Alpine Distilling Park City: Where a 98-Rated Whiskey and Gin of the Year Meet New Orleans Soul on Main Street

There's a moment that happens around 7 PM on a Thursday night at Alpine Distilling's Social Aid & Pleasure Club when the whole place seems to exhale. The velvet plum armchairs fill with locals who've ducked in after work, old-school funk drifts from hidden speakers, and someone at the bar is learning that the gin they're sipping beat out hundreds of spirits to win Gin of the Year in London. One visitor described the downstairs speakeasy's "wonderful ambience, cozy room, beautiful wood furniture" after stumbling upon what they thought was just another Park City cocktail lounge. They had no idea they'd walked into something much more interesting.

This isn't your typical mountain town bar. Alpine Distilling Park City operates from a philosophy borrowed from New Orleans social aid and pleasure clubs—those century-old civic organizations built on community care and shared joy. And like those clubs, everything here exists for a reason that goes beyond just pouring drinks.

From Hurricane Katrina to Park City: How Rob and Sara Sergent Built Utah's Most Decorated Distillery

Rob and Sara Sergent met and married in New Orleans, where they lost everything during Hurricane Katrina. That experience taught them something essential about community—that caring for the people around you isn't optional, it's foundational. So when they opened Alpine Distilling in 2016, they didn't just build a business. They built a living room.

Sara's path to becoming the most decorated botanical distiller in America started, improbably, with her grandmother. Her grandmother used to host the parish priest at their home once a week for gin and tonics, garnished with local fruit. If a spirit could create that kind of ritual connection, Sara thought, something in it must be genuinely special. Years later, she'd study gin distillation in Edinburgh, Scotland, earning her diploma before returning to join Rob—a Kentucky-bred whiskey distiller and proud Kentucky Colonel—in building Alpine.

The distillery's first spirit, Preserve Liqueur, was born one evening as the couple sat on their back porch overlooking the Swaner Nature Preserve. "Let's turn the sunset into flavor," Sara said. They translated the colors over the mountains—blood orange, black tea, candied raspberry, lemon balm, and ginger—into a botanical liqueur that still serves as a fundraiser for the preserve, home to 217 species of birds.

Sara has since become the most decorated botanical distiller in the world, earning entry into the prestigious London Gin Guild, winning Gin of the Year in London, and securing Best in Class at the TAG Awards. She's the only U.S. female vapor extraction, London dry-style gin distiller to be accepted and inducted into The Gin Guild as a Warden Rectifier. Her gins are featured in the exclusive Gin Archive—a secret London collection of over 5,000 gins from more than 60 countries, accessible only by private invitation.

Rob's whiskey side of the operation has been equally decorated. Their Triple Oak Whiskey recently received a stellar 98 Platinum rating in the Enthusiast Reports International Spirit Competition. In 15 years of the competition, only three spirits have ever achieved a 98 rating—just two points shy of perfect. The whiskey was even featured on the cover of Enthusiast Report, making Rob the first non-celebrity to receive that honor.

The Park City Cocktail Lounge Experience: Gin-Making, Espresso Martinis, and Pecan Pie

Walk down the stairs at 364 Main Street and you'll understand why people keep using the word "extension of our living room" to describe this place. Sara Sergent designs conversation-friendly playlists inspired by whatever she and Rob are currently vibing to, from old school funk to this year's best of French disco. Visitors consistently praise the decor as "fun and inviting" with "lounge chairs so comfortable" you'll want to settle in for hours.

The cocktail program showcases Alpine's award-winning spirits through drinks that range from a superb espresso martini to a classic French 75. The Green Smoke cocktail, made with Alpine's AngeVert herbal liqueur, has become a house signature—that botanical spirit earned Double Gold at the SIP Awards and Best In Show at the International TAG Spirit Awards.

But here's where Alpine gets wonderfully weird for a craft cocktail bar: the pie. A local pie maker supplies the bar, with offerings like Maple Bourbon Pecan and Peach Berry Crumble served warm with slices of cheese on top. One visitor raved about "absolutely fantastic wonderful pecan pie" paired with single malts. It's exactly the kind of unexpected pairing that makes this Park City cocktail lounge feel less like a formal tasting room and more like someone's really well-stocked house party.

The real insider experience, though, is the Alpine Gin Making Experience. Through this five-hour "adult arts and crafts" session, Sara has created over 2,400 unique custom gins—more than any other distiller in history. Guests select botanicals, taste and dry them, then watch Sara distill their selections in individual copper pot stills. Two and a half hours later, you leave with your own custom bottle of gin and a serious appreciation for botanical distilling.

Sara's proprietary vapor extraction method—what she calls her formula of "proof, pressure, and speed"—has produced gins for some seriously high-profile clients. She's crafted botanical spirits for Stein Eriksen Lodge, St. Regis Deer Valley, Auberge Collection's Lodge at Blue Sky, Rolls-Royce, and Capital One.

One taster noted that "surprisingly the Gin was easy to drink based on the herbal taste," finding it smooth despite being a gin skeptic. Another customer praised the vodka as "so smooth you almost don't know it's in there" and the whiskey for having "a unique flavor that makes it better to sip than mix".

The "Social Aid & Pleasure Club" name isn't just clever branding—it's a mission statement borrowed from New Orleans organizations from the 1800s called benevolent societies that performed charitable works, hosted social events, and helped members defray healthcare costs. Alpine embraces their responsibility for social aid, contributing space, time, and resources to local entities.

The lounge has hosted everything from weddings and celebrations of life to belly dancing, yoga classes, and unveiling events for their gin chocolate bar collaboration with Ritual Chocolate. "We do a lot of fun things, and it's a great place for locals," Sara says. Book clubs meet here. Nonprofit fundraisers happen regularly. It's a gathering space first, bar second.

This commitment extends to environmental stewardship too. Alpine Distilling won the Green Business Award in 2021 and has been honored three times with this recognition. They carefully measure water usage during whiskey, gin, and liqueur production, holding unspent water and recycling what they can daily. The distillery sources water from an aquifer behind their Silver Creek production facility and uses two different chemical-free filtration systems. They even convert spent grains into fuel.

Rob credits Park City's collaborative spirit as key to Triple Oak's creation, with local chefs like Zane Holmquist and Jason Berrett from Stein Eriksen Lodge providing feedback that pushed Alpine to create whiskey matching the sophistication their clientele demanded. "This whiskey only exists because we live where we live, surrounded by such talented people," Rob said.

The Spirits: What Makes Alpine Distilling Park City's Portfolio Award-Winning

Sara's botanical expertise shines in the flagship Alpine Elevated Gin, which sources botanicals from around the world and subjects them to 100% vapor extraction. The results speak for themselves: Gin of the Year Gold Medal London, 4X Top Gin Distillery by USA Today, twice awarded Best in Class at the TAG Awards Las Vegas, Double Gold Medals at Women Wine & Spirits in London.

On the whiskey side, Rob distills like it's 1870—producing a barrel a day at most, which keeps their whiskey very bespoke. For Triple Oak specifically, the distillery worked with cooper Chris Hansen to craft hand-made barrels with wood that could counteract Utah's low humidity with faster lignin extraction, allowing hemicellulose to release from the oak and dissolve into the spirit—these are the sugars that create caramel, toffee, and honey-like notes.

The result? A whiskey that is rich and creamy on the palate, with a luxurious finish of roasted nuts and molasses. At 96.8 proof, it's delightfully smooth enough to sip neat, though it's so allocated that most bottles are spoken for before they hit shelves. If you can find one through special order on the DABS website for $179.99, buy it immediately.

Beyond gin and whiskey, Alpine produces the Lafayette Spiced Whiskey (honoring Rob's Kentucky roots), AngeVert Herbal Liqueur, and the Preserve Liqueur. Each spirit goes through years of development—AngeVert took two years of experimentation, testing mini batches to see how it stands alone and works in cocktails.

What sets Alpine apart from other craft distilleries is the lounge itself, which acts as a test kitchen for their spirits, allowing them to showcase applications and offering guests 20 different ways to use a spirit in premium takes on classic cocktails.

Planning Your Visit to Alpine Distilling Park City

The Social Aid & Pleasure Club
364 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060
Right on Historic Main Street, easily walkable from the Town Lift

Hours:
Tuesday–Saturday: 4:00 PM–10:00 PM
Sunday: 2:00 PM–7:00 PM
Monday: Closed

Production Facility & Bottle Sales
7132 Silver Creek Road, Park City, UT 84098
Tuesday–Friday: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

What to Order:
Start with a tasting flight to experience Alpine's complete portfolio—vodka, gin, whiskey, spiced bourbon, and liqueur. The espresso martini has a serious local following. If you're feeling adventurous, try the Green Smoke cocktail made with AngeVert herbal liqueur. And yes, get the pie—the Maple Bourbon Pecan is the move.

Insider Knowledge:
Book the Gin Making Experience in advance through their website—it's a five-hour session that books up quickly. The lounge hosts live music and special events regularly, and they're available for private events ranging from birthday parties to intimate weddings. Follow them on Instagram @alpinedistilling to stay updated on special releases and community events.

One visitor who walked in without checking reviews noted they were drawn by "nice, nostalgic music from the speakers" and stayed because "the venue had a good vibe". That pretty much sums it up.

Why Alpine Distilling Matters to Utah's Food Scene

In a state still shaking off outdated perceptions about alcohol culture, Alpine Distilling Park City proves that Utah can produce world-class spirits that compete internationally—and win. Sara was recently named CEO of the Year by Utah Business Magazine, recognition that speaks to her exceptional leadership and vision.

They're not just making good gin and whiskey. They're demonstrating what happens when you obsess over every detail, from sourcing Kentucky yeast for whiskey to spending years perfecting a botanical liqueur recipe. They're showing that community and craft aren't opposing values—they're complementary.

Like the long-established social aid and pleasure clubs of New Orleans, community is the inspiration for both the name and civic ethos of their bar. In a town that can sometimes feel dominated by tourists and seasonal visitors, Alpine has created a year-round gathering place that serves locals first while welcoming everyone with genuine New Orleans-style hospitality.

Whether you're a spirits nerd who wants to geek out about vapor extraction methods with Sara, a whiskey connoisseur chasing that 98-rated Triple Oak, or just someone looking for the best craft cocktails Park City has to offer in a room that doesn't feel like every other bar, Alpine Distilling's Social Aid & Pleasure Club delivers.

Just don't be surprised if you end up staying way longer than you planned, sinking into one of those velvet armchairs, piecing together how a distillery born from Hurricane Katrina's devastation became home to America's most decorated botanical distiller and Utah's highest-rated whiskey. That's the kind of story that deserves to be savored slowly, preferably with a perfectly balanced gin and tonic in hand.

Alpine Distilling Park City
Social Aid & Pleasure Club: 364 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060
Production Facility: 7132 Silver Creek Road, Park City, UT 84098
alpinedistilling.com | @alpinedistilling

Back to blog