If there’s one thing that pairs well with sweets, it’s spirits! And that’s the cocktail the new Sweets and Spirits Trail in Miami County, Ohio, has mixed together. No matter their drink or sweet tooth preferences, trailgoers will find their own pairing to satisfy—whether it’s a hard cider with a cinnamon sugar doughnut, bourbon with chocolate, or a dark ale with a Clark Bar.
Credit: Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau
Miami County has a unique collection of small, local businesses whose primary focus is either spirits or sweets. Wanting to showcase this assortment of small businesses, the Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau (MCVCB) created the Sweets and Spirits Trail and officially launched it in March of this year. The trail features over 15 locations, made up of wineries, breweries, distilleries, vintage candy stores, chocolate shops, bakeries, and more.
Included on the list are several of the well-known Winans Chocolates shops, which is not by accident. One of Miami County’s largest communities, Piqua, is home to the famous Winans Chocolates, which now has locations throughout Ohio.
“I hope that for visitors and locals who are participating, that they go visit a place they’ve never been before,” says Delaney Fields, marketing and experience specialist of MCVCB. “I hope it promotes these local businesses. Everything on [the trail] is a local business.”
While the trail continues to grow, the current list of locations includes:
- A.M. Scott Distillery
- Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Co.
- Crooked Handle Brewing Co.
- Dobo’s Delights Bake Shoppe
- Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop
- Hayner Distilling
- Indian Creek Distillery
- Moeller Brew Barn
- Oh Crêpe
- Old Mason Winery & Vineyard Inc.
- Rad Candy Company
- Sweet Dreams Cake Shoppe
- This & That’s Candy on Main
- Twenty One Barrels Hard Cider & Wine
- Winans Chocolates + Coffees
Credit: Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau
To sweeten the experience even more, the MCVCB has created a pass trailgoers can use to check-in to locations, earn points for special prizes, and receive discounts at the participating trail locations. The pass is free and can be used with a smartphone, no downloading required. Trailgoers will receive a text message with a link to the pass, which can be saved on a phone’s home screen for easy access. At a participating location, trailgoers can check-in to earn points, as well as show their passes for special discounts. They can then redeem check-in points for prizes featuring the Sweets and Spirits Trail official logo. Prizes include items such as a beer tasting glass, stemless wine glass, baseball hat, T-shirt, and more.
While an ambitious trailgoer could squeeze the entire trail into one weekend, the pass is good through March 1, 2024 for those who want to spread the experience out.
Locations are spread throughout Miami County, with many close together making it easy for trailgoers to drive to a location and then walk to others nearby. Larger groups may want to consider breaking up into smaller groups and starting at different locations.
Written by Danielle Devota
Featured Image: Twenty One Barrels, Bradford, Ohio; Credit: Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau
