Welcome to the home of Salt Lake magazine‘s Farm-to-Glass Cocktail Contest. Each year Salt Lake magazine invites Utah’s best bartenders to create an amazing cocktail with local seasonal ingredients. During the contest readers can visit participating bars and restaurants and vote for their favorites. Here you’ll find our individual entries and the recipes to test your home bartending skills. Thirsty for more? Discover all of our Eat & Drink and Bar Fly stories.
“My name is Mangesh Sawant. I am from the enchanting land of India with great knowledge of spices, tropical fruits and indigenous food making and serving truly exceptional cocktails for more than six years in the state of Utah. I love to use my knowledge to develop new concoctions, serve them and see guests love them.”
Laurel Brasserie & Bar, The Jackfruit Swizzle. Photo by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography. Laurel Brasserie & Bar, The Jackfruit Swizzle. Photo by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography.
Cocktail: The Jackfruit Swizzle
This cocktail combines fresh jackfruit puree with zesty lemon juice, the smooth richness of local Dented Brick Whisky and the spiciness of Sugar House Rye Whisky to bring you a one-of-a-kind experience. This delightful concoction is then elevated with a generous splash of Peychaud’s Bitters, adding a subtle hint of aromatic complexity that beautifully complements the fruity and whiskey notes. Served over ice and garnished with Mint sprig and a slice of fresh lemon, the Jackfruit Swizzle is a refreshing and sophisticated cocktail that is sure to leave you craving another sip.
Recipe: 1.5 oz Dented Brick Whisky 1 oz Sugar House Rye 1.5 oz Jackfruit Cinnamon Puree (see below) 0.75 oz Lemon Juice Peychourds Bitters 2-3 dashes
Shake Alcohol, lemon juice and Jackfruit Puree in a shaker. Strain into glass over ice and finish with 2-3 splashes of Peychourds bitters and garnish with lemon slice and fresh mint spring.
Jackfruit Cinnamon Puree mix: 1 cup of ripe Jackfruit peeled and deseeded blend with 2 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon powder. Fine strain it and store it.
About the 2024 Salt Lake Magazine Farm-To-Glass Cocktail Contest
Eighteen 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 September and October by visiting participating bars, trying their unique cocktail concoctions and voting for your favorite on saltlakemagazine.com.
“I am the General Manager of Canyon Breeze Restaurant located at Red Mountain Resort, where I’ve worked for more than 26 years. I’m originally from upstate New York and my travels have enriched my approach to hospitality and culinary arts. In Maui, I embarked on my career in the restaurant industry, and, after relocating to southern Utah, I found my professional home at Red Mountain Resort. We take pride in making all our syrups in-house and incorporating produce from our garden, including prickly pears harvested and processed on-site at the Resort. We avoid using bottled juices, opting instead for freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice to ensure that every cocktail is vibrant and flavorful.”
Canyon Breeze at Red Mountain Resort, Spicy Desert Bloom.
Cocktail: Spicy Desert Blossom
Surrounded by the landscape of Utah’s red desert, the Spicy Desert Blossom cocktail captures the essence of the high desert’s beauty and adventurous spirit. This drink blends locally sourced ingredients with a touch of fiery flair, creating a sensory journey that mirrors the rugged yet serene environment of the region. The cocktail has prickly pear syrup, sourced on the property at Red Mountain Resort, and lavender sage syrup, infused with aromatic herbs, native to the area.
Recipe: 1 large, ripe strawberry ¼ oz prickly pear syrup, carefully sourced on the property at Red Mountain Resort ½ oz lavender sage syrup, infused with aromatic herbs native to the area 1 ½ oz jalapeño tequila, adding a fiery kick reminiscent of the desert heat A splash of sparkling water for a refreshing finish
Muddle the strawberry in a shaker with the prickly pear and lavender sage syrups. The bright red of the strawberry melds with the earthy sweetness of the syrups, creating a vibrant base that reflects the blooming flora of the Utah desert. Add a generous amount of ice and the jalapeño tequila. Shake vigorously, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify, echoing the robust and untamed nature of the landscape. Pour the mixture into a glass, with colors swirling together like a Utah sunset. Top with a splash of sparkling water, bringing a refreshing effervescence that captures the cool breeze of the desert evening. Garnish with a fresh lavender flower, a slice of jalapeño, and a strawberry, symbolizing the delicate yet resilient beauty of the desert blooms.
About the 2024 Salt Lake Magazine Farm-To-Glass Cocktail Contest
Eighteen 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 September and October by visiting participating bars, trying their unique cocktail concoctions and voting for your favorite on saltlakemagazine.com.
“I have been on the bar team since Urban Hill opened in 2022, where I flexed my leadership skills, built on 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry when I was promoted to bar lead highlighting her talent for the past 15 years in the food and beverage industry. I have a passion for cocktails and food, and how the combination paired with thoughtful hospitality can create impactful experiences for our guests.”
Urban Hill, Rye Skies. Photo by Natalie Simpson, Beehive PhotographyUrban Hill, Rye Skies. Photo by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography
Cocktail: Rye Skies
An Amaro-forward, fruity spin on a Paper Plane, made with locally distilled Sugarhouse Rye and Waterpocket Notom Amaro and balanced with a house-made plum cordial for some pure fruity flavored joy.
Recipe: 1 oz Sugarhouse Rye .50 oz Waterpocket Notom Amaro #1 .50 oz lemon juice 1.5 oz plum cordial Mint for garnish
Plum Cordial: Equal parts water to fruit, half the amount of sugar. Bring all ingredients to a boil. Strain.
About the 2024 Salt Lake Magazine Farm-To-Glass Cocktail Contest
Eighteen 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 September and October by visiting participating bars, trying their unique cocktail concoctions and voting for your favorite on saltlakemagazine.com.
“Bartending for me has always been about the fusion of felt experiences—a combination of sensory stimuli. Whether sharing a glass with lifelong friends, hosting a wedding party or offering a curated cocktail for my patrons—the reward is always a sense of communion.”
Cocktail: Funk Wave Bounce
A funky, earthy tonic that highlights the banana and agricole notes of Sugar House Rum. Juicy Golden Delicious apple, bright fennel and lemongrass are rounded with effervescent, fermented pineapple of Tepache made from scratch.
Varley, Taylor Stucki—Funk Wave Bounce. Photo by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography. Varley, Funk Wave Bounce. Photo by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography.
Recipe: 1.5 oz Sugarhouse Rum .25oz Holystone Absinthe 1.5oz Golden Delicious apple juice .5oz Fennel Juice 3 dash Honest John Lemongrass bitters
Shake all ingredients and strain into a highball over ice. Top with Tepache (see below).
Tepache (Fermented Pineapple): 1 gallon of water (de-chlorinated) 1 pineapple (just the exterior rinds and skin) 1 medium ginger 1 cup of sugar (Demerara or Piloncillo) Large food-safe vessel & cheesecloth
Clean and sanitize all equipment, and produce. Cut produce into medium slices, add all ingredients to vessel, and cover with cheesecloth. Let sit at room temperature for 3-4 days, stirring daily. Transfer to carbonation grade bottles, and refrigerate.
About the 2024 Salt Lake Magazine Farm-To-Glass Cocktail Contest
Eighteen 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 September and October by visiting participating bars, trying their unique cocktail concoctions and voting for your favorite on saltlakemagazine.com.
A cocktail should be bracing. A glass of something you’ve never tasted in a way you’ve never tasted it. A cocktail ought to be the beginning of an adventure.
Every year, we ask Salt Lake’s libations experts to guide us in an adventure expertly crafted by their hands. The prompt is simple: take advantage of local ingredients, find inspiration in autumnal musings, and include Utah-made spirits. Whether they decide to whip up something stiff to warm our bellies through the incoming chill or transport us to a beachside oasis with a tropical creation, the choice is theirs.
This year, 20 bartenders from restaurants and bars across the valley (and even in Park City) showed us what a great cocktail could be. Our contest ran for an entire two months to allow our readers to visit their establishments and vote for their favorites. We also brought back our in-person Farm-to-Glass event, hosted in partnership with Market Street Grill in Cottonwood Heights, where guests had the chance to taste every entry and connect with our bartenders face-to-face. We laughed, we sipped, we savored the return of in-person events that celebrate our voracious cocktail community.
As with every year’s cocktail contest, we rely on our readers to judge their overall favorite. Our online voting system saw upwards of one thousand new votes per day in some cases, and our participating establishments put their imbibing fan bases to good use. But, we also introduced a new panel of judges this year and tasked them with determining the best overall judge’s choice cocktail. Our mixology Avengers include: Darby Doyle, Jennifer Burns, Stuart Melling, Lydia Martinez and Francis Fecteau (more on our judges below). Each judge took on the heavy burden of bellying up to 20 bars and ordering up some drinks—for research, of course. In late October, our judges and editorial team came together to discuss what we’ve tasted, the conversations we had with our bartenders, and the overall state of Utah’s mixology. Read on to see who took the grand prizes in this year’s contest, and a few extra honorable mentions.
We’d like to thank our sponsors for this year’s contest, without them we would not be able to bring our annual contest to fruition: Market Street Grill, Beehive Distilling, VineLore, Kings Peak Coffee Roasters, Sugarhouse Distillery and Libation.
Reader’s Choice: ‘Local Color’— Emma Roberts, Quarters Arcade Bar
Quarter’s Bartender Emma Roberts’ creation took the lead in our Reader’s Choice category, amassing a total of 2,754 votes! Featuring a refreshing blend of local peaches, honey and peppers, ‘Local Color’ paid homage to Emma’s childhood. The cocktail also featured three local spirits from Beehive, High West and Water Pocket to fully embody what it means to be Farm-to-Glass. Judge Darby Doyle appreciated the cocktail’s balance of refreshing and spirit-forward, “The Notom pulls through and hangs on, it is spirit-forward in all the right ways.” Lydia agrees, noting “The Notom and bitters rounded out the astringent complexity, bonus points for using all Utah local spirits.” Overall, this cocktail won the hearts of our readers and our judges for its ability to balance fruit-forward flavors and earthy tones.
Judge’s Choice: ‘The Summer Ends’ — Morgan Michel, Good Grammar
Morgan’s cocktail featured a beautiful blend of full-body flavors and gentle herbaceous aromas. Her seed-based orgeat combined sunflower, hemp and wildflower, and an infused Thai basil and sage olive oil rounded the whole thing out. Judge Francis Fecteau acknowledges Michel’s use of “clever ingredients,” while Stuart raves “This is something new to taste every time you go in for a sip, it’s very balanced and nuanced. I wish to drink many of these.” Judge Jennifer Burns names the cocktail a “creatively designed star where full body meets its match with unique ingredients such as infused olive oil.”
Innovator Award: ‘The Inside Scoop’ — JJ Barth, Water Witch
This year, we’re introducing a new award dubbed ‘The Innovator Award,’ to recognize those entries that surprised us with their unique take and execution. Darby expresses her delight on JJ’s use of both gin and mezcal, “You wouldn’t think gin and mezcal would marry well, but the barley-sorrel oleo syrup brings it together. It’s a lovely cocktail evoking end-of-summer flavors.” Lydia concurs, “The nose was citrus all the way which made it surprisingly refreshing for a mezcal cocktail.”
Honorable Mentions
Best Narrative: ‘No Kate! No!’ — Leo Parcell, Drift Lounge at Woodbine
Leo’s cocktail wasn’t just easy on the eyes, it also took the sipper on a nostalgic journey through childhood. “The nostalgia for our childhood summers, fall colors and holiday seasons inspired this drink,” Leo says of his cocktail. Featuring a whimsical candy garnish and a bright fuschia color, this cocktail invited us to have fun with it. Stirring the candy garnish inside brought a transformative quality to the drink. “The cranberry shrub made the cocktail vinegar forward, until I dropped in the candy garnish and the whole thing balanced out nicely,” says judge Lydia Martinez.
Best Spin on a Classic: ‘The Buttered Bees Knees’ — Timothy Burt, Copper Common
Timothy’s took inspiration from a classic Bee’s Knees and infused it with the rich flavors of Hot Buttered Rum. Using locally made butter from Ogden’s Mountain Born Creamery and local raw honey, his cocktail was a savory sippable delight. Jennifer Burns appreciated the drink’s unexpected balance, “Very rich, as expected, but smooth at the same time. It feels special to drink and definitely pulls out all the creativity cards.” Judge Lydia says it best: “Move over hot buttered rum, this cold buttered gin takes the cake!”
Best Presentation: ‘Turaco Swizzle’ — Jordan Strang, HSL
Jordan’s cocktail was a celebration of Utah produce, using Santa Claus Melon to reconfigure his take on a classic Jungle Bird. Here’s what Judge Darby had to say: “Tequila and melon? Sign me up. It’s in the crushable category for sure.” The cocktails’ citric flavors and tropical notes were on full display, and a bouquet of fresh mint ignited the senses. “I’m all in for this well-balanced ‘island feeling’ drink with tequila instead of rum,” says Judge Jennifer Burns. “Really brought the Farm-to-Glass creativity to a high level.”
Newcomer of the Year: ‘Pearadise Lost’ — Bijan Ghiai, Urban Hill
A newcomer to our cocktail contest, Bijan Ghiai is definitely not new to Utah’s mixology community. His “spicy margarita with character” brought heat to the table and our Judges were all for it. Lydia notes her appreciation for the lacto fermentation: “I love they took the time to do a lacto ferment on the honey for a nice funky aftertaste and more body to the cocktail, bonus points that the fresno chiles in the honey stood up to the mezcal.” Self-proclaimed spice-lover Jennifer Burns took particular interest in this entry: “This is a standout for me, appreciate them taking a spicer chance!”
Thank you to all our participants who continue to push the bar on what a Farm-to-Glass cocktail can be. We’ll see you next year!
Meet our 2023 Farm-to-Glass Judges
Lydia Martinez
Lydia is a freelance food, travel and culture writer. She has written for Salt Lake magazine, Suitcase Foodist and Utah Stories. She is a reluctantly stationary nomad who mostly travels to eat great food. She is a sucker for anything made with lots of butter and has been known to stay in bed until someone brings her coffee.
Jennifer Burns
Jennifer has always had a love of cooking and appreciating craftsmanship in culinary arts. She has hosted over 3,000 TV cooking segments featuring her recipes, as well as guest chefs. Jennifer has a published cookbook called Cooking Delight, which combines food, music and art. She has been a contributing food writer for The Salt Lake Tribune and other publications. Besides cooking and frequenting restaurants, she takes full advantage of the outdoor wonders that Utah offers.
Stuart Melling
Stuart is the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC; he’s also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for The Salt Lake Tribune. He has worked extensively with multiple local publications and helped consult for national TV shows. Stuart is an award-winning journalist who has covered the Utah dining scene for 15 years. He’s largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words he doesn’t understand.
Darby Doyle
Darby Doyle is a food, beverage, and outdoor writer who covers the culinary and natural wonders of the American West. She’s freelanced for a passel of print and digital publications, and her stories featuring Utah’s bar and restaurant scene have won multiple journalism awards. When not reminiscing about great meals shared with friends, you’ll find Darby camping, fly fishing or hunting with her family, or lounging in her overgrown garden with a good book and a Boulevardier.
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