Autumn. It is the season when we turn inward, reflecting on another summer gone and bracing for the winter to come. The days grow shorter, the trees skeletal and the September sky takes on a metallic, cobalt blue aspect. It was with this in-between time in mind that we asked 15 of the best craft-cocktail experts in the city to help us out and fix us a solid drink to aid our autumnal musing. Their creations were inspired by the harvest and came with a surprising stubbornness manifested in their use of bright, summery ingredients that seem to say, “Wait, there is still sunshine to be savored.” Each of the 15 contestants used their shakers to give us one last winking glimpse of summer. Pour it over ice and serve.
Welcome to September and Salt Lake magazine’s 2022 Farm-to-Glass Cocktail Contest. Make these cocktails at home and/or visit all 15 of the participating bars to try each of the entries and visit saltlakemagazine.com to vote for your favorites. Salt Lake magazine’s editors and our sponsoring partner Francis Fecteau of Libation SLC will be out on the town during the contest doing the hard work of tasting each cocktail as well. Editor’s and reader’s choice awards will be announced at the end of October. We invite you to belly up to these bars, order one more round of summer and help us choose the best cocktail of the season.
This contest is sponsored by Libation SLC.
A Slice of Summer
By MacKenzie Wallace, Oquirrh
This watermelon and rum cocktail lets a few simple ingredients do the talking. “I thought about late summer and early fall and how I could keep that fresh taste of summer going,” Wallace says.
Great Basin Sour
By Mangesh Sawant, Laurel Brasserie & Bar
Sawant has enjoyed visiting national parks near Utah and drew his inspiration for the Great Basin Sour from a trip to Great Basin National Park. The drink combines High West bourbon, Sugar House Distillery rye and Grand Marnier.
‘Hear Me Roar’
By Maddy Schmidt, Alibi Bar & Place
Maddy Schmidt’s inspiration was memories of late summer strawberry pie. “I wanted to be transitional with end-of-summer vibes and bring in a few baking spices without being obnoxious,” she says.
The Green Dragon
By Kenzi Anderson, Water Witch
“I name all of my drinks after things found in The Lord of The Rings. Because, well, I love The Lord of The Rings. With The Green Dragon, I wanted to create a verde [green] michelada. Something refreshing and spicy for a late summer barbecue.“
Last Spritz of Summer
By Alex Thompson, Copper Common
“When it’s hot I like to drink a cooling spritz style of drink, but also I wanted to work in some of the bitter flavors and fortified wines we use at Copper Common to create something transitional, tart and sweet with a little sizzle,” says Alex Thompson.
The Munson
By Mellina Borjas, International
This dreamy cocktail, named after Edward “Eddie” Munson from the Netflix series Stranger Things, is flavored with lime and kiwi juice and garnished with a whipped mascarpone foam.
All Things Green
By Jordon Strang, HSL
“I wanted this to be a blend of my personal favorite flavors, which tend to be green,” Strang says. Strang used HSL’s hearth stove to create a roasted tomatillo syrup. “They took on an unexpected tropical flavor that surprised me,” he says.
Summer Haze
By Kelsey Terrell, Beehive Distilling Bar
“The cocktails I’m normally drinking are usually more bitter and I wanted to try…using seasonal fruits to make something colorful and summery,” says Kelsey Terrell. Summer Haze mixes Wahaka mezcal, Sugar House Distillery bourbon and Waterpocket Notom.
Pearl Diver
By Frankie Mealy, The Pearl
To create Pearl Diver, Frankie Mealy toasted rice to create a horchata base balanced with lavender and citrus. “Somehow I ended up with something like a ‘horchata colada,’” he says. “Who knew?”
Dancing Shoes
By Tommy Mckeever, Lake Effect
“When I think of September, I think of peach cobbler,” Tommy Mckeever says. He wanted to challenge himself to get that flavor and feel into a cocktail by creating a peachy shrub with hints of baking spices as the main mixer.
Fruits of My Labor
By McKenzie Steele Foster, Post Office Place
McKenzie Steele Foster created her variation on the traditional sangrita with a zesty mix of peppers, persimmon and—wait for it—dried crickets backing up a jolt of mezcal.
The Desert Bloom
By Dominick Medel, By The Glass (BTG) Wine Bar
Dominick Medel found his inspiration for The Desert Bloom from the farmers’ market. “I really wanted something earthy and funky in a sweet-tart combination that uses herbs and cactus flower with a little spicy kick from jalapeños.”
The Utah Sbagliato
By Drew Paulsen, Current Fish & Oyster
The Utah Sbagliato is a “cross between an Aperol spritz and a Negroni Sbagliato,” Drew Paulsen says. “I love bitter spirits and wanted to balance the bitterness of those drinks with local wildflower honey.”
Chameleon
By Sam Miller and Mikey Edwards, Island Time
Chameleon is a bizarre riff on a difficult-to-make tropical drink called the Miami Vice. Sam Miller and Mikey Edwards combined a colada portion inspired by (WTF?) elote—Mexican street corn—and a daiquiri portion with a watermelon base.
The Matcha Mojito
By Eli Hays, SLC Eatery
The staff at SLC Eatery (or any restaurant really) likes their caffeine. “I was making a batch of matcha lattes every day and wanted to see how I could incorporate matcha into a drink,” Eli Hays says.
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