Establishment: Palomino
Bartender: Mariano Agustin Forza
Cocktail Name: Smoked Orchard
Mariano is from a place where food, fire and gathering are a way of life—Argentina. The keyword is asado, the social ritual that comes with grilling meat over an open fire. It’s a barbeque with the soul of a tango. That spirit is what Mariano wanted to bring to his cocktail, the “Smoked Orchard,” which uses local pears smoked over oak with local bourbon and a dash of ginger bitters.
Mariano is the only bartender I’ve ever met who enjoys making an espresso martini. He loves to get the foam exactly right. When you get it right, it shows and he appreciates the chance to show his work.


He also loves the creativity he has experienced since he moved to the States. “Here in America,” he ruminates, “you guys love to drink in a way that you can do whatever you can to make the customer satisfied.” Utah’s unique liquor laws have only amped up that artistry. “You are limited with alcohol and it’s making you more creative. It’s a challenge to me.”
His after-shift drink? A glass of Argentinian Malbec. And the next morning? A bowl of mate, of course.

Smoked Orchard
1.5 oz. High West bourbon
.5 oz. Amaro Nonino
1 oz. smoked pear & honey clarified cordial
.5 oz. clarified lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
3 dashes of ginger bitters
Serve in a rocks glass, garnished with a dried pear slice and a piece of flash paper
Explore the cocktail trail and vote for your favorite cocktail in the 2025 Salt Lake Magazine Farm-To-Glass Cocktail Contest.
About the 2025 Salt Lake Magazine Farm-To-Glass Cocktail Contest
23 bars from across the state present delicious cocktail creations and compete for the best in Utah. This year’s contest cocktails shine 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. Celebrate the bartenders’ hard work throughout from Sept. 1–Oct. 1 by visiting participating bars, trying their unique cocktail concoctions and voting for your favorite on saltlakemagazine.com.




























