While tech startups and a few other firms may offer some alcoholic beverages on premise to their employees, no one does it better than the alcoholic beverage industry. Corporate bars found at liquor companies and brewers are the perfect place to relax after a long day at the office. Spirits companies have told Fortune they use their bar spaces for a variety of functions: sneak peaks to showcase new flavors or brands, an area to recruit new talent, mixology demonstrations, and even World Cup viewing parties.
It isn’t all fun and games at these offices. Alcoholic beverage regulation and taxation are notoriously complex. For example, 12 U.S. states still won’t allow sales of spirits on Sundays. And things get even trickier on the local level. The industry’s players are also responsible for developing and marketing new flavors to stay fresh on consumers minds when they order a beer or a cocktail. And those trends are being challenged by a Millennial generation that have different preferences than older consumers.
Still, it has to be nice to finish the workday and know a nice watering hole is only steps away. Here is a look at some of the fanciest bars across the U.S. that many adults won’t ever get a chance to visit.
Diageo
Diageo’s in-house bar and lounge, called 4th on 5th, is located in its New York offices just a few blocks north of Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. Renovated in 2011, the bar is stocked with classics like Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky, Smirnoff and Ketel One vodkas, and Don Julio tequila. The space is utilized for weekly employee pub nights, and also showcases cocktail experimentation for new products. During the day, the lounge is open for brainstorming sessions. At night, Diageo hosts private parties, after-parties for new launches and viewing parties for major events like the World Cup. Diageo also serves snacks in the bar, as a way to encourage responsible drinking when the bar is serving alcohol.
Heineken
The brewing company's office bar is called The Intersection. Built in 2010, one side of the Dutch-based brewer's U.S. office hosts the marketing and innovation team, while the other side is the headquarters for Heineken Americas. The bar is used to host a variety of events, including happy hours and World Cup viewing parties. Heineken's corporate bar has seven taps of draft beer, which rotate the company's brands. Behind the bar, Heineken stocks its entire portfolio, including bottled brands from Central and South America. And several foosball tables add to the fun.
Pernod Ricard
The French beverage giant's New York bar, located on Park Avenue, was built in 2012 and features a terrace with an impressive view facing uptown, with views as far as Harlem. Pernod Ricard's bar signifies the company's internal mantra: "Make a new friend every day." The bar showcases its brands Absolut vodka, Chivas Regal, and Glenlivet Scotch whisky, among many others. The company hosts at least two happy hours each month in addition to using the space for recruiting fairs, host charity events, and tastings for Wall Street analysts.
Campari
Last year, Campari America relocated to a new headquarters in San Francisco that was designed by the same firm that created offices for Google. The Campari corporate bar and lounge area, which overlooks the San Francisco Bay, is stocked with the Italian-based company’s Skyy vodka and Wild Turkey bourbon. There is also a separate mixology lab that is frequently used for smaller events, cocktail seminars and demonstrations to show off Campari's spirits. The office cocktail of choice? The Negroni of course (a drink concocted with Campari and gin).
Bacardi
Located just outside of Miami, Bacardi's corporate bar was opened in early 2009 to commemorate the company's 147th anniversary. Bacardi's first corporate bar opened in 1927 in Havana, Cuba, and served Bacardi rum cocktails to celebrities and tourists. Today, Bacardi's bar is utilized for corporate events, mixology sessions, happy hours for employees, and to showcase new product offerings. The fully stocked bar has Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka, Dewar's blended Scotch whisky and Bombay Sapphire gin.
Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands is one of the more diverse alcoholic beverage companies as it sells beers, wines and spirits. The company's upstate headquarters in Victor, N.Y., has had a bar since 2009, when Constellation moved into the space. Constellation says the bar, which stocks a variety of wines, Corona beer and Svedka vodkas, is an area where employees are educated about the company's brands and business. Tasting events are held at the bar and teams are encouraged to use it for meetings. When new products or flavors are launched or acquired by Constellation, employees are invited to taste them first. Employee who don't work at headquarters also benefit—Constellation has bars in all of its main office locations in the U.S.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
The council, known as Discus, isn't a liquor company—it's the national trade association that represents all (with the exception of Heineken) of the alcoholic beverage companies on this list. The council's Washington D.C. bar is called The 1797 Lounge, a name that marks the year President George Washington entered the whiskey business. The office bar has hosted many U.S. senators, members of Congress, cabinet secretaries and other political figures. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, for example, recently stopped by for a drink. The 1797 Lounge also has a large cabinet filled with small craft distillery products from around the country. That cabinet is particularly popular with U.S. senators and representatives who love to ask "What do you have from my state?"
