Hugo: Lemon balm & peppermint

While ice crystals swirl through the dry winter air outside, it is warm and cosy inside. ‘Enchanting. Secluded. Beautiful,’ says Roland Gruber, better known by his stage name Ak. He is a rustic fellow. Full beard, knickerbockers, checked shirt, his hair combed in an orderly wave, a South Tyrolean dandy if ever there was one. And yet here he is, standing in the middle of the enchanting snow-covered forest, far from civilisation, in front of his Spinas guesthouse. ‘I ended up here by chance,’ says the thoroughbred restaurateur. He spent 12 years travelling around the Swiss gastronomic scene before settling in the Engadine with his wife Gabriella and their children Erik and Livia. In 2016, the owners of the Chesa Salis in Bever entrusted him with the remote Spinas inn and made him its manager. The success proves them right and also speaks to the trust placed in Gruber. ‘We enjoy a great deal of freedom, which we appreciate and implement in our daily business,’ says Gruber. But let's enter first.

A house with a colourful history

The hidden building at the end of the valley was first mentioned in a document in 1876 as a restaurant. The boom followed 23 years later, in October 1899, with the start of work on the Albula tunnel. At that time, up to 1,300 mainly Italian guest workers were crammed into cramped barracks deep in the forest at Spinas. They were fed with dried sausages and pasta, and were said to have guzzled them down. It is reported that the local constable had to be very careful when visiting the inn. ‘He left the inn after closing time backwards as a precaution,’ wrote one of the engineers at the time – emphasising that the biggest commotion in the inns immediately subsided when the engineers arrived.

There are no longer any big commotions at Spinas, but it is still lively when hikers and cross-country skiers stop by at the same time at lunchtime. Or in the evening, when the RhB stops on request. Then a convivial babble of voices can be heard coming from the two parlours, and the unmistakable aroma of melted cheese hangs in the air in the fondue parlour. Anyone who can show a table reservation at this moment has a clear advantage.

As soon as the guests are seated, the tumult gives way to anticipation of the temptations of the kitchen. For the food and wine on offer, Ak and his team combine the charm and specialities of South Tyrol with the magical power of the Engadine. To do this, they take ingredients from regional Alpine cuisine – which are roughly the same on both sides of the border – and turn them into fresh, seasonal and cross-border dishes. The kitchen also likes to experiment with new flavours and invent new dishes. ‘The only thing is, when it comes to rösti and the like, the Swiss don't take any nonsense,’ jokes Gruber. You can get rösti anywhere, but it's virtually impossible to take it off the menu, says the innkeeper. Then he runs his hand through his grey bushy beard and says conspiratorially: ’Believe me, I've tried...’

The down-to-earth rösti is actually very good. But the growing number of gourmets don't come here for the rösti, but for the carefully selected ingredients from the region and the fine nuances of Spinaser cuisine in the idyllic Val Bever. And that's despite the fact that you have to earn your culinary delight! Because you can't get here by car: The only way to reach the Gasthaus Spinas is on foot, on cross-country skis, by horse-drawn sleigh or by train. ‘We even have our own station!’ Gruber boasts. He has tailored his business plan to the RhB timetable.

Before arriving in the Engadin, the former commercial manager had already achieved a great deal. It was at his bar, SanZeno, in South Tyrol that he created the Hugo cocktail. To be precise, he created the cult drink Hugo, made from Prosecco, lemon balm syrup and fresh mint, which has been a real hit in German-speaking countries since 2005. ‘Some guests now come to Spinas just for this,’ he reveals. And hardly a day goes by without someone asking him about the drink. Even in the depths of winter, Hugo is in high demand in Val Bever. ‘Of course it makes me proud, but I don't put too much stock in the hype,’ he says. “It was never something I took seriously, but for 15 years the topic has been splashing around my life.” It has made him rich – but only in stories and experiences. Recently, for example, a guest travelled from Paris for the sole purpose of trying it. Encounters like this make him proud – and that's that.

Nature, cuisine and hospitality beckon

With this important signature drink on the menu, it is hardly surprising that lemon balm syrup, along with preserves and mountain pine syrup, is produced and sold in the kitchen at Spinas, which is located at 1,818 metres above sea level in an Alpine setting. ‘My Hugo has never seen elderberry syrup and never will. I'm adamant about that,‘ says Ak with a laugh. The elderflower syrup gives the drink its unique harmony, which delights the guests’ taste buds.

You can also feel at one with nature when you sleep in one of the 12 small rooms, which are furnished with charming simplicity. As you would expect of a mountain inn, the bathroom and shower are on the same floor. Gruber is pleased that more and more guests are coming back for longer stays. ‘Those who stay for more than a week come for the nature, but also for the cuisine and hospitality,’ he says confidently. And for the peace and quiet. As soon as the last cable car has departed, the only sound to be heard at the back of Val Bever is the quiet rustling of fox and hare under the gentle twinkling of the stars.