For the perfect autumn concoction, Yes Cocktail Co.’s Falling Leaves recipe combines whiskey or rye with its Charred Oak & Maple Syrup. Owners Lauren Butler and Brandon Alpert, of Atascadero, prefer rye.
You won’t find a better mixer, according to New York-based USA Today, which named the company America’s best craft mixer brand for 2025. And stocking up on its award-winning products couldn’t be easier for locals, with a tasting room in Paso Robles, an online marketplace, and more than 3,000 retailers worldwide hawking the brand.
Partaking of exceptional cuisine at the country’s best winery restaurant, on the other hand, requires reservations and a visit to Santa Ynez, home to Roblar Winery & Vineyards and its rising-star chef, Terri Buzzard.
Cream of the crop
Roblar Winery & Vineyards’ restaurant and tasting room is located at 3010 Roblar Ave. in Santa Ynez. For reservations, visit roblarwinery.com and connect on Facebook and Instagram @roblarwinery.
Find Yes Cocktail Co.’s tasting room and bottle shop at 2915 Union Road in Paso Robles and learn more at yescocktailco.com. Follow the company on Facebook and Instagram @yescocktailco.
Both establishments clinched the top spots in their respective categories this year in the newspaper’s annual 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
The highly competitive awards program enlists editors and a panel of experts to nominate and narrow down nominees, then solicits the general public to vote for their favorites.
In Santa Ynez, chef Buzzard is making waves at Roblar, the country’s top winery restaurant, with Paso’s The Restaurant at Justin not far behind at No. 3 in the 10Best awards.
“This recognition highlights the profound trust invested in employees and emphasizes the importance of collaboration in achieving such a significant milestone,” Buzzard said. “Receiving this esteemed accolade carries meaning because it was determined through customer votes.”
Roblar’s leadership team, helmed by the Gleason family, grants Buzzard and her culinary staff full rein to create elevated, seasonal cuisine to pair with winemaker Max Marshak’s diverse estate portfolio.
“The team feels deeply honored that the restaurant’s guests have acknowledged and valued their commitment, which makes this recognition more rewarding,” Buzzard said. “I am committed to delivering an unforgettable dining experience that truly captures the spirit of Roblar.”
While the restaurant spotlights local bounty from surrounding ranches and the sea, the heart and soul of the menu hails from its adjacent 1.5-acre Roblar Farm.
“A central commitment remains to prioritize the farm as the primary source for ingredients,” she explained. “Every dish served at Roblar carries a connection to the farm [and reinforces] the restaurant’s dedication to authenticity and sustainability.
“The transition from summer to winter is reflected in the evolving menu. … Now that the flavors of summer—such as tomatoes, melons, and corn—have given way to the hearty ingredients of the colder months, the culinary team now focuses on winter squashes, root vegetables, and warm spices.”
Up north in Paso Robles, the team at Yes Cocktail Co. reflected on its humble beginnings in light of the USA Today win.
“There is no greater joy than knowing your products are enjoyed by so many,” Butler said. “Ten years ago, we started Yes as a small farmers’ market booth. To now be named the No. 1 mixer brand in America, it’s both humbling and incredibly exciting.”
The duo placed second in last year’s competition and also landed dual awards from the San Francisco-based Good Food Foundation for its Charred Oak and Cucumber Jalapeño elixirs.
The company’s mixers, syrups, zero-proof spirits, bitters, and bitter cubes contain 100-percent natural herbs, spices, botanicals, fruit, and real cane sugar, with all ingredients sourced from organic providers nationwide.
“From seasoned mixologists to cocktail novices, we’ve got something for everyone,” Butler said. “Not a drinker? Not a problem. All our products make fun mocktails or can be used in coffee, tea, and desserts.”
In 2024, Yes released Italian aperitif Amarø, marking its debut as Paso’s first nonalcoholic distillery. Other releases in its zero-proof line are gin and tequila, available exclusively at their tasting room, “with more to come for dry January,” Butler added.
“New this year for the holidays is our Twelve Nights of Old Fashioneds Advent Calendar,” Butler continued. “It’s a different old-fashioned every night—perfect for a whiskey aficionado and guaranteed to spread holiday cheer.
“We’ve also created a Lump of Coal Old Fashioned, perfect for anyone on the naughty list. Each cube is crafted with raw demerara sugar and infused with activated charcoal aromatic bitters, so it’s black as coal but perfectly balanced and delicious.
“And last, but not least, are our Naughty or Nice cubes. These cubes are a surprise mix of classic aromatic and charcoal-infused and come packaged in a red velvet bag, so each cube is a surprise reveal.”
Beyond inspiring ingredients, chic décor and artwork, well-stocked shelves, and indoor and alfresco seating, the Paso facility offers guided tastings, light bites, mixology classes, and a private event space.
“This win celebrates our adventure of saying ‘yes’ to bold flavors, crazy ideas, and a decade of doing things our own way,” she added about this year’s top honors. “We never set out to follow a recipe. We built a company on curiosity and creativity, and that’s what keeps it exciting.”
Contributor Cherish Whyte salutes the Central Coast’s stellar 10Best turnout for 2025. Reach her at cwhyte@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 4, 2025.