Cocktail ingredients Utah update – May 2012

BLT Cocktail

The number of items on SPA (Special Price Adjustment) at the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores this month dropped from around 300 in April to around 260 for May (at the low end of the “average” range).  There are, as always, some quality cocktail ingredients available this month, so you can get what you need to shake up some great cocktails.  Here are some ideas on how to use this month’s sale items to improve your cocktail repertoire.

The picks of the Gins this month are Tanqueray and Beefeater. The Tanqueray (marked down 12% to $22) goes well in a Campden Cocktail; this little known cocktail is one you should try. The Beefeater is in the giant economy-sized bottle (1750ml) and is probably best enjoyed by hard-core Beefeater fans, although if you love Gin and Tonics in the summertime, this might be a good time to stock up.

The Utah Mixologist is very fond of the Milagro line of Tequilas.  This month their Silver and Reposado are both marked down in the 13% range to $25 and $28 respectively. Combine them with Gran Gala Orange Liqueur (an excellent, low cost Triple Sec) to make a dynamite Margarita.  You will also find Sauza Hornitos Reposado (15% to $23) and Plata (8% to $23) on sale, as well as smaller markdowns on 1800 Añejo, Reposado and Silver.

Surprisingly, there weren’t a lot of Bourbons on sale for the derby this month; Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey is available for $22 ($3 off) and makes a great Mint Julep, or you might want to try a BLT, and that’s about it for quality Bourbons.  There a couple of blended Scotch Whiskies marked down this month: liters of Chivas Regal are marked down around 8% to $37 and the large bottles of Dewars White Label are marked down to $46.  If you’re searching for a Scotch cocktail to try this month, consider going outlaw with a Rob Roy.

As to any other sale or clearance items, if you see a great deal on 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 an online price book in PDF format that shows all of the markdowns for the current month.