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Montpelier VT distillery elevated its food menu, leading to James Beard Award finals

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Montpelier VT distillery elevated its food menu, leading to James Beard Award finals


MONTPELIER ― The forced break during the COVID-19 pandemic gave management at Barr Hill the chance to reset. If the distillery is known for award-winning spirits, shouldn’t the new facility in Vermont’s state capital have a food and hospitality program to match?

Patrick Amice, who described himself as a longtime “friend” of the brand, received a call from Barr Hill in late 2021. Would he be willing to relocate from New Jersey to Vermont to become Barr Hill’s general manager of hospitality operations?

For someone who had been visiting Vermont for years to enjoy the state’s refreshing natural setting and world-renowned craft beers, the answer was not complicated. Amice arrived at Barr Hill in January of 2022 and began overseeing the bar/distillery’s addition of a restaurant offering small plates of locally sourced food, ramping up Barr Hill’s focus on hospitality.

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“They knew in hiring me that that’s what I brought to the table,” said Amice, who had worked in New Jersey at a wine shop/liquor store that carried Barr Hill products as well as at a restaurant affiliated with a highly regarded brewery.

Two years later, the transformation paid high-profile dividends. Barr Hill is a finalist for Outstanding Bar in the James Beard Awards, the top prize in the American restaurant and hospitality world. Barr Hill joins bars from Baltimore, New Orleans, San Francisco and Brownsville, Texas, in the category that will see winners announced at the award ceremony June 10.

The nomination, according to Amice, acknowledges the prime emphasis since he arrived at Barr Hill − “hospitality at the highest level.”

Highlighted by honey

The distillery has its roots in 2011 in the Northeast Kingdom, where parent company Caledonia Spirits began in Hardwick. All production of the company’s spirits has now moved to the facility that five years ago opened off Barre Street a short drive from downtown Montpelier.

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Barr Hill’s eponymous gin is distilled with juniper and honey as is the company’s Tom Cat gin, which is aged in barrels and resembles a “gin-meets-whiskey hybrid,” according to Amice. The company also produces vodka and, as of December, a rye whiskey called Phyllis that’s sold under the Caledonia Spirits brand. All the company’s products are made with Vermont grains, according to Amice.

Honey is the key ingredient for Barr Hill, which Amice said lends a unique, rum-like versatility to its spirits. Honey is a theme for this year’s James Beard Award finalists from Vermont: Executive chef/co-owner Cara Tobin of Honey Road in Burlington is a finalist for Best Chef: Northeast for her restaurant named in part for a famed honey-producing region of Turkey.

Sourcing from Vermont farms

Amice majored in accounting and finance at Rider University in New Jersey but realized quickly he didn’t want to spend his working life sitting behind a desk. He worked at a wine shop/liquor store called Princeton Corkscrew where Caledonia Spirits co-founder Todd Hardie came to bring Barr Hill products. (Barr Hill now distributes in 35 states.) Amice established a rapport with Barr Hill’s representatives and watched from afar as the brand grew in stature, winning national and international honors.

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Amice honed his hospitality skills at Brick Farm Tavern in Hopewell, New Jersey, on the grounds of award-winning Troon Brewing. The New Jersey native felt the lure of Vermont, though, heading north often to hike and swim and enjoy the state’s food and drink scene. He moved to Vermont just over two years ago with his girlfriend, Bernadette Pearson, a fellow alum of Brick Farm Tavern who is now head chef at Prohibition Pig in Waterbury.

Barr Hill’s previous food options, according to Amice, consisted primarily of a food truck and a few items that could be heated up easily. The company wanted to raise its dining offerings to the level of its spirits and cocktails and began that transformation once Amice arrived in early 2022.

Barr Hill hired Brandon Arms, a veteran of the Boston dining scene who most recently worked at Michael’s on the Hill in Waterbury Center, to serve as the distillery’s chef. He oversees a menu emphasizing sharable bites and ingredients sourced largely from Vermont farms. The menu on a recent Friday included maple roasted carrots, a Vermont cheese board and crispy pork belly glazed with Tom Cat gin. Barr Hill works to pair its cocktails with its dishes, Amice said.

“It’s really endless” what Vermont farmers provide, according to Amice. “We can create so many things with these flavors.”

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‘A team award’

Barr Hill learned April 3 that it made the James Beard Award finals but had little time to celebrate. That was five days before the total eclipse that drew thousands of visitors to Vermont and hundreds of customers to Barr Hill to mark the celestial occasion.

The nomination comes as a direct result of Barr Hill hiring Amice to ramp up its hospitality, but he said the honor is about Barr Hill’s 20 hospitality employees buying into what he and the company are preaching, namely “What can we do to help and what can we do to make it better?” Barr Hill’s staff members, according to Amice, stay positive no matter how difficult and stressful their days are.

“It doesn’t go unnoticed by me how hard that can be,” said Amice, a former bartender himself.

Amice and company co-founder/head distiller Ryan Christiansen are going to Chicago for the award ceremony.

“I would love to bring the team because it’s a team award,” according to Amice. But after Memorial Day, he said, it’s Barr Hill’s prime season, and the distillery can’t shut down or part with that many staffers if it wants to maintain its level of hospitality.

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If you go

WHAT: Barr Hill distillery/bar/restaurant

WHEN: 4-8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday-Thursday, 2-9 p.m. Friday, noon-9 p.m. Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: 116 Gin Lane, Montpelier

INFORMATION: (802) 472-8000, www.barrhill.com

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Anniversary celebration

WHAT: Five-year “Ginniversary” celebration featuring special tastings, distillery-only releases and live music from Nick Cassarino and opening act Baby Fearn and the Plants

WHEN: Noon-8 p.m. Saturday, June 29 (music from 4-7 p.m.)

WHERE: Barr Hill, 116 Gin Lane, Montpelier

INFORMATION: Free. (802) 472-8000, www.barrhill.com

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

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Vermont

Welch warns Canadian tariffs will “threaten jobs and their profit margins” in Vermont – The Boston Globe

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Welch warns Canadian tariffs will  “threaten jobs and their profit margins” in Vermont – The Boston Globe


WASHINGTON — As Canada waits for President Donald Trump to follow through on imposing hefty tariffs on goods in February, Vermonters are bracing for the impact on their state’s economy.

Democratic Senator Peter Welch heard these concerns firsthand during a roundtable with his constituents on Monday in St. Albans, Vermont. His open dialogue included local business owners, farmers and state lawmakers who explained the impact that the 25% tariff threatened by Trump could have on their communities.

“One [concern they expressed] is that the tariffs are extraordinarily disruptive, and will threaten jobs and their profit margins. Number two, they say that whatever the tariff is, the only way they’ll be paid is by the consumer, so it’s going to increase prices,” Welch told the Globe in an interview. “It’ll increase our electric rates in Vermont and increase the cost of the products that these manufacturers are making.”

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Welch said tariffs could disrupt markets and worried about their impact on the cost of electricity and agriculture in Vermont.

“We get much of our power from Hydro-Québec, so if there’s a 25% tariff, that could add 25% to your electric bill overnight,” Welch said.

He added that the manufacturing industry could take a hit on products such as the Concept2 rowing machine which is manufactured in Morrisville, as well as the equipment for maple syrup evaporators.

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Vermont imports roughly $2.6 billion annuallyfrom Canada, its largest foreign trading partner, according to Connect2Canada. Energy, agriculture, equipment and machinery are the largest industries.

“There’s real-world consequences that are immediate that will affect jobs, companies and people in Vermont,” Welch said. “You could find that similar group of people in any state in the country, whether they voted for Trump or Harris, and they would say the same thing.”

“There’s a shared goal with Trump in that we all want a strong economy,” Welch continued. “Trump believes that the use of these tariffs will make us stronger, but what I heard today is they’ll make us weaker.”

Trump reiterated his threat to reporters on Friday, saying there was “nothing” Canada, Mexico or China, which Trump said will also have tariffs imposed, can do to head off the implementation.


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Kendall Wright can be reached at kendall.wright@globe.com. Follow him on X @k_wright4.





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Snow expected to fall in parts of Vermont. How much to expect, when

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Snow expected to fall in parts of Vermont. How much to expect, when


UVM soccer: NCAA championship parade on Burlington’s Church Street

Fans flocked Church Street to celebrate UVM men’s soccer’s historic national championship with a parade and rally.

A “roller coaster” of temperatures is coming to Vermont this weekend, bringing with it some fresh snow.

Depending on where you are in Vermont, you could see just a dusting or up to five inches of snow on Friday night into Saturday morning, according to meteorologists at the National Weather Service of Burlington.

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But the temperatures will also vary wildly, from the mid 30s down to the negative double digits throughout the weekend.

Here’s what you need to know about the weather in Vermont this weekend.

Will it snow in Vermont this weekend?

Yes, but snow accumulations will vary from north to south.

Brooke Taber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Vermont, said that light snow should develop across Southern Vermont Friday afternoon, and then expand into central Vermont Friday night and Saturday morning.

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Southern and central Vermont, including Rutland and Windsor counties and south, could see three to five inches.

North near the border with Canada, just a dusting to one inch is expected.

How will the snow affect skiing?

Taber expects only minor impacts from the snow due to the amount and the timing.

However, he said it should help to refresh some of the surfaces at local ski resorts. 

It will also help build the snow base for outdoor enthusiasts like snowmobilers and cross country skiers.

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How cold will it be in Vermont?

Amid the snow, Vermont will also see a “roller coaster” of temperatures.

After very cold temperatures Thursday, it should warm up to seasonable norms Friday, up to the mid 30s.

Then, temperatures will plunge again Saturday, especially at night, where it could drop to -5 or -15 depending on location. 



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Vermont hot sauce featured on YouTube’s ‘Hot Ones’

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Vermont hot sauce featured on YouTube’s ‘Hot Ones’


BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont hot sauce is getting top billing on the YouTube show “Hot Ones.” This winter, actors, singers, and other celebrity guests are eating their wings and warming up with some heat from the Green Mountain State.

Butterfly Bakery of Vermont owner Claire Georges is showing off her newest creation, Hot House hot sauce, that’s making celebrities sweat on the current season of “Hot Ones.”

The Barre business first landed on the show in 2015 with their Smoked Onion Hot Sauce. “Ever since the “Hot Ones” run, it’s our most popular sauce,” Georges said. Then, in 2023, their 638,000 Scoville heat scale Taco Vibes sauce made the lineup. “Taco Vibes is an insanely hot number nine sauce made with reapers and ghost peppers and that one’s crazy.”

Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: Who’s been your favorite reaction to eating your hot sauce?

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Claire Georges: That would be Pedro Pascal… He had Taco Vibes back on season 2024 and he was looking at it and he was like… And then he ate it.

Celebrities this season like Grammy winner Bad Bunny also sweated it out to Hot House. The five-pepper blend has more herbs and spices than their usual mixes, leading to a flavor Georges describes as “bold” and “complex.” “It’s shockingly versatile. I keep finding new things I can have it on,” she said.

Georges has been trying for years to get one of their products back on the show. “It was really exciting when we got the word that this was going to be part of the lineup,” she said. She says their large product line is the result of their ethos of experimentation and a lot of trials.

“We’re always making new things and it’s a lot of fun.”

Hot sauce lovers can find their Hot House online at the Heatonist. Then, after the current “Hot Ones” season in May, it will be available online at Butterfly Bakery.

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