Establishment: Flanker — 6 N. Rio Grande St., SLC
Bartender: Leo Rosas
Cocktail Name: Garden Bliss
Leo stumbled into bartending in 2015 and never looked back. “That first cocktail I made lit a fire in me; it wasn’t just a drink, it was an experience.” For more than 10 years, he’s been crafting cocktails with purpose and flair, specializing in fine dining and craft bars.
Photography by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography.
Farm to glass means something personal to him—he’s lived in some of Utah’s most rural areas. “For someone like me who actually grew up in the countryside, it means home and my heritage.” Not that he hasn’t also enjoyed city life—his experiences in Vegas and LA inform his work. He wants to bring some of the showmanship of those places home to Salt Lake. Bartending for him is part craft, part theater and all heart.
Like all good bartenders, Leo understands why people sometimes order bad drinks. He’ll serve you a Jack and Coke with a smile, but he’d much prefer to take that whiskey, make it into something beautiful and then talk about what’s going on in your life. “What are you going to do with your day?” he might ask a guest. “Talk to me and then I’ll recommend something.” The ethic of care is at the core of his work
Garden Bliss
1 oz Alpine Gin
1 oz Angel Vert Apéritif
.5 oz St-Germain Liqueur
1 oz Verjus Blanc
.5 oz house-made syrup with local strawberries basil-honey
Stir ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. Strain over a large ice cube in a footed glass
Garnish:
One small dollop of locally sourced plain yogurt flavored with local mint leaves sitting on the ice cube surface (use a pastry bag). Add pea shoots and edible flowers to the yogurt.
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.
