The truth about Utah's liquor laws.
Changes to liquor laws make getting a drink even easier in the Beehive State.
The biggest rewrite of Utah’s liquor laws in more than a decade went into effect on May 5, 2003. New laws increased the size of legal drinks and simplified the process of getting into private clubs—Utah’s equivalent to bars. As Olympic partygoers found, it is just as easy to get a drink in Salt Lake as it is to order a meal. And visitors rarely notice a difference between Salt Lake and other major American cities.
“Some people are surprised at how easy it is to have a good time here,” said Deno Dakis, general manager of Port O’ Call Social Club in downtown Salt Lake, and nine-year veteran of Salt Lake’s club scene. “People come expecting a buttoned-down, conservative culture and find a town ready to party, with cool clubs, great restaurants, and fun bars.”
Restaurants in Salt Lake serve alcohol with the purchase of food, just like restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. Private clubs are Utah’s equivalent to bars. While the term ‘private club’ may sound exclusive, they are open to everyone. Visitors purchase two-week memberships, similar to a cover charge in other cities. The memberships cost $4 and allow sponsorship of other guests.
“The term ‘private club’ in any other city is associated with a snobby sort of experience,” says Michael LePrey, general manager of Green Street Social Club in Historic Trolley Square. “In Utah, a private club is the same thing as a bar anywhere outside of the state.” In the private club business for 23 years, LePrey said there may be unseen advantages to the system. “We work very hard to make sure out-of-town guests feel welcome, partially to overcome any preconceived ideas about what a private club is,” he said. “For the most part, private clubs are more personable, friendly, and accommodating than bars in other states because we want to compensate for the label.”
Private clubs have full bars and some allow smoking. Mixed drinks, wine, and beer are also served in restaurants and hotels with the purchase of food. Grocery and convenience stores sell beer. Sixteen conveniently located state liquor stores in the Salt Lake area sell wine, spirits, and beer. There are more than 1,000 alcohol-serving restaurants, clubs, pubs, and stores in the greater Salt Lake area. In 2001, the people of Utah consumed 4 million gallons of wine and liquor, making the state far from dry.
Utah operates one of the most comprehensive wine stores in the United States. Located at 255 South 300 East in Salt Lake, (801-533-6444) the Utah State Wine Store has more than 3,000 different varieties of wine with more than 30,000 bottles in stock. The store’s inventory is worth an estimated $3 million. “We were the first state to open a wine specialty store,” said Brett Clifford, the state’s wine expert. Clifford samples 400-500 varieties of wine every month to determine what to buy for the store. “The best compliments I get are from wine industry insiders who are amazed at the depth of our collection,” Clifford said.
“It’s one of the best wine stores in the country,” agrees international wine judge, Jon Engen MWC, of Jon Engen Selections. “The selection at the wine store in Utah is not unparalleled, but it is extraordinary. It doesn’t take a back seat to anyone.” Connoisseurs are “bedazzled by the wine store selections,” said Engen. “You can basically find anything you want at the Utah Wine Store. In fact, wine lovers from major wine markets like New York and California regularly take back bottles of vintages they can’t find at home.”
Uinta Brewing Company was Utah’s first production brewery, opening in 1993. Its flagship brand, Cutthroat Ale, is the number one selling “craft-brewed” beer in Utah. Other award-winning breweries in Salt Lake include Salt Lake’s first microbrew pub, Squatters, Red Rock Brewing Company, which was named 2001 Brewpub of the Year by the National Brewpub Conference and Tradeshow, and Desert Edge, located at historic Trolley Square. In the 2002 Great American Beer Festival, Salt Lake beers competed with brews from across the country and walked away with numerous awards including a silver medal for the German-styled Black Forest Schwarzbier from Squatters, and a gold medal for the Full Suspension Pale Ale produced by the Utah Brewers Cooperative. Salt Lake also hosts its own major brew festival every September, which showcases dozens of brewpubs to Salt Lake’s thirsty crowds.
More than 20 Salt Lake restaurants hold awards of excellence from Wine Spectator magazine including the Aerie Restaurant, Bangkok Thai, Fleming’s Steakhouse, La Caille, Market Street Grill & Oyster Bar, Metropolitan, Shallow Shaft, Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops, The New Yorker, and Tuscany.
“One of the unplanned legacies of the Olympics may be an increased vibrancy in Salt Lake’s nightlife,” said Jason Mathis, spokesman for the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.“We have seen a 20 percent increase (for 2003) in the number of restaurants, bars, and clubs that have joined the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau in the past year alone,” he said. “We got a taste for Olympic-sized parties during the Games, and we haven’t slowed down since.”