I think we can all agree that this past summer was a bit, well, aggressive.
We love you summer, but as Shakespeare wrote, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Emphasis on the sweet. Welcome to September, my favorite month. Neither summer nor fall, September is a month of transition and thoughtfulness, the days grow shorter, the sky takes on its cobalt September blue and the hot summer fades into the rearview. This time of reflection is the perfect time to enjoy your musings over a cocktail, which is why we present our Farm-to-Glass Cocktail Contest every year.
We ask the best bartenders in Utah to help us personify this time of year in a glass. This year, 18 bartenders from Park City, Salt Lake City and St. George have used local ingredients to create the basis for a dazzling tour of craft cocktail shakeups. We have compiled their stories and entries into a metaphorical “Utah Cocktail Trail.” During September and October, we invite you to hike, stroll, saunter, (crawl?) your way around to taste these thoughtful tipples at each stop. You can vote for your favorites and find the expert-level recipes to attempt at home at saltlakemagazine.com.
Leaning into the darker tones of the fall season, our writer Avrey Evans got out her EMF Meter and infrared thermometer and went ghost hunting. Utah is a hot spot for ghost-hunting podcasts and TV shows. And why not? After all Utah’s unique history is a delicious frontier mix of a history stew and makes an atmosphere perfect for seeking the paranormal. Her story (“Utah’s Most Haunted,” p. 56) uncovers the lore behind six of the most famous spots for spooky sightings (and she may have even seen a ghost on the hunt, you decide.)
Finally, discover the secret mission developed in Wendover, Utah (not Nevada) that would deliver the first nuclear bomb, end the war and launch the atomic era on planet Earth (“Under the Radar, p. 64). Yep. It happened right here. We can’t make this stuff up.
Cheers,
—Jeremy Pugh, Executive Editor.
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