Establishment: Grand Hyatt Deer Valley / Hidden Ace — 1702 Glencoe Mountain Wy., Park City
Bartender: Victor Wilson
Cocktail Name: Lavender Lift
When Victor came to our photo shoot, he showed up with a big piece of honeycomb. He takes farm-to-glass seriously—his lavender and lemon twist on a French 85 uses local honey and Alpine gin. With 26 years behind the bar, he knows what he likes and he likes it local—He’ll often finish his evening with a glass of High West whiskey.
When he says he’s an old-fashioned guy, he means both the drink and his respect for bartending traditions. But after so much time behind the bar, he’d be happy to never make another Long Island Iced Tea. “I’m done with that from the club days.” One pour that he hopes to never smell again? A Jager bomb. “I don’t think I can smell Jagermeister and Red Bull together anymore.”
Photography by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography.
Bartending is something he loves deeply—creating craft cocktails, making memories and talking to people from all over the world. “For me, it’s all about great drinks, good conversation and a little bit of showmanship.”
His hangover advice is to get out and go hiking in the great outdoors. “Suck it up. You did this to yourself.”
Lavender Lift
1.5 oz Alpine Elevated Gin
.75 oz lavender honey simple
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
Shake and strain into a Champagne glass
Top off with Champagne
Lemon twist garnish
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.
