Cocktail ingredients Utah update – August 2014 – It’s raining Rye!

Corpse Reviver No. 2 cocktail will rattle your bones

Utah Rye Whiskey lovers should be grateful to the UDABC this month.  As you may remember from these posts, most months there are no Rye Whiskeys marked down in Utah.  This month there are three, and good ones, too!  Knob Creek Rye, Pendleton 1910 Canadian Rye, and High West Double Rye Whiskeys are all on sale this month (all about 10%).  Whether you like them for sipping, or in a Manhattan or a Sazerac, this is a great month to stock up on Rye!  In other news, there are two new Scotch Whiskies available this month in the $50-60 range for you Scotch lovers: Talisker Storm (single malt) and Johnnie Walker Double Black (blended).

Last August, the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores seem to have begun a new pattern.  Rather than enter the doldrums in August, they have maintained an average level of items on SPA, this month there is a respectable 288 item marked down, slightly more than in July.  August usually marks the beginning of a cooling trend as the days begin to grow noticeably shorter, but it’s still warm enough that Utah’s amateur mixologists will have plenty of takers for their cocktails when cocktail hour rolls around.  Here are some cocktail ideas that will save you money by taking advantage of the marked down items.

In case you haven’t noticed, the UDABC has been slowly expanding their selection of Gins, and there is now a made-in-Utah Gin available: Beehive Jack Rabbit Gin ($28, Google it for more info).  A classic Gin cocktail from The Savoy Cocktail Book is the Corpse Reviver No. 2.  This month you might want to try one using Bombay Sapphire Gin (CS# 028236 down 11% to $24).  If you’re looking for something to go into a summer cooler like a Tom Collins, try some New Amsterdam Gin (CS# 031475 down 20% to $12), an excellent economy Gin. 

Lovers of Brandy cocktails will be pleased to find that E&J XO Brandy is on SPA for $13.5 (an 18% 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.  Deals on Vodka this month include Grey Goose (CS# 034433 down 9% to $31) and Absolut (CS# 034006 down 15% to $17).  Try these in a White Russian or a Vodka Martini.

Purists may be offended by the Rum deals this month, all of the Rums on sale are spiced or flavored...  If you are so inclined, you can check out the selection and try one in one or two of my favorite Rum coolers: the Mojito and the classic Rum and Coke (with lime, of course).  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.