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‘Tis the season to eat, drink, and be merry with signature holiday flavors in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Craft beverages and desserts are especially festive as our resident makers develop can’t-miss treats with hints of ginger, peppermint, and more.
Taste your way to a filling holiday in Virginia’s Blue Ridge!
COVID-19 UPDATE: Virginia's Blue Ridge is currently open in Phase Three of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Forward Virginia Recovery Plan. Visit our Phase Three Guidelines page for more information about what you can expect at local businesses in the region.
We also encourage you to join us in taking the VBR Stay Safe Pledge - a commitment between local businesses, residents, and visitors to help the region stay safe and limit the spread of COVID-19.
Baked Goods
Trade your fruitcake for one of the incredible desserts offered in our neck of the woods. Bubblecake Bake Shop in Roanoke crafts the sweetest and most whimsical cupcakes you’ve ever seen. Order a dozen Elf Food cupcakes (pink peppermint over dark chocolate) to share with the family, among friends, or at an office party.
Daleville’s Cupcakes & Canines is the home of Gingerbread cupcakes in Virginia’s Blue Ridge…complete with a gingerbread man on top! For gingerbread cookies (gluten-free, no less), head to Corbin’s Confections in Salem.
Our Daily Bread in Roanoke has a festively decorated white chocolate Buche de Noel. It’s a yellow log-shaped cake with French buttercream, fresh strawberry filling, and white chocolate shavings that looks a bit like snow.
R.T. Smith’s Deli is a New York style delicatessen that also serves up a tasty variety of Christmas cookies, including sugar cookies topped with melting snowmen.
The Peppermint Frost Cupcakes at Sugar & Slice Cupcakery & Confections in Hardy are dusted with crushed peppermint candy for an invigorating rush with every bite.
Beer & Wine
If you’re not a regular craft beer or wine drinker, you may be unaware of just how far the artisans of fine beverages go to embrace the seasons. Taste some of the best beverages Virginia’s Blue Ridge has to offer when you sip a Doppelnator Doppelbock (traditional winter beer; 8.5% ABV) at Chaos Mountain Brewing Company in Callaway, a Jubelale (robust ale with a warming spice; 6.7% ABV) at Deschutes Brewery Tasting Room in Roanoke, and the Winter Warmer (a dark ale; 8% ABV) at Beale's Brewery & BBQ in Bedford.
For a Christmas wine, pick up a bottle of Cinfulicious (11% ABV) from the Peaks of Otter Winery. They say it pairs great with vanilla ice cream and serves as a the perfect after dinner pallet cleanser, like a spiced apple.
Ice Cream & Sweet Treats
It’s a little chilly for ice cream, but for those die-hards who want a taste of the holidays in everything they eat, here are your best bets!
At Blue Cow Ice Cream Company in Roanoke, Egg Nog, Dark Chocolate Peppermint, and White Chocolate Peppermint Bark ice creams are having their day in the sun. Champloo Desserts in Salem specializes in rolled ice cream, and “Eggnoggin” is whipped up there, too.
Looking for a divine truffle for yourself or your beloved? At chocolatepaper in Downtown Roanoke, you’ll be delighted to find holiday fudge, gingerbread tiramisu and holly jolly cocoa flavors.
How about a shaved ice instead of ice cream? We gotchoo. Bayou Snowballs in Roanoke is our local shaved ice haven, and they’re doing it up for the season with the Peppermint Stick Snowball, made with peppermint, blue cotton candy, and coconut syrups.
Homestead Creamery in Wirtz is known for the glass-bottled milk, but did you know those bottles also deliver holiday merriment? Homestead Creamery’s eggnog is a classic go-to beverage and their custard is beloved by local bakers and chefs. Look for them in neighborhood groceries or head out to the farm market to get it right from the source. For more tasty goodness, ask for Homestead Creamery’s eggnog, peppermint, or gingerbread ice cream!
Drinks & Cocktails
Not to be outdone by beer, wine, and milk, craft cocktails and specialty coffees are due their moment to shine.
Coffee lovers will want to head to Sweet Donkey for a peppermint mocha or Little Green Hive for a selection of locally-roasted Red Rooster Holiday Blends. Both excellent coffee shops are located in Roanoke.
Toast the season with a tasty, seasonal craft cocktail in Virginia's Blue Ridge. Head to Twin Creeks Distillery in Rocky Mount to enjoy locally-crafted spirits from The Moonshine Capital of the World in special, seasonal holiday drinks.
You'll also love the cocktail menu and seasonal special at favorite spots like Billy's, Lucky, The River and Rail, The Blue Apron Restaurant, and Local Roots.
When you find something tasty and especially festive, don’t you feel compelled to share it? Not actually share it, of course. We would never ask that of you. But virtually share it. That’s the kind we want to see! Hashtag that special something with #BlueRidgeDay to ensure we see it and love it. Cheers!
