Photo: Dustin Beatty
How to Be Your Own Backcountry Bartender
In an urban environment you can walk in just about any direction and find a bar that can make you a wonderful craft cocktail. If you're a drinker, you’re probably accustomed to ordering something like an Old Fashioned or engaging your bartender in some casual conversation about how they can modify the house margarita.
Narrow down that experience even more for those of us who love the outdoors and you’re likely to indulge in an aprés-ski glass of wine or hit your favorite brew pub after a few days on the trail.
Go deeper beyond the comforts of car camping and your options to imbibe seemingly become even smaller. No one wants to schlep a growler into the backcountry—plus warm beer is not so tasty. And if you like wine but don’t love the weight, packing an additional 2.65 pounds of liquid might mean you’re staying sober for a few days.
Sure, you can take a cue from your next flight and pack a few stashable bottles of booze, but what about the mixers? Of course we don’t want to underestimate your willingness to get creative, but we’ve just noticed that happy hour is a little lackluster without the proper knowledge on how to be your own backcountry bartender.