Amway Grand Plaza’s Pickleball-inspired Cocktails 

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country for the third year in a row, and shows no signs of slowing. So when the summer’s hottest pickleball event, the Beer City Open Pickleball Championships, returned to Grand Rapids, MI, from July 9-14, historic downtown hotel Amway Grand Plaza offered several signature pickleball-inspired craft cocktails.

The specialty drinks, each with a play on pickleball terms and featuring pickle-infused ingredients and puns, were priced at $16 to $17 each and available at the hotel’s diverse collection of dining outlets. For instance, the Volley Llama was a mezcal Gimlet served with pickled peach sorbet offered at the contemporary, panoramic Spanish restaurant MDRD.

The Briny Backhand Martini (shown atop) was the hotel’s speakeasy IDC’s rendition of a dirty vodka martini with a splash of pickle brine, while the Shake and Bake-N, a unique whiskey sour made with bacon-washed bourbon was featured at the sophisticated Lumber Baron Bar. The Bainbridge Island Spicy Margarita (recipe below), a tropical Margarita with a kick, was inspired by pickleball’s origin city and served at the lobby bar Rendezvous. 

The Erne Smash, a citrusy cocktail with a rosy hue thanks to Grand Rapids-based Iron Fish Soft Parade Vodka, was served at the hotel’s Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and In the Kitchen, a refreshing vodka-based cocktail served with vanilla coconut cream was available at The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck. 

Amway Grand Plaza’s parent company, AHC Hospitality, was the tournament’s title sponsor and official hotel partner. Grand Rapids was recently named the country’s third most ‘Pickleball Obsessed’ city, and Amway Grand Plaza’s four rooftop pickleball courts have established the hotel as a vibrant hotspot for pickleball. 

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