Cocktail ingredients Utah update – January 2014

BLT Cocktail: simple, but delicious

When Utahans walk into the Utah DABC State Liquor Stores this month, they will know that Santa Claus has left the building.  Special Price Adjustments (SPAs) originate with the distributors of the products, not the UDABC (only Clearance item price reduction come from the UDABC).  Last month they were generous with the holiday promotions.  This month those promotions are scarce.  The number of items on SPA drops from over 600 last month when Santa was around to under 200 this month.  Cocktailians in search of ingredients who didn’t stock up in December will wish they had.  If this post seems short, you now know why.  The forecast for next month is not much better, so tighten up your belt and wait for March.

If you’re into Bourbons, liter bottles of Wild Turkey 101 and Jack Daniels Black Label are both marked down 10% to for $27. These should make a great BLT; too bad that’s about it for Bourbons.  There is only one Scotch Whisky (a blend) marked down this month: liter bottles of Chivas Regal 12 YO are marked down 7% to $40, so if you’re looking for something to put into your high end Bobby Burns, give it a try.  As usual, the number of Rye Whiskies on SPA this month is low: one: Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey is marked down 11% to $24; my friends and I almost killed a whole bottle New Year’s Eve, so it’s time to stock up. Try it in a Rye cocktail like the Scofflaw Cocktail.  If you need some liqueurs, there’s not much action there, either. Tuaca is marked down a little over 10% this month; this vanilla and citrus-based liqueur mixes well with Tequila.

Tequila lovers may shed a tear at the lack of SPA tags on the Tequila shelves; unless there is something wrong with my program, they will find one!  Your option for Tequila deals this month is Epsolon Reposada (12% to $23).  For those who love Vodka Martinis, 1750ml bottles of Ketel One® are marked down 10% to $45, and there is a variety of under $20 Vodkas on sale.  There isn’t much excitement in the Rum shelves either this month: Cruzan Light Rum is marked down 8% to $22 for a 1750ml bottle.

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.