venetian Las Vegas — Las Vegas, Nevada

Courtesy of The Dorsey

After a long day exploring Vegas, you'll be in need of a refreshment. That's where the Penicillin cocktail comes in. Made with scotch, fresh lemon, ginger, and honey, the drink is served on a menu curated by Sam Ross, the man who created it, at The Dorsey Cocktail Lounge inside The Venetian hotel.

10Arizona Biltmore — Phoenix, Arizona

Courtesy of The Arizona Biltmore

If your favorite cocktail is a tequila sunrise, you should definitely have one at the place where it was invented. The Arizona Biltmore hotel in Phoenix is actually the birthplace of the tequila sunrise, which was created by Gene Sulit back in the late 1930s/early 1940s. Indulge in this sweet, multi-colored cocktail, and don't forget to snap a picture for the 'Gram.

11Four Seasons Resort — Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica

Courtesy of The Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo

Have you been wanting to learn how to blend your own alcohol? Look no further than the Four Seasons in Papagayo, Costa Rica. The resort offers a unique rum blending experience for hotel guests. You start off by picking between four young rums, then move on to the infusion stage, where you can mix in some of your favorite flavors, including vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, orange, cardamom, anise, coffee beans, and cocoa. At the end of the class, you can choose to purchase an engraved bottle of the blend of your choice.