Summer Cocktails

Summer is a great time to enjoy a wide range of refreshing seasonal cocktails.

Experiment on yourself or a close, trusted beverage consultant before serving to party guest. Listed below are a few of our favorite tried, true and trusted recipes.


Mount Gay Mojito
Easy to make, easier to enjoy.
Shake 6-10 mint leaves in a glass with ice
Add 4 parts Mount Gay Silver Rum
Squeeze 1 whole lime
Add 1 TBSP Sugar or Agave Nectar
Add 1 part Mojito Mix (we like Freshies or Master of Mix)
Shake well and top with club soda ;
Garnish with a mint sprig and you are off to the islands.


Grey Goose Cosmo
-Trendy, Refreshing and Dangerous
3 parts Grey Goose Orange into a cocktail shaker with ice
Add 1 part Cointreau
Add 1 part Cranberry Juice
Squeeze ¼ lime
Shake well, strain into a martini glass & garnish with an orange twist;
Delicious sophistication at home.


Espolon Margarita
-Heaps of great Marg recipe’s but this one always hits the mark
4 parts Espolon Silver or Reposado in a cocktail shaker
Squeeze 1 whole lime
Optional Add 1 part marg mix (Freshies)
1 part Citronge Orange Liqueur
1 part agave nectar
Shake well, pour over ice into a salt rimmed glass and garnish with a lime;
Baja beaches in the backyard


Dark & Stormy
Easier than a broad reach in the bay
1 part Goslings Dark Rum over ice
3 parts Ginger Beer (not ginger ale!)
Squeeze a lemon wedge;
Let someone else take the helm and get ready to make another

Crazy Mountain Brewery

There's a new beer in the Valley. Well, not really because Kevin Selvy, the owner and brew master of Crazy Mountain Brewery, had been brewing his recipes in Avon long before he moved to his new location in Edwards. He only had two varieties on the market at the time; his flagship brew Amber Ale and a Wit (Wheat), and they were only available on tap in local bars and restaurants.

Before Christmas, Kevin opened his brewery which proudly produces his high quality hand crafted beers. This brewery also claims the title of the highest elevation brew canning line in North America, and we are honored to have this Amber Ale on our shelves. It was in everybody's mouth, the fever; they made the mountain go crazy. Customers came in the store thirsty for the highly noticeable blue can on a green holder which is 100% recyclable. Our first batch of Crazy Mountain was gone in less than two days!

In his small Edwards location, Kevin is able to manage space and build his brewery into welcoming neighborhood-style bar that has a single wooden picnic table covering the majority of the tasting room. For only 4 dollars a pint, you can try one of the 6 different styles that are available only at the brewery: Saison, Pale Ale, Winter, Belgium, IPA and Stout. And of course, the Wit and Amber Ale are also available.

If you are a hop head, the IPA is the one that you need to go for. Floral up front, a hint of malt and bitter in your palate, (87 IBU), this beer is an explosion of hops with a long finish. I also really enjoyed the Winter Ale; this one had more malt notes to it. The caramel and hops at the end are not heavily charged. It is a great balance.

Crazy Mountain beers are on the hoppy side. Selvy throws 20 pounds of hops in his Amber Ale on a 17 & a half barrel brewing system. This brown colored ale is nutty and crisp in your palate and finishes bitter, (27 IBU).

If you're in Edwards, stop and say hello. You can find them behind Subway off the first roundabout next to I-70. You will love their friendly neighborhood environment and refreshing brews.

Or, stop by the West Vail Liquor Mart for a 6 pack of Crazy Mountain Amber Ale at $9.99.

Felipe Cueto

West Vail Liquor Mart

Special Events and Weddings

West Vail Liquor Mart provides their expertise in planning and beverage selection for specials events and weddings.

Planning: Let us help you with a recommended mix of beer, wine and liquor. We'll discuss your guests, menu, hours, theme and special requests.

Other items: We can also provide ice, mix, soda, bottled water, lemons, limes, keg taps, keg tubs and more.

Venues: Donovan Pavilion and Eagle-Vail Pavilion allow you to purchase your beverages and spirits from West Vail Liquor Mart. This will save you considerable dollars over hotel and restaurant liquor prices.

Delivery: We offer free delivery to private residences and venues. Your beverages will be delivered at your preferred time. Cold items will be cold so they will be ready to serve.

Returns: We will accept any returned beverages purchased at West Vail Liquor Mart within 4 days of your special event. The items must be unopened and resellable.

Let us help make your next event special and memorable!

For more information on planning your next event, contact Laurie Mullen at 970-476-2675 or lmullen@westvail.com.

Certified Organic, Biodynamic or Sustainably Confused?

What is organic wine?
Organic winemakers don't use chemical fertilizers. Therefore, the grapevine is forced to develop a more extensive root system in search of nutrients. As a rule of thumb, the bigger the root system, the more flavorful the grape.

Certified Organic:
The wine adheres to national standards, certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA.

Organically Grown: The grapes were grown organically.

Biodynamic: A nature-attuned agricultural method that predates the organic movement by several decades. Increasingly popular for growing grapes.

Sustainable Agriculture:
Another way of saying that nothing is wasted in the process. Byproducts are used as compost.

Some of our favorite organic wines at West Vail Liquor Mart:

Our Daily Red $9.99
Santa Julia Malbec $9.99
Luzon Verde $10.99
Cono Sur Cab/Carmenere $11.99
Cono Sur Pinot Noir $11.99
Bonterra Wines-all varietals $14.99+
Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc $22.99
Frog's Leap Chardonnay $29.99

Laurie at West Vail Liquor Mart

2008 Oregon Pinot Noir

I think people always wonder how important vintage (year) really is when they are drinking wine. Some may think this is taking it too far and deliberating between vintages might be over their head. Oh, that is just for wine snobs, it does not matter to me that much. Maybe some do look into it a little too much; but most not enough. There are definitely some wine regions that are affected heavily vintage to vintage (Oregon, certain regions in France, etc.) and some not as much (California, South America, etc.). This is a very general statement and of course you can have consistency from the first and bad years from the second, but I would definitely pay attention to the first a little more.

For example, the 2007 vintage in Oregon. Although there were some producers making some good wine, the vintage as a whole was not so hot (not a weather reference!) This is what Patricia Green said about the 2007 vintage in the Willamette Valley, Of the eight vintages we have farmed, harvested and bottled here at Patricia Green Cellars this will likely be the most difficult one to WRITE about. Why? Well, it was far from a textbook vintage, no doubt many of you have seen an unusual number of Oregon Pinot Noir Roses on the market and maybe have experienced some less than thrilling Pinots from the vintage. It is always easy to write that whatever you have to sell is the best vintage ever or the best vintage since… but there is a line you can cross where people simply do not believe what you have to say if it runs to much counter to their actual experiences. There is no question that the 2007 harvest was tough. It rained and it rained more than just a little bit at times when we really do not want it to rain at all. There were sleepless mornings when at 3:30 AM you lie there wondering why you ever put your life, beliefs and financial future in the hands of Mother Nature. The first 26 days of October (we finished picking on the 26th) were some of the most gut-wrenching and harrowing days we have spent deciding what to do and waiting to pick fruit that we have endured in a long, long time. It was definitely a tough vintage that ended with a lot of wine Willamette produces would not want to represent their region. If you see a smoking deal on your favorite producers pinot, you might want to take a closer look at the vintage. It is not that anyone is trying to rip you off, it is just that their confidence in their wine from that vintage might not be there. If a sale looks too good to be true; it probably is.

Now let us look at the 2008 vintage. Great ratings from Parker to Spectator, a perfect growing season, and a really psyched group of winemakers. Michael Etzel, of Beaux Freres said, "Everyone seems to be interested in Oregons 2008 vintage. Wine Spectator is rumored to have given it a 100-point vintage in the next edition. It all began with the growing season of 2008. The flowering was just right. Not too good and not too loose and we're guessing, about a 50 to 60 percent success in the flowering, which produces nice small clusters that are loose enough to allow berry expansion. Finished cluster weights were 85 grams, unlike 2007 with cluster weights of 135 or so. The growing season was moderate, not too much heat, rain or cool days. This permitted the grapes to get fully ripe seeds, stems and the skin of the grape. The week of Sept. 1, we had rain all weekend. Then the warm fall season began. The rain was just enough to give the plants that shot in the arm to carry on the ripening process. We began picking young vines on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Everything was picked by Oct. 18. Ferments were native and behaved very well. They aged well and now, two years later, they are showing what a good childhood will do for later development."

When a winemaker has a great growing season it is easy for him or her to make better decisions. In Oregon you really have to worry about rain during harvest, like what happened in 2007. When you are concentrating on saving your grapes, it is hard to focus on making spectacular wines. But when nature aligns; it does all the work and decision making for you. It is easy to make the right choices because the perfect grapes do not make bad decisions. It is easy to notice the difference when tasting 2008 vs. 2007. Like I said, I have had some good 2007s but almost every single 2008 I have come across I have liked.

When people ask me what is good wine, I usually respond; if you like it then it is good. What you like and what I like may be completely different. But there is something to be said about unanimous liking or disliking. If 2008s are all the craze; check them out because not everyone can be wrong. You can kill yourself trying to buy only wines with the top scores and coming from the best vintages. By educating yourself, you can really help your wine buying decisions and hone in on what you will really enjoy.

Nick Agnew
Wine Buyer
West Vail Liquor Mart