THINGS TO DO VisitSPC.com/Bars ST PETERSBURG DISTILLERY MOLLY GOODHEAD'S RAW BAR POUR YOURS MAHUFFER’S Murielle Winery took a long time to get going, but the fruits of its determined owner have paid off. Former corporate executive Michael Biglin enlisted his wife to open Murielle Winery almost two decades ago and named it after his mother, Muriel. Veteran-owned and award-winning Preez Distillery & Tasting Room makes more than 400 bottles of distilled vodka every month. Tampa Bay Times named them Best of the Best in 2021. From the Polish village of Jablonka comes another award-winning distillery, Kozuba & Sons Distillery. The Kozubas say their spirits result from “art, science, ambition, and just a little bit of magic.” For something different, try the cranberry-and juniper-flavored vodka. Whiskeys and bourbons are sometimes featured, too. He wants wine, but she wants a beer. It’s a classic dilemma. Settle it at Two Lions Winery and Palm Harbor Brewery , where homecrafted brews and an array of varietals mellow out any differences in opinion and where oenophiles don’t look down their noses at their Best of the Bay-winning wine slushies. Another local award-winner, Tarpon Springs Distillery, takes you on tours and tastings of its craft spirits, which are made onsite. Happy Hour is the best time to visit Sonder Social Club , when you sidle up to the bar, relax on a swivel stool and drink in style for neighborhood pub prices. The midcentury-inspired, dress-up kind of joint serves aromatically blended craft cocktails and chi chi nibbles. Enjoy live music on a lively patio at Smugglers Island Pub , which occupies a wooden house in the heart of the Palm Harbor historic district shaded by old mossy oak trees. WINERIES & DISTILLERIES No longer just the “Beer-muda Triangle,” St. Pete/Clearwater has begun to overflow with new small-batch distilleries and wineries. Named Distillery of the Year in the New York International Spirits Competition, St Petersburg Distillery serves their award-winning hooch in adorable vintage-style bottles you’ll want to keep after your last sip. Homemade but refined clear liquor? Why, yes, don’t mind if we do. Just head to Cotherman Distilling Co. in Dunedin for hand-crafted distilled spirits. Try their 727 Vodka, a 24-plate column, small-batch distilled ‘single malt’ vodka. SAFETY HARBOR For a unique retreat, try Gigglewaters , a social club and screening room that gets its name from a 1920s slang word for booze. Craft cocktails, stylish digs, good food and a mini-theater make this spot the bees’ knees. OZONA/PALM HARBOR Every Florida trip should include a stroll down the shady streets of historic Ozona, where Molly Goodhead's Raw Bar has been serving beers, fresh seafood and oodles of charm for decades. 102 AMERICA’S BEST BEACHES
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