Cocktail ingredients Utah update – October 2011

It’s October in Salt Lake City.  As we enjoy a nice spell of warm weather, a new set of “Special Price Adjustments” is in effect at the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores; new, but not overly generous.  I was surprised at the scarcity of SPA-tags this month when strolling through my local outlet (perhaps they’re getting ready for Christmas?).  There’s not much available in the Bourbon category this month.  If you like single barrel Bourbons, Woodford Reserve® ($30) and Ridgemont Reserve 1792® ($28) are on SPA this month.  While these are both good sipping Bourbons, they also make fine Manhattans. 

Lovers of Brandy cocktails will be pleased to find that E&J® XO Brandy is on SPA for $14 (a 12% reduction); try it in a Sidecar (or any other cocktail), where it will hurt your wallet far less than using your favorite Cognac.  For buyers of sparkling wines, one of the “value” brands is marked down.  Some Barefoot® Bubblies are marked down 20%, to $10.  They make great Chambord and Champagne cocktails.  There is also the usual variety of wine varietals on sale, some marked down as much as 50%.

There is a decent selection of Scotch Whiskies on sale this month.  If you’re looking for something suitable to put into a Rob Roy or a Bobby Burns there is the esteemed Dewar’s™ White Label (CS# 004866 and highly recommended for both of the aforementioned cocktails) and a small selection of Scotches available, including 12 and 15 year olds from Glenlivet® and Glenfiddich®, in case you’re looking for a nice single malt sipping Scotch. 

Sad to say, there is only one Gin (Broker’s®) marked down this month, but if you like Vodka Martinis, Ketel One® (it’s great with a lemon twist) is marked down 8%.  If you like Rum, Mount Gay Eclipse® (Barbados) is marked down 11%.  Try it in a Rum Old Fashioned.  Appleton® White is marked down, too.  Tequila lovers will be greeted by a near desert on the Tequila shelves, there are almost no Tequila SPAs (three!), and nothing special (although some especial). As usual, the number of Rye Whiskies marked down this month is low: zero. 

Items on clearance this month mostly include the usual mass of miscellany, no outstanding brands with perhaps one exception: Glenfiddich® Snow Phoenix (CS# 004999) is marked down from $94 to $77, but that’s a little too expensive for mixing in cocktails (perhaps a little early Christmas shopping for Dad?  This may be hard to find, so be sure to call ahead).  If I missed something good, stock up and then share with other readers by posting a response to this column.  As to any other sale or clearance items, if you see anything at your local state store that other cocktailians might enjoy, post a response to this article.  See the following list “Suggested by the author” for information on how to use the Utah DABC website.  You can check out what else is on sale (e.g. the wines etc.) by clicking through to the “SPA Product List” to open a price book in PDF format that shows all of the markdowns for the current month.