Park City’s annual Cocktail Contest gives mixologists a chance to shake, rattle and roll

Park City sometimes seems like a little oasis from the conservative views of Utah’s dominant religion, and the Park City Area Restaurant Association’s annual Savor the Cocktail Contest is one of the reasons why. While adhering to the Beehive State’s strict liquor laws, this annual celebration of spirits, which will celebrate 16 years in 2022, has showcased some of the tasty creativeness of local mixologists.

This year’s contest will run from July 1 to Aug. 31. For information, visit parkcityrestaurants.com.

Last year’s event ran from June 1 to Aug 31, and during that bubble of time residents and visitors were able to sample and vote on their favorite concoctions, while visiting the town’s layout of award-winning restaurants and bars.

The winner was the “Rum” cocktail created by Reagan Chung, bar manager for Handle restaurant. Chung’s main inspiration was the pandan leaf, which is used in many Southeast Asian and Chinese dishes and offers a herbaceous flavor that tastes like a combination of vanilla and coconut. Chung’s mother used the leaf in a special dessert she made.

“I wanted to create a cocktail that revolved around that ingredient, because a lot of people haven’t heard of it,” the mixologist said. For the past 16 years, the Park City Area Restaurant Association has presented its annual cocktail contest in one form or another.

The Park City Area Restaurant Association is an umbrella organization that supports and promotes more than 70 restaurants in the Park City area. The association revamped last year’s contest by extending it from one month to a three-month period, according to Executive Director Ginger Wicks.

The extension was made to give people more time to visit these local restaurants and bars so they could begin the long road of recovery after
shutting down during the coronavirus pandemic, she said. “This will also give diners — local residents and visitors — a longer timeframe to get out
and enjoy the various cocktails and vote on their favorites,” Wicks said.

Chung did not expect to win the contest. “It was way more competitive than I thought it would be,” he said. The win, Chung said, serves as an opportunity to showcase his skills as a mixologist. “It gives me the platform to introduce different and unique cocktails to Park City,” he said.
Even now, Chung still thinks of conjuring up some new cocktails. “There is always inspiration that comes from ingredients, traveling and visiting other restaurants,” he said.

Handle’s “Rum” cocktail
Mixologist: Reagan Chung
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Plantation 3 Stars Rum
0.25 oz. Licor 43
0.75 oz. Pandan syrup
1 oz. Coconut water
0.75 oz. Lime
Shake all ingredients with
ice, strain into ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with an edible flower.