![\"pelegrims](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/07\/pelegrims-skincare-hero-300x200.jpg\")
<\/div>\nMany well-known drinks producers have a side-hustle \u2013\u00a0honey, olive oil, skincare. Some offer their products for sale, while others just give them to lucky guests. However you get your hands on them, they make gorgeous souvenirs. Here are some I have relished in the last few years.<\/p>\n
Honey<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"babylonstren](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/07\/babylonstren-honey.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThe push for greater biodiversity means many vineyards now have beehives\u00a0\u2013 and I\u2019m always thrilled to have a jar of honey pressed into my hands. Not least because honey reflects terroir <\/em>in much the same way as wine; it can be delicate and floral, rich and caramelised, or smoky and medicinal depending on the local climate and plants. I\u2019ve breakfasted on honey from Chateau Cheval Blanc\u2019s regenerative farm in St-\u00c9milion; and Champagne Billecart-Salmon\u2019s walled vineyard Clos St Hilaire; and the chestnutty autumn honey from top Brunello producer Il Marroneto in the Val d\u2019Orcia. The magnificent Babylonstoren<\/a> winery in South Africa sells no less than seven contrasting honey varieties, from hives around its Franschhoek estate, that showcase local flora from macadamia and orange blossom, through to herbal fynbos and eucalyptus.<\/p>\nBabylonstoren Honey Range<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nOlive oil<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"Castello](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/07\/olive-oil-drinks1-1707x2560.jpg\")
\u00a9Castello di Ama \/ Alessandro Moggi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI\u2019ve written before in this publication about my passion for olive oil, especially the peppery, grassy oils from Tuscan wine producers such as Capezzana<\/a>, Poggiotondo<\/a> and Fontodi<\/a>. The oil that got me hooked in the first place was by Castello di Ama<\/a> \u2013\u00a0a beautiful family-owned vineyard in the Chianti Classico hills, with grounds (and bookable lodgings) filled with specially-commissioned works by artists including Anish Kapoor, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Louise Bourgeois. This oil was first served to me, one chilly February night, by the flagstone fireside, drizzled on shards of toasted white bread, alongside a glass of Castello di Ama\u2019s chilled Chardonnay \u2013\u00a0a wonderfully simple aperitivo<\/em> thatremains one of the best food memories of my life.\u00a0<\/p>\nCastello di Ama olive oil<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nSkincare<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"pelegrims](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/07\/pelegrims-skincare.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nGrape-based skincare has a long history\u00a0\u2013\u00a0grape-seed oil was prized in medieval times as\u00a0a moisturizer; Mary Queen of Scots reputedly bathed in white wine to improve her complexion, while modern-day brands like France\u2019s Caudalie<\/a> and the Napa-born Vintner\u2019s Daughter<\/a> have built their reputation on the alleged antioxidant and anti-wrinkle properties of grape polyphenols. English-grown grapes from the Kent winery Westwell<\/a> are the starting point for Pelegrims, a stylish young skincare range from the former director of skincare label Haeckels and a trained sommelier. Like Westwell, these unisex products are sustainability-minded and locally-made. I particularly like the Pelegrims Hyaluronic Plump Facial Oil<\/a>, which features pinot noir polyphenol extracts and a gorgeous scent of fig, grass and rose. Their best-selling hand cleanser, made with the Ortega grape and scented with rose, tomato, and labdanum, is also stocked in the washrooms of Michelin-starred restaurants including Evelyn\u2019s Table in London and The Sportsman in Kent. \u00a0<\/p>\nPelegrims Skincare<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nHerbal tea<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/07\/ambiance_refectoireinfu_couleur-1708x2560.jpg\")
\u00a9Chartreuse tea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt\u2019s better-known as an after-dinner drink these days, but Chartreuse was originally a health-giving elixir, produced by Carthusian monks in the French Alps from over a hundred different spices, flowers, roots, and herbs. Now, that same, silent, order of monks has used their pharmaceutical savoir faire <\/em>to create a line of herbal teas. Blends include the calming Angelus du Soir (linden blossom, hawthorn, lemon verbena) and airway-clearing Spaciement (peppermint, marjoram, fennel). Visits to the notoriously secretive Chartreuse distillery itself are by invitation only, but there\u2019s an excellent visitor\u2019s center and archive in nearby Voiron, where you can buy these teas along with a multitude of other Chartreuse-infused delights including candies, ice cream, chocolate, and meringues (as well as some rare and sought-after cuv\u00e9es) in little stores around the town. There\u2019s also a Chartreuse boutique, with a nice little bar<\/a>, in Paris, just near the Jardins de Luxembourg.<\/p>\nChartreuse Herboristerie Tisanes des Chartreux<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWhiskey Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"whisky](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/07\/wp-barrel-aged-maple-syrup-drink.png\")
<\/figure>\nThere\u2019s only one thing more delicious than an Old Fashioned sweetened with maple syrup and that\u2019s an Old Fashioned sweetened with maple syrup that\u2019s been aged in a Whistlepig<\/a> whiskey barrel. This small-batch speciality from Vermont\u2019s much-loved rye whiskey specialists is made with organic maple syrup from Runamok<\/a>, that\u2019s then rested in Whistlepig\u2019s rye whiskey casks (which are made from Vermont oak) for six to twelve months. The resulting deep-amber syrup is richly-flavored and spicy, but entirely alcohol-free, so if you really cannot wait until cocktail hour you can pour it over your breakfast pancakes. Otherwise stir 5-10ml with a couple of shots of Whistlepig Rye Whiskey, a dash of Angostura Aromatic Bitters with a nice big cube of ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. \u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/figure>\nThe push for greater biodiversity means many vineyards now have beehives\u00a0\u2013 and I\u2019m always thrilled to have a jar of honey pressed into my hands. Not least because honey reflects terroir <\/em>in much the same way as wine; it can be delicate and floral, rich and caramelised, or smoky and medicinal depending on the local climate and plants. I\u2019ve breakfasted on honey from Chateau Cheval Blanc\u2019s regenerative farm in St-\u00c9milion; and Champagne Billecart-Salmon\u2019s walled vineyard Clos St Hilaire; and the chestnutty autumn honey from top Brunello producer Il Marroneto in the Val d\u2019Orcia. The magnificent Babylonstoren<\/a> winery in South Africa sells no less than seven contrasting honey varieties, from hives around its Franschhoek estate, that showcase local flora from macadamia and orange blossom, through to herbal fynbos and eucalyptus.<\/p>\n Babylonstoren Honey Range<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve written before in this publication about my passion for olive oil, especially the peppery, grassy oils from Tuscan wine producers such as Capezzana<\/a>, Poggiotondo<\/a> and Fontodi<\/a>. The oil that got me hooked in the first place was by Castello di Ama<\/a> \u2013\u00a0a beautiful family-owned vineyard in the Chianti Classico hills, with grounds (and bookable lodgings) filled with specially-commissioned works by artists including Anish Kapoor, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Louise Bourgeois. This oil was first served to me, one chilly February night, by the flagstone fireside, drizzled on shards of toasted white bread, alongside a glass of Castello di Ama\u2019s chilled Chardonnay \u2013\u00a0a wonderfully simple aperitivo<\/em> thatremains one of the best food memories of my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n Castello di Ama olive oil<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Grape-based skincare has a long history\u00a0\u2013\u00a0grape-seed oil was prized in medieval times as\u00a0a moisturizer; Mary Queen of Scots reputedly bathed in white wine to improve her complexion, while modern-day brands like France\u2019s Caudalie<\/a> and the Napa-born Vintner\u2019s Daughter<\/a> have built their reputation on the alleged antioxidant and anti-wrinkle properties of grape polyphenols. English-grown grapes from the Kent winery Westwell<\/a> are the starting point for Pelegrims, a stylish young skincare range from the former director of skincare label Haeckels and a trained sommelier. Like Westwell, these unisex products are sustainability-minded and locally-made. I particularly like the Pelegrims Hyaluronic Plump Facial Oil<\/a>, which features pinot noir polyphenol extracts and a gorgeous scent of fig, grass and rose. Their best-selling hand cleanser, made with the Ortega grape and scented with rose, tomato, and labdanum, is also stocked in the washrooms of Michelin-starred restaurants including Evelyn\u2019s Table in London and The Sportsman in Kent. \u00a0<\/p>\n Pelegrims Skincare<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s better-known as an after-dinner drink these days, but Chartreuse was originally a health-giving elixir, produced by Carthusian monks in the French Alps from over a hundred different spices, flowers, roots, and herbs. Now, that same, silent, order of monks has used their pharmaceutical savoir faire <\/em>to create a line of herbal teas. Blends include the calming Angelus du Soir (linden blossom, hawthorn, lemon verbena) and airway-clearing Spaciement (peppermint, marjoram, fennel). Visits to the notoriously secretive Chartreuse distillery itself are by invitation only, but there\u2019s an excellent visitor\u2019s center and archive in nearby Voiron, where you can buy these teas along with a multitude of other Chartreuse-infused delights including candies, ice cream, chocolate, and meringues (as well as some rare and sought-after cuv\u00e9es) in little stores around the town. There\u2019s also a Chartreuse boutique, with a nice little bar<\/a>, in Paris, just near the Jardins de Luxembourg.<\/p>\n Chartreuse Herboristerie Tisanes des Chartreux<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s only one thing more delicious than an Old Fashioned sweetened with maple syrup and that\u2019s an Old Fashioned sweetened with maple syrup that\u2019s been aged in a Whistlepig<\/a> whiskey barrel. This small-batch speciality from Vermont\u2019s much-loved rye whiskey specialists is made with organic maple syrup from Runamok<\/a>, that\u2019s then rested in Whistlepig\u2019s rye whiskey casks (which are made from Vermont oak) for six to twelve months. The resulting deep-amber syrup is richly-flavored and spicy, but entirely alcohol-free, so if you really cannot wait until cocktail hour you can pour it over your breakfast pancakes. Otherwise stir 5-10ml with a couple of shots of Whistlepig Rye Whiskey, a dash of Angostura Aromatic Bitters with a nice big cube of ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. \u00a0<\/p>\nOlive oil<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Skincare<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\nHerbal tea<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Whiskey Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\n