Avrey Evans

“I wanted to create a night that was more for adults because a lot of DJ-related nights tend to be a bunch of young kids coming out to dance to the top 40s,” says James Ramirez, an experienced DJ, record-collector and a cofounder of Caviar Club. “I wanted to do something different that celebrated the finer things in life, and for me, vinyl is one of them.” 

Setting out to offer a sophisticated space for music lovers and foodies alike, Ramirez has been collaborating with Salt Lake’s gastronomic powerhouses to host a series of traveling, refined pop-ups for one night only. Though Caviar Club has become known for its high-concept food and vinyl parties, the group began as a way for local record-lovers to connect. In 2013, Ramirez and nine other DJs, producers and vinyl collectors would gather at Bar X and host regular listening parties. The actual caviar came much later.

“We named our group Caviar Club as a sort of tongue-in-cheek nod to the inherent pretentiousness of the vinyl community,” Ramirez laughs. Don’t get it wrong—Caviar Club is far from an uppity crew looking down their noses at mere Spotify listeners. But their dedication to decades-long crate-digging for rare and unique vinyl is something to be celebrated, and how can you not want to show off a collection that is 5,000 records strong? “We’ve all been collecting vinyl for the better parts of our lives, most of us have thousands of pieces in our collection,” Ramirez says. 

As the meet-ups gained momentum, the worldly Caviar Club listeners decided to use their genre-spanning collections for the greater good and educate Salt Lakers on the finer sounds of life. Ramirez and the club members joined minds with the crew at Alibi Bar & Place to curate regular DJ nights, spinning everything from Soul to Boogaloo to Afrobeats to classic Hip Hop. The events became popular among those who wished to expand their euphonic palette, or just throw back a crushable cocktail and enjoy music that didn’t originate from a TikTok trend. 

Sensing Salt Lake’s love for nostalgic and authentic music experiences, Ramirez decided to take the concept one step further in 2023 and put together a full conceptual listening party for one night only. “I just wanted to pair all the things I love—really good wine, good food and really good music played on vinyl,” he says.  

With guidance from wine and spirits expert Francis Fecteau of Libation, Caviar Club hosted its first official food and vinyl pop-up with Woodbine’s Drift Lounge in September. “Pop-ups have become so popular in this city, and we wanted to collaborate with some of Salt Lake’s most prominent chefs and industry folks to bring this musical soundscape experience to life,” Ramirez says. 

Caviar Club partnered with The Pearl in the following months to host an evening of Yacht Rock, caviar and oysters from Chef Tommy Nguyen, and Central 9th/Water Witch where they spun classic Hip Hop. “We try and get creative and collaborate with food and drink experts,” says Ramirez, who curates each setlist to complement the night’s food and beverage focus. “So for instance our popup at Citizen back in January with Chef Manny Acero of Noche featured Salsa tunes and Columbia records to emphasize his flair for Latin cuisine.” 

February’s Caviar Club shindig was hosted with Post Office Place, which provided cocktail specials alongside Japanese bites from Takashi Chef Bryce Okubo. Dubbed ‘Luxury Exotica,’ Ramirez played a mix of Japanese vinyl and rare Eastern sounds to compliment the evening’s culinary focus. 

Each popup invites imbibers to interact with different cultures through the senses and is an opportunity for both Caviar Club DJs and local Chefs to play with specific cuisines and music genres. And, mostly, it’s an appeal for adults to venture into the city for a refined evening of live music and elevated libations. “This kind of pop-up is special,” Ramirez notes. “It’s an evening geared toward adults and people who appreciate the finer things. It’s a void I’m trying to fill in this city.” 

Caviar Club has put together dozens of unique listening parties since they started in September, and there’s plenty of fun stuff still in the works. Ramirez is planning collaborations with Chef Viet Phong from Pretty Bird, Ruin, Green Room, along with joining forces with other vinyl collectives like Social Disco. And more recently, the crew have opened their own consignment record shop and jazz lounge called Fountain Records where they’ll be hosting their salon with their pinkies up. 

For the most recent updates on upcoming pop-ups, follow Caviar Club at @cvrclb and visit their new shop, Fountain Records, at 202 E. 500 South, SLC.   

Whether you choose to imbibe, are taking a break from booze or pursue a sober lifestyle, one thing that teetotalers share with imbibers is a desire for flavor. Experiencing new and exciting concoctions that ignite our senses is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but why should that experience be limited to high-proof cocktails or syrup-laden sodas? Rising in popularity, alcohol alternatives are sating our curiosity for compelling mocktails that we’re actually excited to order. 

“It’s about providing a sophisticated drink for non-drinkers,” says Crystal Daniels, NA enthusiast, notable Salt Lake bartender and owner of a new beverage consulting business. Daniels began searching for alternatives for booze in an effort to make her establishments more inclusive to all guests. What she found was a world of NA (non-alcoholic) options suited to all tastes, from NA beer and wine, to spirit alternatives, to products that fall into a category completely of their own. Brands such as Cut Above, Ritual Zero Proof and MONDAY offer a range of 1:1 spirit alternatives, so you can still enjoy the depth of an Old Fashion or the bitter bite of a Negroni without calling an Uber at the end of the night. Some of Daniel’s favorite NA products are those that  are wholly original, like Pathfinder—a hemp-based elixir that was created by bartenders and plant scientists. “It’s an entirely new sipping experience,” she says. “It’s a blend of wormwood, angelic root, saffron and other adaptogens with antioxidants and vitamin E The closest this I can relate it to is an amari.” Utilizing adaptogens (herbs, roots and other natural substances that help the body respond to stressors) are just another way the beverage industry is tapping into a more health-wise consciousness. A brand called Three Spirit even categorizes their NA products by Feels, like their Nightcap elixir, an indulgent blend of lemon balm, valerian root and terpenes. 

Bartenders are utilizing these products to create intriguing mocktail programs, but many can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own homes simply poured over a glass of ice. And if you’re in the mood for a glass of zero-proof vino, there’s plenty of that to go around as well. Tracey Thompson, President and CEO of wine brokerage/non-alcoholic distributor VineLore noticed a boom in the industry after 2020. Taking their cue from the growing demand for NA options, leading wine producers now offer dealcoholized pinot noirs and sauvignon blancs. And for those who prefer zero residual alcohol, companies like Zilch have created bubbly grape beverages that never undergo fermentation. “There’s a lot of innovation in this market,” Tracey remarks. 

The recent rise in NA products might be the result of a post-pandemic reality where many imbibers are reeling in any overindulgent habits formed during isolation. Other studies have found it’s the new generation of sober-curious individuals that drive the trend (a 2020 study by Berenberg Research found Gen-Z drinks 20% less than millennials). Whatever the cause, it’s clear the sobriety stigma is clearing out, and some of the beverage industry’s biggest players are cashing in. Anheuser-Busch, the world’s largest brewing company, projects a 25% increase in their non-alc category by 2026. Just last year, Heineken partnered with Marvel to produce the Super Bowl’s first 0% beer commercial. Even vanguards in the bartending industry like Portland Cocktail Week incorporated NA programming in their 2023 curriculum. On a local level, Salt Lake’s movers and shakers are eager to introduce curious consumers to the NA realm. As part of their ongoing culinary course program, Caputo’s offers a “Mocktails & NA” tasting course with Crystal at the helm. During select prix fixe menus, Oquirrh has offered NA wine pairings, and bars like Bar Nohm, Copper Common and Post Office Place answer mocktail requests with flair. 

Utah is primed for a sober curious movement, and you might be surprised just how fun zero-proof can be. The next time you’re ordering a mocktail, go beyond a Shirley Temple or Diet Coke and see what flavorful elixir awaits you. And catch Crystal’s next mocktail class on March 7, and check caputos.com for their upcoming schedule. If you’re interested in NA consulting, reach out to Crystal at crystaldanielscreative.com and follow her journey on Instagram @mostlysoberbartender.   

Epic adventures often begin with the words, “Your party walks into a tavern…” and this one is no different. While there might not be a suspicious, cloaked figure sitting in a dimly lit corner, the Thieves Guild Cidery has its own fantasy-inspired charm: “We’re calling it ‘chaotic wizard maximalism.’” That’s how co-owners Jordy Kirkman and Max Knudsen describe their soon-to-be taproom, which is taking over the former Alphagraphics building in the Central Ninth neighborhood (530 W. 900 South). Combining a preoccupation with role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and theatrical, high-concept lounges, the new Salt Lake bar will be dubbed Thieves Guild, in honor of the secret organization of rogues, cutpurses and knaves found in classic fantasy realms.   

Fit for an adventurer, the bar’s menu focuses on experimental ciders and micro-mead and includes everything from lemon-basil ciders to a Baja Blast Mead (all made in-house). Thieves Guild also invites its honored guests to interact with the tavern itself. After a treacherous session of dungeon-crawling and Mimic-slaying, here the weary traveler can unwind, rest easy and celebrate accomplishing their latest quest (and perchance start a new one) with an evening at Thieves Guild.

Jordy didn’t always dream of being a barkeep, but he’s always had a love for cider—and mischief. Who could have predicted that his two loves would take him on the quest that would lead him to form Thieves Guild? Formerly in the tech industry, Jordy has been home brewing cider for years with apples recovered from abandoned orchards and family-owned trees. “Eventually I couldn’t be satiated with just a few apples here and there,” he says. So he started looking to level up with bigger trees. During one apple-scouting trip, he came upon an ancient patch of trees that had seemingly been left to flourish in the wild. There was just one problem—they were on state-owned property. Jordy couldn’t leave the neglected apples to the buzzards, “We thought we’d do the state a favor of coming in the night and relieving them of some of this burden.” Like thieves in the night, Jordy and his team of apple raiders gathered the goods and fled the scene. They’ve jokingly referred to themselves as the apple bandits ever since, and thus began the idea for the Thieves Guild taproom. 

The vision truly took shape when Jordy joined forces with Max, a Salt Lake native who has worked as a chef in both New York and Hawaii. The duo bonded over their shared interest in fantasy tropes and spent hours together during lockdown experimenting like alchemists with home-brewed beer and cider. “At one point we had made several hundred gallons in a year and thought, ‘Hey, we’re pretty good at this aren’t we?’” Jordy recalls. After deciding to pursue their hobby as a full-time endeavor, they received a tip about a building in the Central Ninth neighborhood that was going up for sale and jumped at the opportunity to bring Salt Lake a new and unique experience. 

So, how will Thieves Guild distinguish themselves in C9’s already thriving bar community? “Salt Lake has a lot of cool high-concept bars,” answers Max. “But we don’t have a nerdy one.” Leaning into their eclectic tastes, Thieves Guild will be a full-throttle experience bar, complete with fantastical decor and interactive spell books. 

Although they’re wary of crossing the line into Disney territory, “The whole tavern will feel theatrical, but you won’t be getting your drinks served by a wizard.” Max promises. “It will probably look like a Park City lodge mixed with a gothic German Pub—cozy during the day and a great place to spend lunch hour.” And when the sun sets, expect Thieves Guild to come alive with fantasy adventure. Jordy’s background in tech comes in handy this way, “The lighting system is unique, everything from candles to lanterns to fog machines can be programmed based on what we want,” he says. The bar’s high-tech interiors are specifically designed to invite guest interaction with tokens called thieves coins, which are earned by purchasing certain items or participating in events. Guests can trade these in for loot like stickers or T-shirts or use them to cast “spells.” Yes. Spells. Max explains: “So say you cast ‘chain lighting’ and suddenly the sights and sounds of a storm rumble throughout the whole bar.”

For guests, Thieves Guild promises adventure and escape, and for Jordy, it’s a chance to flex his innovation in cider-making. “In the same way you see craft cocktail bars doing crazy stuff with chemistry to create different profiles, I’m pushing boundaries of how to make mead and cider with certain flavors,” he says. With his connection to local orchards, Jordy aims to highlight the terroir aspects of Utah-grown apples while experimenting with unique flavor combinations. Everything from herbaceous ciders to funky micro-meads will be available on a rotating set of taps. The wizards at Thieves Guild are also looking forward to collaborating with the other cider-crazed folks just up the road at Scion, whose head cider maker Rio Connelly has been an instrumental mentor to both Jordy and Max. “We’re excited to be in the same neighborhood, it’s going to be really convenient when we can walk over to Rio and be like, ‘yo, you wanna do some crazy stuff together?” And when asked if two cider-focused bars can share the block, Jordy is quick to respond: “No one bats an eye at two micro-breweries opening down the street from each other. There is so much space in the cider market right now and people have yet to see just how much there is to explore in this world.” 

As of this writing, Thieves Guild isn’t making any promises on opening dates, although Jordy and Max are warming up to the idea of a late-spring date. Until then, follow their journey on Instagram @thievesguildcidery where the team frequently drops subtle hints at what adventures are to come. And remember, true adventurers always tip their bards and barkeeps!