Sheffield— Following its highly successful run of its region-wide “Cultural Cocktails” campaign last year, Berkshire Mountain Distillers (BMD) brings the program back to the Berkshires this summer through Labor Day weekend.
Engineered to honor the arts, “Cultural Cocktails” centers around classic recipes inspired by world-class Berkshire cultural institutions. Pioneering a craft cocktail movement as another way to experience the Berkshires.
The 2022 BMD Cultural Cocktails campaign, together with 15 cultural organizations, reached more than one million subscribers and over 1,100,000 unique followers on Instagram, over 1,300,000 on Facebook, and almost 400,000 on Twitter throughout the summer season. In addition to region-wide media outlets, the program was mentioned in Conde Nast Traveler magazine.
Featuring favorite BMD spirits, the distillery worked alongside each cultural organization’s marketing team to connect this year’s featured cocktails to performances, exhibitions, special programs, and works of art. Some of this year’s clever cocktail names are CATA’s “Creative Spark”, Shakespeare and Company’s “Bottom’s Elixir”, Hancock Shaker Village’s “Shakered Not Stirred”, Arrowhead’s “Implacable Sea”, and Berkshire Botanical Garden’s “Nectar of the Gardens”.
Participating cultural organizations include Arrowhead, Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Berkshire Museum, Berkshire Theatre Group, Berkshire International Film Festival, Community Access to the Arts, The Clark, Colonial Theatre, Hancock Shaker Village, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, MASS MoCA, The Mount, Norman Rockwell Museum, Shakespeare & Company, The Trustees of Naumkeag, Ventfort Hall, and Williamstown Theatre Festival.
BMD will support this collaborative program with a collection of branded materials and a wide-ranging marketing and social media campaign with arts organizations and hospitality partners. BMD’s Cultural Cocktails will be featured at bars, restaurants, hotels, and cultural institutions across the region and will be the signature drinks at special events and fundraising galas this summer. In addition, BMD will serve Cultural Cocktails from their outdoor cocktail bar highlighting participating arts organizations every week through Labor Day.
Participating bars and restaurants include The Elm and Miller’s Pub, Bluebird & Co., The Apple Tree Inn, Brava, Cello Restaurant, Frankie’s Ristorante, Gateways Dine + Drink, Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa, Ombra, Pizzeria Boema, Sloan’s Tavern, Berkshire Palate, District Kitchen & Bar, Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Otto’s Kitchen, Proprietor’s Lodge, The Red Lion Inn; Gramercy Bistro, The Barn Kitchen & Bar, and Mezze Bistro + Bar, and Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ outdoor bar in Sheffield.
“Cultural Cocktails is just one way to honor our remarkable cultural institutions and the creative and inspiring businesses that surround us”, said Chris Weld, founder of BMD. “We’re so fortunate to be a part of a supportive community that cherishes art, culture, and the crafting of a great cocktail.” Visit BMD’s “Cultural Cocktails” website for a listing of arts organizations and hospitality partners celebrating and serving BMD Cultural Cocktails this season.
In addition to their Cultural Cocktails initiative, BMD will once again sponsor and host “Berkshire Busk! Roadside” on a satellite stage next to its outdoor pavilion in Sheffield through Labor Day. A festival harnessing artistic talent to create a vibrant summer-long immersive arts experience, “Berkshire Busk!” will present “Live Music Saturdays” at the distillery from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine.
BMD will also host the BMD “Summer Food Series” featuring a rolling roster of vendors including BB’s Hot Spot, Roberto’s Pizza, Jimmy’s Hot Dogs, and Fat Frog’s Outdoor Eatery. Food is available on Saturdays this Summer from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine.
One of the founding members of the craft distiller movement, Berkshire Mountain Distillers is an authentic, regionally focused maker of small-batch, award-winning craft spirits. A grain-to-glass operation, BMD supports local agriculture, using local ingredients in many of its handcrafted spirits. Firmly established, the craft distillery is leading the industry in both quality of production and sustainability. Their products are currently available in many states across the U.S.
As a James Beard Award semi-finalist for Outstanding Spirits Professional, BMD has received numerous accolades including Gold Medal Awards from the Beverage Tasting Institute and San Francisco Spirits Competition as well as national praise from publications such as GQ, Details, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cool Hunting, Wine Enthusiast, and Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible.
Visitors are encouraged to stop by BMD’s tasting room and sample a full selection of artisanal spirits including Greylock Gin, Ethereal Gins, Ragged Mountain Rum, Race Brook Rye, Ice Glen Vodka, Berkshire Bourbon, and New England Corn Whiskey, plus a few cask-finished bourbons not otherwise available in Massachusetts and their full line of American whiskeys from the Craft Brewers Whiskey Project.
Located at 356 South Main Street in Sheffield, the distillery’s production facility, tasting room, and retail store are open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with complimentary tastings for visitors age 21 and over. BMD’s tasting room, retail shop, and outdoor bar will remain open on Fridays and Saturdays until 6 p.m. through Labor Day weekend. To learn more, visit Berkshire Mountain Distillers online.
