Cocktail ingredients Utah update – August 2012

White Russian: the Dude's cocktail of choice.

Every year in August the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores enter the summer doldrums.  Sailors of old knew the doldrums as a location where they might be becalmed and get stuck, sometimes for a month or more. Today the term doldrums describes conditions of stagnation or inactivity.  There is no better work to describe the number of items on SPA (Special Price Adjustment) in Utah this month; it has dropped from around 250 in July to a more mere 156 in August, and it will last a month...  August usually marks the beginning of a cooling trend as the days grow noticeably shorter.  This year has stayed warmer than normal, so when cocktail hour rolls around, Utah’s amateur mixologists should have plenty of takers for their cocktails.  The problem is that there’s not much in the way of quality ingredients marked down this month.  Here are some cocktail ideas that will save you money by taking advantage of items that are.

Deals on Vodka this month include liter bottles of Ketel One (CS# 034457 down 10% to $27) and 1750ml bottles of Absolut (CS# 034008 down 12% to $37).  Try these in a White Russian or a Vodka Martini.

Lovers of Brandy cocktails will be pleased to find that E&J XO Brandy is on SPA for $13 (a 19% reduction); try it in a Sidecar (or any other cocktail calling for Brandy), where it will hurt your wallet far less than using your favorite Cognac.  If you’re looking for a sweet treat, Bailey’s Irish Cream is marked down 8% to $22 this month; try it on the rocks for something cool or in coffee for something a bit warmer.

A classic Gin cocktail from The Savoy Cocktail Book is the Corpse Reviver No. 2.  This month you might want to try one using Beefeater Gin (1750ml CS# 028088 down 11% to $38), an “old reliable” Gin.  If you’re looking for something to go into a summer cooler like a Tom Collins, try some New Amsterdam Gin (750ml CS# 031475 down 20% to $12), an excellent economy Gin.  You can check all of the prices for yourself 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; then search on “gin” or the product of your choice.