Best of the West – Sunset Magazine
As featured in Sunset Magazine | May 2013
75 reasons to love the West
The top people, places, things, and trends that make us happy to live here now.
Genius in a bottle.
The beverages we’re loving:
Fremont Mischief John Jacob Whiskey
(pictured). Distilled in Seattle with rye grown in Washington and Oregon. $33; fremontmischief.com
Hangar 1 Mandarin Blossom Vodka.Infused with mandarin blossoms plucked in Exeter, CA. $25; hangarone.com
High West Whiskey Rendezvous Rye.
Blended at Utah’s first (legal, ahem) distillery to open since 1870. $50; highwest.com
Re:Find Vodka. Distilled from grapes grown in Paso Robles, CA, instead of the traditional potatoes or grain.$35; refinddistillery.com
Leopold Bros. Rocky Mountain Liqueur.Four-plus pounds of Denver blackberries in each bottle. $37; leopoldbros.com
Sergeant Classick Gold Rum. Made from Hawaiian molasses, distilled in Mountain View, CA. $30; sgtclassick.com
Pok Pok Som Drinking Vinegar. Crafted from Northwest raspberries and great splashed into drinks or over ice cream.$15; pokpoksom.com
’Tude Juice Pinky’tude Apple Juice.Made with not-too-sweet Cripps Pinks from Yakima Valley, WA. From $3; tudejuice.com
And the rest of the list……
- The Grand Canyon, even grander
- Everyday, handmade
- Artisanal compost
- Amazing flavors
- We’ve given a great artist a great home
- That Hawaiian sound
- Artisanal chocolate ups its game
- We love a comeback
- Our backdoor national park
- We’re done apologizing for our bagels
- A new kind of jazz club
- Grist for the mill
- Locally sourced body products
- We’re inspiring future scientists
- Foraging made easy
- Heaven in a bowl
- Local lettuce, year-round
- Our portal to the final frontier
- Zin is back
- The tiniest garden
- Architectural eye candy
- Floral find
- Over-the-top DIY
- Cutting-edge gadget
- Dessert wine makes waves
- Eco innovation
- Sweet treats
- Dazzling public art
- CSAs that always surprise
- Public transit goes bigger
- Land worth protecting
- Super-gorgeous cycling
- Feel-good farmed salmon
- Bottles with park perks
- Best. Socks. Ever.
- Michael Pollan keeps changing the way we eat
- Denver changes beer—again
- Top-notch beer isn’t limited to Denver
- Your Lego palace awaits
- The sharing economy keeps growing
- The next food truck craze
- A smarter way to drink wine
- The chicken coop is the new doghouse
- Gifts from the seaEnjoy gifts from the sea
- Wineries as the ultimate playgrounds
- Tea hits the big time
- Bike nation
- Cocktail catering
- Nurseries are the new bookstores
- The jam explosion
- Urban wineries
- Farming 2.0
- Western cheeses, bigger than ever
- Gear made here
- Mushroom fever
- Loving your lawn
- Food truck on the brink
- Most worth-it homesteading trend
- The B&B shows its sexy side
- Game-changing urban farming
- Experience trumps consumption
- Inspired salvage
- Pop-up parks
- Dinner at the bar
- Everyone can be a cheesemaker here
- Veggie vacations
- Soft-serve grows up
- Oceanside oysters
- Two-wheeled businesses
- Green hotels hit the mainstream
- Olive oil, within reach
- The new motor lodges
- The case for Disneyland
- Dark skies, our last best place
