Jessa Smout, owner of Amrita: Handcrafted Beverages, is anything but your average bartender. With 20+ years of experience in bartending, restaurant management, wine and spirit education, Smout knows what it means to read the room when it comes to serving a wide array of clientele.

After studying Nutrition in college, paid for by bartending, and running a very successful juice and tonic bar in Jackson, Wyoming, she began to miss the energy and creative spark that bartending allowed, and once again found herself standing behind a few of Jackson Hole’s award winning bars. At Jackson’s Local Restaurant, she found herself being part of an incredibly innovative new cocktail program, with fresh, local ingredients that any chef would be jealous of. After managing and bartending during those formative first years she then moved into consulting for an all organic restaurant bar program. Marrying a passion for both bartending and her background in natural health, Amrita Beverages was born in 2016 — a boutique wellness beverage company based in the foot of the Teton Mountain Range. 

Smout is known for crafting the most unique, fresh and widely satisfying beverages in the Mountain West and beyond — and her knack for creativity is endless in this space. Whether a properly executed Old Fashioned, a “wake the senses up” concoction for a yoga retreat, an inventive baby shower juice (simply add booze for those not expecting), or an herb and flower-infused tincture, Smout’s team is skilled at analyzing each event or client, on a personal level, in order to bring a bespoke beverage to the table — with or without alcohol.

As go to favorites, Smout turns to the Negroni, Margarita, Old Fashioned and of course, the classic gin Martini. This is due to the fact that the pure simplicity of each is the easiest way to showcase the highest end, quality ingredients — and the ability to have unlimited combinations. When not behind the bar, find her skiing, snowboarding, soaking in the hot springs, hiking, hanging with her kiddo and traveling around the world in search for the best bar….or cocktail. 

-Cheers!