Where to Drink This Holiday Season
Explore the best of Spokane wine, whiskey and libations this holiday season. From the city's best wine tastings to locally made Spokane craft beer, here are all the top bars, wineries and more to visit this winter.
Spokane Wine Tasting This Holiday Season
A wine tasting room with expansive views of Spokane’s manmade, and natural beauty, and a menu of charcuterie boards and other shareable plates? Yes there is such a thing, and it is the MARYHILL WINERY TASTING ROOM & BISTRO overlooking the Spokane River in Kendall Yards. Did we mention the wine selection is nothing short of vast? “Maryhill has one of the largest portfolios of wine found anywhere,” says owner Craig Leuthold. “Our portfolio has three tiers: our classic wines that are more affordable; our reserves, which are a more elevated level of wines; and our vineyard series, which showcases grapes from some of the finest vineyards in the Columbia Valley.”
The Best of Spokane Beer and Whiskey
Wine flights are de rigueur at tasting rooms, but at PURGATORY CRAFT BEER & WHISKEY BAR in downtown Spokane, you’ll find something a little more uncommon — flights of whiskey, featuring some of the finest from all around the globe. Of course there’s a full bar, as well as beer and wine — and a crowd-pleasing menu to assure you won’t leave hungry.
Literally hundreds of whiskeys are also patiently waiting to be sampled at HOGWASH WHISKEY DEN, located in the lower level of the Washington Cracker Building just east of downtown. Whiskey not your thing? A team of cocktail-designers is ready with original creations, seasonal delights and well-crafted classics. Feeling inspired? Consider signing up for a cocktail class, which could also be the perfect gift for the has-everything person on your list.
Don't Forget the Cocktails
At Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the latest addition to their winning mix is HIGHBALL: A MODERN SPEAKEASY. The decor is a riff on the decadent glam of those other Roaring ’20s, all sparkly chandeliers and shiny mirrors. The drink menu has a DIY martini, along with a bourbon-based Highball Punch. The food ranges from truffle popcorn to a morning-after brunch; how about a mimosa and some Fruity Pebbles French toast?
Elegance is not optional at downtown Spokane’s EMMA RUE’S, where craft cocktails join French-inspired desserts and pastries in a dreamy setting. The legendary spirit absinthe is top-of-mind — there’s even an absinthe fountain. And while there are lots of places to get a cup of coffee, Emma Rue’s also takes pride in coffee-based cocktails, like the espresso martini — a perfect union of coffee, chocolate liqueur and Grand Marnier. Magnifique!
