The current The World’s 50 Best Bars list is full of saloons in the cities you’d expect: Barcelona, London, Mexico City, NYC. But the current holder of the 50 Best award for “Best Cocktail Menu” is a little watering hole in Auchterarder, in the middle of Perthshire.

OK, so The American Bar is at one of the most storied hotels in the UK, Gleneagles, but it could easily skate by serving expensive single malts and international classics to high-rolling golfers without expectations of creativity. Far from it. Between them, Michele Mariotti, Gleneagles’ head of bars (he has 11 of them to manage), and The American Bar’s head bartender Emilio Giovanazzi and his team, have developed a cocktail list that won the award for being “clearly communicated and beautifully styled”. Which also applies to the immaculate and attentive bartenders.

The Book of Berries menu concept is based on something that will chime will drinkers of a certain age… The Observer’s Books, which were published between 1937 (the first being the legendary The Observer’s Book of British Birds) and 2003 by Frederick Warne & Co (which also published Beatrix Potter). There never was a The Observer’s Book of Berries – despite the fact there was a The Observer’s Book of Lichens! – but the 100^th and last guide, Wayside and Woodland, presumably featured a few fruits of the forest. Every cocktail on the list uses an ingredient that is a berry.

Perthshire is famous for cultivating berries, but some of its best-known produce – notably raspberries – are not included because they don’t meet the botanical definition (the raspberry is an “aggregate fruit”). Some of those included are the expected (redcurrant, another Perthshire crop; gooseberry, coffee); other botanical berries are more surprising (pumpkin, cucumber, bell pepper, banana – don’t panic, quizzers, it’s also a herb); and one is a “deliberate” mistake (strictly botanically, juniper “berries” are cones – but you can’t not have a martini on a cocktail list).

To be clear, the Best Menu Award is not simply a design accolade (although the sumptuous publication fits with the bar’s setting, a peaceful retreat with low lighting and soft lavender velvet walls), or even a prize for a clever concept. It has to be backed up with high-quality drinks and a creative approach. Mariotti says, ‘The American Bar is our R&D department. Throughout the hotel, all our drinks lists are rooted in classics, but we provide our interpretations. And this is where we push the boundaries.’

The martini, for example, can be made with different gins – but this is not the usual choice between commercial brand names. Gleneagles asked South Loch Distillery to produce a trio of single-origin, single-botanical gins for it. These are not just juniper-led gins – they’re juniper-only gins, with terroir and craft differentiating them. Vapour-distilled Tuscan juniper is classically citrussy; macerated Serbian juniper is oily and creamy; and navy-strength Macedonian juniper gin is evergreen and peppery. The bespoke martini glass, commissioned from Richard Brendon, sets all three off nicely.

Edinburgh’s South Loch Distillery is not the only local(ish) supplier. Cairn O’Mohr Winery provides the gooseberry wine. And many ingredients are made in-house – avocado stones are turned into an orgeat syrup, while the blueberry is extracted from leftover breakfast muffins.

There is a side to the drinks offering at Gleneagles that is appealing to another type of connoisseur. Its position near distilleries such as Glenturret and a short helicopter ride from Speyside distilleries such as Glenmorangie means it would be foolish not to provide a mind-blowing selection of whiskies. But, just as a good wine list should not simply be a roll call of the most famous and expensive châteaux, neither should a whisky list be only the most recognisable distillery names.

For the exclusive Gleneagles Pursuits collection of single malts, some really interesting choices have been made. “Fishing” is an 11-year-old Royal Brackla – with a creamy mouthfeel, with nuttiness, citrus oils and chilli notes. “Falconry” is a 14-year-old Caol Ila, with subtle Islay peatiness and a lot of umami – peppery salami and smoked cheese, with a touch of dark chocolate. “Horse Riding” is a 27-year-old Tobermory that resembles buttered toast with honey, but with complex herb and citrus tones. And “Shooting” is an extremely limited bottling (just 191 of them) from the defunct Imperial Distillery in Speyside. Matured in a single barrel for 26 years, it’s a berry salad with mint and white chocolate.

These, along with the trilogy of exclusive Gleneagles x Glenturret bottlings, or a selection of cocktails, can be served out of a Land Rover Defender, which can make it to most spots on the Gleneagles estate and beyond, whatever activity has caused guests to work up a thirst.

gleneagles.com