Boot laces loosened, camp chair angled toward Pikes Peak’s sunset—now imagine the air in your glass matching the pine-sweet breeze around you. Mountain Pantry’s Spruce Tip & Juniper Syrup does exactly that, bottling the bright citrus-pine pop of Colorado’s high-country forest and handing it to you for cocktail hour.
Key Takeaways
• Spruce Tip & Juniper Syrup tastes like fresh pine and citrus, bringing the forest into your glass and onto your plate.
• A 15-minute walk in Manitou Springs (farmers market or two Main Street grocers) gets you a bottle; shipping to campsites is also offered.
• One Mason jar holds all you need for fast, two-ingredient cocktails—perfect for RVs, vans, or tiny kitchens.
• Five sample drinks cover adults, low-alcohol fans, coffee lovers, and kids; syrup also sweetens pancakes, fish, pork, and cheese boards.
• Bottle is 8 oz, leak-proof, and small enough for coolers, backpacks, and TSA carry-on rules.
• Foraging? Snip only light-green new tips, follow park rules, and pack out your scraps.
• At 6,400 ft, alcohol feels stronger—start with half pours, drink water, and wear sunscreen..
Stick with us to learn:
• The 15-minute Main Street stroll that scores you a fresh bottle (no extra research needed).
• A two-ingredient, one-jar cocktail that fits even a van-life kitchen.
• Low-sugar tweaks, kid-approved pancake pours, and a Leave No Trace forager’s cheat sheet.
Thirsty? Let’s tap into the trees.
A Taste Born Under Pikes Peak
Mountain Pantry is a family-run micro-producer tucked behind Manitou Avenue’s Victorian storefronts, only a ten-minute walk from Pikes Peak RV Park. The crew gathers tender spruce tips and dusty-blue juniper berries each spring, simmering them into a woodsy syrup that mingles bright citrus with a juniper gin kick. Local bartenders keep the eight-ounce bottles in easy reach because one splash freshens classics like Old Fashioneds and Tom Collins without overpowering their spirits.
True to its address, every bottle carries a short harvest story stamped on the label, confirming that the greenery came from foothills you probably hiked earlier that day. The flavor reads like the mountain’s own calling card: four-sided spruce needles lend gentle pine, while juniper berries contribute a resinous backbone reminiscent of small-batch gin. Curious drinkers can trace that complexity back to transparent sourcing notes on the Mountain Pantry website, where the production process is detailed step by step (Mountain Pantry syrup page).
Your 15-Minute Bottle Run
Manitou Springs makes stocking up almost absurdly simple. On summer Saturdays, follow the sidewalk past the penny arcade to the farmers market booth where syrup samples sit beside reusable insulated totes. Inventory fluctuates, so locals call the vendor that morning to reserve a bottle—handy if you prefer to stroll down later instead of sprinting from trailhead to market.
Two specialty grocers on Main Street keep a small-batch shelf year-round. Each one is an easy detour on the way back from Garden of the Gods, and both clerks happily offer a taste if you ask for their “evergreen pour.” If you’d rather sip before buying, hotel bars along Manitou Avenue and several Colorado Springs distilleries rotate a dealer’s-choice evergreen cocktail; just mention the syrup and let the bartender surprise you. And yes, the producer ships: Mountain Pantry packs insulated pouches and will deliver straight to your campground office, a welcome perk when deadlines keep Digital Nomads tethered to the hotspot.
Packable Cocktail Kit: Bar Tools in a Jar
Space matters when your kitchen is a slide-out. The go-to kit fits inside a wide-mouth Mason jar: a nesting jigger, handheld citrus reamer, and mini bar spoon all stow inside, leaving just enough room for a couple of bitters minis. Ninety percent of classic cocktails call for nothing more. A window-sill recharge keeps the jar sun-sterilized between uses.
Pre-batching turns road time into rest time. Combine spirits, syrup, and shelf-stable bitters at home, then top each cocktail with fresh citrus at camp. Stored in the RV fridge, a quart jar of mix stays vibrant for seven days. Block ice from frozen water bottles melts slowly and doubles as tomorrow’s drinking water—handy when hookups are limited. Remember to pour leftover sweet mixers into the designated gray-water tank; raccoons adore syrup spills even more than your kids do.
Five Evergreen Drinks for Every Camper
Start with the Trail-to-Tavern Gin Fizz, a camp-friendly riff that has Millennial hikers shaking two ounces of gin, three-quarters of an ounce of Mountain Pantry syrup, the same measure of lemon juice, and an egg white. A vigorous shake followed by a club-soda crown lifts a snowy foam that begs to be captured on Reels before the first sip. Retirees chasing lighter pours can build a Low-Alcohol Spruce Collins by stirring one and a half ounces of low-ABV gin alternative with half an ounce each of syrup and lemon, then stretching it tall with sparkling water for a sessionable refresher. Families find their crowd-pleaser in the Forest Lemonade: three ounces of lemonade meet a half ounce of syrup and a sparkling splash in a kid-safe cup, finished with a strawberry slice that doubles as built-in snack.
For campers who like to earn their nightcap, the Adventure Forager recipe turns trail treasures into a DIY Camp-Stove Old Fashioned. Simmer equal parts water and sugar with a handful of freshly snipped spruce tips, strain after ten minutes, then stir one ounce of the aromatic syrup into two ounces of bourbon and a dash of bitters for fireside sophistication. Digital Nomads wrapping up deadlines can keep it even simpler: four ounces of cold-brew coffee over ice plus one ounce of Mountain Pantry syrup makes a two-ingredient Evergreen Highball that travels from desk to picnic table in seconds. Every drink lands in the glass in less than five minutes, fits inside a single Mason jar for mixing, and should be chased with a full mineral-spring water pour—hydration is non-negotiable at 6,400 feet.
Forest Flavors Beyond the Glass
Dinner deserves the same evergreen glow. Whisk a 1-to-3 ratio of syrup to olive oil plus a dash of cider vinegar, then bathe rainbow trout or chicken skewers for thirty minutes before they hit the grill. The spruce citrus brightens delicate proteins without masking camp smoke.
Pork chops love a last-minute glaze: brush a thin coat of syrup during the final five minutes so sugars caramelize without burning. Breakfast gets an upgrade too—one tablespoon over oatmeal or skillet pancakes folds forest notes into trail-mix toppings like dried berries and nuts. Even the cheese board earns applause when a ramekin of syrup meets aged gouda or Manchego; non-drinkers appreciate a dip that mirrors cocktail flavors without the booze.
Forage Respectfully, Sip Responsibly
If the aroma lures you into the woods, start with a ranger-station check-in. National Forest land usually allows small personal harvests, yet rules shift by district. Once cleared, confirm the tree in front of you: true spruce needles feel square and roll between thumb and forefinger, unlike flat fir or dangerous yew.
Sustainability follows the tip-of-every-fifth-branch rule—snip only the light green new growth, using clean scissors and a breathable cloth bag to prevent wilting. A quick field primer appears in this concise syrup recipe from Serious Eats (spruce tip syrup guide). Stay on established trails, pack out cuttings, and let the forest keep its dignity so next year’s batch tastes just as clean.
Altitude Awareness: Smarter Sipping at 6,400 Feet
Mountain air exaggerates both views and booze. Many visitors feel alcohol one to two drinks sooner here, so start with half-strength pours until your body calibrates. Pair every cocktail with an eight-ounce mineral-spring refill—Manitou’s public fountains bubble up naturally carbonated hydration just blocks from camp.
Thinner oxygen can disrupt sleep when mixed with nightcaps, so aim to clink glasses earlier in the evening and swap to herbal tea by twilight. Finally, remember that high-altitude sunburn mimics next-day hangovers; sunscreen and a brimmed hat shield you from confusing fatigue with the aftereffects of that Spruce Collins.
Bottle size slots neatly into a cooler sleeve, and the leak-proof cap survives mountain-road washboards. Unopened syrup stays shelf-stable; once cracked, pop it in the fridge and enjoy within several weeks. Heading home by plane? The eight-ounce option clears TSA as a carry-on liquid, letting you pour Pikes Peak memories into stateside cocktails long after the mountain fades in your rearview mirror.
Ready to taste the forest for yourself? Claim a creekside spot at Pikes Peak RV Park, stroll ten minutes for your Mountain Pantry bottle, then toast the sunset with spruce on the nose and the summit in sight. With full hookups, fast Wi-Fi for sharing those #PikesPeakRVPark pours, and trails right outside your door, we’re the easiest basecamp for every evergreen adventure. Book your stay today and let the mountains—and your cocktail—do the talking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes Mountain Pantry’s spruce tip and juniper syrup truly “local” to the Pikes Peak area?
A: Every spring the family-run crew walks the lower foothills just west of Manitou Springs, clips only the pale green new growth from native spruce, handpicks blue juniper berries, then finishes the syrup in their kitchen behind Manitou Avenue, so the ingredients and production never leave a 15-mile radius of the RV park.
Q: Where can I grab a bottle when I’m camping at Pikes Peak RV Park?
A: Your fastest option is the Saturday Manitou Springs farmers market booth that sits a ten-minute sidewalk stroll from camp; the same eight-ounce bottles are also stocked year-round at two Main Street specialty grocers and can be sampled at several bars along Manitou Avenue if you want to taste before you buy.
Q: Can the syrup be delivered right to my campsite or mailbox?
A: Yes, Mountain Pantry will ship in an insulated pouch that the park office accepts on your behalf, so Digital Nomads or late-arriving travelers can have a bottle waiting without leaving the Wi-Fi zone.
Q: How much sugar is in the syrup and is there a diabetic-friendly way to enjoy it?
A: The standard recipe contains roughly seven grams of sugar per half-ounce pour; many guests cut that in half by mixing the syrup 50-50 with water or choosing the producer’s reduced-sugar line, then stretching each drink with sparkling water to keep flavor high and carbs low.
Q: Does it work in mocktails or for kids who want something special?
A: Absolutely, the pine-citrus sweetness shines in lemonade, sparkling water, or even milk steamers, giving non-alcoholic Forest Lemonades for kids and zero-proof Collins for adults who are skipping spirits.
Q: I have limited space—what is the quickest cocktail I can make with this syrup?
A: Stir equal parts of the syrup and your favorite spirit—gin, bourbon, or rum—over block ice, then top with a squeeze of fresh citrus; the two-ingredient base hits the glass in under thirty seconds and fits in one Mason jar.
Q: Can the syrup pull double duty on breakfast foods like pancakes or oatmeal?
A: Yes, one tablespoon drizzled over hot pancakes, oatmeal, or even yogurt gives a gentle evergreen twist that most kids liken to mild maple with a hint of orange, so you get more value out of the same bottle.
Q: How should I store it in my RV so it doesn’t spoil or leak?
A: An unopened bottle is shelf-stable in a cupboard; once you break the seal, tuck it in the RV fridge door and tighten the leak-proof cap, where it stays fresh for about six weeks even on bumpy mountain roads.
Q: Is foraging my own spruce tips around Pikes Peak allowed and sustainable?
A: Small personal harvests are usually legal on National Forest land as long as you clip only the light-green tips from every fifth branch and pack out trimmings, but you must first confirm with the local ranger station because regulations change by district.
Q: Does altitude change how boozy the cocktails feel?
A: At 6,400 feet your body absorbs alcohol faster and dehydrates sooner, so many visitors feel one drink ahead of where they normally would; start with half-strength pours and match every cocktail with a full glass of water from Manitou’s public mineral springs.
Q: Will the eight-ounce bottle pass TSA if I want to fly home with it?
A: Yes, the bottle falls under the 3.4-ounce carry-on rule only if you transfer the syrup into smaller travel containers, otherwise check it in your luggage or purchase Mountain Pantry’s pre-sealed three-ounce gift duo that was designed for airport security.
Q: How much does a bottle cost and are there senior or bulk discounts?
A: The current shelf price is about thirteen dollars per eight ounces, and the farmers market often runs a two-for-twenty deal while the Main Street grocers give a ten-percent discount to shoppers over sixty-five, so retirees stocking up for happy hour can save a few dollars.
