Through September, 23 bars from across the state presented delicious cocktail creations and competed for the best in Utah. The entries in our 2025 Cocktail Contest shone with all Utah has to offer, embodying the farm-to-glass ethos by incorporating the bountiful range of Utah’s native herbs, homegrown produce and locally distilled spirits. Offering their own spins on autumnal flavors, we sipped on cocktails that evoked memories of childhood or brought us on a trip to faraway lands. There were boozy little numbers that awakened our senses, and cocktails so elaborately prepared with countless bottle pours and intricate garnishes that they were as much a performance as they were a drink.
As our expert panel of judges was tasked with the heavy responsibility to hit the cocktail trail, we opened the polls to the public and were floored with the response. By the end of the contest’s one-month run, we tallied up a total of 25,840 votes—a huge jump from previous years. And while we acknowledge there may have been some friendly ballot stuffing at play, we’re overjoyed that our city’s bartenders are getting the recognition that they deserve.
So, without keeping you in further suspense, we’d like to announce the Reader’s Choice, Judge’s Choice, Runner Ups and a few standout superlatives from this year’s contest. Thank you to every mixologist who participated this year. We can’t wait to see what you’ll mix up in 2026!
Reader’s Choice: “Sack Lunch” by Dawson Jenkins of Water Witch
In addition to being among our most enthusiastic contestants, Dawson seems to have a very large group of fans who turned out in droves to vote for his meticulous cocktail Sack Lunch, which was inspired by going home to the lunches his mother used to pack for him. In addition to his skill in getting out the votes, Dawson’s bartending chops also caught the attention of our judges. His entry ranked high among all of our panelists.
“Simple presentation let the unique color draw you in visually, the subtle aroma set the tone for a surprisingly intimate dance around the palate.” —Josh Edwards
“Apples and cheddar—one where the drink name really matched the taste. Great flavor combos, not too sweet. Very drinkable. Love the zero-waste approach to creating the garnish.” —Ali Vallarta
“This cocktail is fun and frothy and appropriately built with crunchy ice in a Collins glass. The apples and cheese garnish are a whimsical touch.” —Darby Doyle
“I really enjoyed seeing the use of a new product this year—Aquavit from Waterpocket. Dawson’s cocktail showcased the spicy and herbaceous nature of the spirit while adding some awesome tannic complexity and juiciness. Extra credit for making his own peach burrata, I asked for seconds.” —Avrey Evans
Reader’s Choice Runner-up: “Smoked Orchard” by Mariano Agustin Forza of Palomino
We were pleased to have a larger presence of Wasatch back bars this year, and Riverhorse’s new joint, Palomino, came into the contest with confidence. Bartender Mariano Agustin brought a touch of South American flair to the Utah mountains, drawing on the Argentinian social ritual of asado to inspire a smoky and crushable cocktail dubbed “Smoked Orchard.” His entry was a hit amongst the public and received high marks from our judges.
“Flash paper, flames and a reveal? I’m a sucker for a show. The presentation was intentional, with unique glassware and circular ice cubes. Palomino is known to stir up an Insta-worthy cocktail, and my phone definitely sipped first.” —Avrey Evans
“Beautiful presentation, color, and pear flavor. Also, admirable dedication to the spirit of the competition, smoking pears on his balcony. I loved the woven story of the smoky elements and hometown asaditos.” —Ali Vallarta
Judge’s Choice: Rouser: “Sticks & Stones” by Benjamin Arcia of Rouser at Asher Adams
We held several judges’ confabs during the course of our contest, and we mused about our findings and identified clear outliers. One cocktail that caught the attention of nearly all our judges was Sticks & Stones by Rouser’s own Benjamin Arcia. As one of the only savory cocktails in this year’s competition, Ben surprised us with his use of unconventional produce and bold flavors. In the end, his ambitious vision landed gold with a harmonious blend of bright acidity, stone-fruit depth and sharp pepper. This is the only cocktail that multiple judges scored a 10 across all three categories—you could say we were quite smitten with it.
“Excellent balance. Bright, earthy, and savory. I would definitely go back for more. The ingredients came together like strangers from around the world met and left feeling like family.” —Josh Edwards
“The aromatics from the amaro, arugula, and apricot worked perfectly, and the addition of cracked pepper elevated it into something truly memorable. It was one of the most unique and thoughtfully layered flavor combinations I tasted during the contest. Overall, Sticks and Stones nailed it—an exceptional reflection of Utah’s fall flavors and creativity.” —Chelsea Rushton
“This was both unique, flavorful and had some delightfully surprising elements, including the arugula tincture Benjamin made. It added some pepperiness and depth to the cocktail to balance the apricot preserves.” —Lydia Martinez
“This is a superb cocktail, exceptional use of unusual ingredients — arugula?!? A real knockout” —Francis Fectau
“Beautiful color and presentation. A winter salad in a glass. So leafy! Clever to use arugula instead of a more obvious fruit. Really clean presentation.” —Ali Vallarta
Judges’ Choice Runner Up: Sporeplay” by Karissa Kermode of Current
It’s hard dang work tasting 23 cocktails and then selecting just one top prize-winner. It’s like a parent picking their favorite child (but you know you have one). This creation from Current bartender Karissa Kermode raised eyebrows across the board with its innovative use of mushrooms. Yes. Mushrooms. That, along with the clever name “Sporeplay” and the fact that this stunt drink actually sticks the landing, led us to Karissa as our runner-up Judges’ Choice winner.
“This was a visually delightful drink, and prepared well using a dry shake to incorporate the egg and keep it from separating. There was a fuckton of surprises to be found in this cocktail, and it only improved as it drained down. Beehive’s Jack Rabbit gin is one of their more challenging spirits to bring to a savory party, but it was deftly done here.” —Darby Doyle
“I thought this was an impressive creation in the spirit of the contest. The peaches, sage, and mushrooms were perfect for September, a transition month from summer to fall. Even building the story around a show that had a Salt Lake moment.”—Ali Vallarta
“The mushroom nose is really subtle, and the butter and fat coat the mouth in such a warm fall embrace. A sweet herbaceous note from the sage mixed with those buttered mushrooms is delightful. Oh, and the texture is a thick but not soup weight. Would order it again.” —Avrey Evans
Notable Potables
Most Hyperlocal — The “Raspberry Days” Gimlet by Keslee Smith of Mar | Muntanya
Keslee used raspberries from the Salt Lake farmer’s market for her cocktail that pays homage to Bear Lake’s Raspberry Days festival. Mixed with gin from Alpine Distillery, it’s Utah’s mountains in a glass.
“The creator went up to Bear Lake to collect raspberries and brought an iconic Utah beverage (the Bear Lake Raspberry Shake) into this cocktail. I was impressed with Keslee’s commitment to the Bear Lake of it all, even when she discovered a dearth of raspberries due to development.”- Ali Vallarta
“4 out of 5 ingredients were local. They even traveled to the farm to harvest raspberries and raspberry leaves.” —Lydia Martinez
Best Cocktail for a Cause — “What Remains” by April Long, Post Office Place
Our judges couldn’t stop talking about the performance art created by POP Bartender April Long. She took the assignment further than any contestant in the history of this contest ever has. After creating a complex cocktail inspired by the Great Salt Lake, April and POP teamed up with the folks at Wake the Great Salt Lake to bring in several artistic installations inside their space downtown. There were zines, projected videos and even a phone booth. To April and her collaborators, thank you for using the concept of Farm-to-Glass as a vehicle for a community call to action. Our hats are off to you.
“The through-line of this drink from inception, to ingredients, to the installation of multiple interactive art and educational concepts is truly remarkable. April and POP are doing more than serving up a great cocktail; they served up a stirring call to action.” —Darby Doyle
“I have never seen an entrant jump into the assigned task with such gusto and glee. Practically the whole bar has become an experience around this one drink. On the drink front, the botanical brine used features a bunch of thematically apropos ingredients (it’s a 10-minute story by itself). There’s Waterpocket Meliae and gin, too. Look. I am a grizzled and jaded human being. April’s enthusiasm and creativity on this drink were genuinely inspiring and will live long in my memory as a truly unique experience. “ —Stuart Melling
“This is a cocktail that makes a difference. The story, the community connection and April’s passion were what set this apart.” —Lydia Martinez
“Every single detail: from naming the bitters to the menu photos and theming out the restaurant. This sets a new ~bar for entries and community collaboration/hype. I also loved that it felt like the locale; what wasn’t at the lake was at PoP.” —Ali Vallarta
The Three Musketeers Award for Collaboration — “Son of a Peach” by Kate Lubing, Zac Ford and Alyssa Burson of HK Brewing
Over the past few Farm-to-Glass contests, we’ve been sensing a bit of a shift toward collaborative cocktailing. In the spirit of ego-less mixology, our city’s bartenders are sharing the spotlight and industry knowledge—rising tides and all that. This year, the bar that went above and beyond to crowdsource a delightful spicy cocktail is HK Brewing.
“When I stopped into HK to try this zippy cocktail, Zac Ford shook up this cocktail for me with barely contained glee. (I think I heard a little “whoop!” from behind the bar when my server called over the order.) He was STOKED to make it and tell the story behind the drink. As a newbie bartender, he was definitely slinging some Billy the Kid circa 1988 Emilio Estevez energy and I am all in on this excitement for the craft.” —Darby Doyle
“How is this so arrestingly spicy and yet airy and light. If ceviche were a drink, in that regard. I love the trace of peace to calm the Fresno chile. So Utah, in its flavors and southwesternness, even the horseshoe ice cube. I also appreciate that they used their kombucha here!” —Ali Vallarta
The Foam-O Award for the Foamiest Foam — “The Cafe Racer” by Josh Van Gorden Felt
Every year, some common trend emerges among the entries (which, in 2019, led us to a lifetime ban on performance-enhancing with Pumpkin Spice). This year it was foam. So much foam. Six entrants employed the flourish with varying degrees of success. The standout was The Cafe Racer by Josh Van Gorden of Felt.
“A beautiful looking thing, while some complained about the quite thick foam, I quite enjoyed the stiffness (using Xantham gum). Perhaps it would have been nice to have a utensil to tackle it, mind you.” –Stuart Melling
“This was my winningest foam out of the bunch. I loved the negroni-esque take while adding a local amaro and local peach cordial along with five-spice syrup. I liked the heat in the cocktail.” —Lydia Martinez
“Much like the trendy flights of molecular gastronomy in the past couple of decades, foam only works if it WORKS. Felt’s Cafe Racer by Josh had a flavorful and very firm, almost spoon-worthy foam.” —Darby Doyle
The “It Shouldn’t Work, But It Does” Award — “Red Rave” by Tyler Zacher of Scion Cider
The winner of our “It Shouldn’t Work, but It Does’ Award reminds us of a Portlandia Sketch where the 911 Center in Portland is fielding calls from people who think they are dying but just ate beets. Its name, the Red Rave, lived up to its name with a bright, worrisomely red color that could only be beets. It’s always beets. It shouldn’t work, but it does and Scion Cider Bar (which is a great cider bar AND serves cocktails) pulled it off.
“Great use of local spirits, and sugar beets are both a current and historical nod to community. Nicely done.” —Darby Doyle
“Front end of a Manhattan, good dirt in the back. Gorgeous color. Inventive but so drinkable, went down smooth. The future is candied beets! I don’t think about Brandy enough. The cross-town partner to the Oasis Beet Salad.” —Ali Vallarta
Best Use of Sugar House Juice — “The Dirty Rat” by Cole Jones of HSL
This year, we wanted to showcase Sugar House Distilling. James Fowler has been rigorously making locally sourced juice since 2013 and is committed to achieving the high bar of true grain-to-glass spirits. Every year, many of our contestants reach for one or more of his bottles on the shelf when conjuring their cocktail entry. This year, five entrants used a Sugar House bottle: Harbor, Log Haven, Station House, HSL, Hopkins and Urban Hill.
Although there were many enthusiastic uses of Sugar House juice, the Dirty Rat, from HSL’s Cole Jones, stood out. Combining a labor-intensive Ratatoulle shrub, Waterpocket Notom, Olive Brine, Vodka and Sherry—No. It shouldn’t work, and neither should rats be working in a kitchen, but like the movie Ratatouille starring rats in a kitchen, it works.
“The antidote to the pumpkin spice tastes like a fall harvest. A thick and juicy martini. Perfect with oysters. I want this color on my walls.” —Ali Vallarta
“I thought that Cole’s cocktail was one of the most unique in terms of not being very sweet. It seems like the majority of bartenders heard local and thought fruit. Cole tipped the assignment on its head and went as savory as he could. It was actually very refreshing. And the fact that he took time to make a shrub, which took several weeks to ferment, was also lovely.” —Lydia Martinez
“This is the single sexiest dirty martini concept ever made” —Francis Fectau
“I loved that Cole drew on a nostalgic memory to bring us into his world through the art of cocktails. The vegetal notes in this cocktail were perfectly countered by the deep notes of Waterpocket notum, and just enough brininess from olives and saline drops to make my filthy martini heart very happy.” —Avrey Evans
Find all our Farm-to-Glass Cocktail Contest stories, and enjoy more Food and Drink coverage. And while you’re here, subscribe to Salt Lake magazine to receive six beautiful print issues a year!
