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• Grid City Bubble Works Hard Seltzers come in a can to-go or at the brew pub on tap.

Best Hard Seltzer
Grid City Beer Works
If you’re going to get into the hard seltzer beverage game, you’d better bring your A-game and provide a selection of flavors that are above the ordinary. With flavors that include elderflower, rosè, aperitif, cucumber lime and hop hard, it’s no wonder that these GMO-free flavors resonate with readers. These hard seltzers also shine as a canned-cocktail alternative with some flavors hitting above the 11 percent ABV mark. Brilliant! 333 W. 2100 South, South Salt Lake, 801-906-8390, gridcitybeerworks.com
2. Shades Brewing
3. Wasatch & Squatters Brewery

Best Sour Beer
Kiitos Brewing Blackberry Sour
Finding a beer that can quell your inner-pucker demon is no easy task. The right fruit combined with the most even-handed amount of sour beer is bliss on the good ol’ refresh-o-meter. Kiitos has managed to capture this in a way few others have; with sweet blackberries contrasting against a tart lemony base beer. Sublime any time of the year. 608 W. 700 South, SLC, 801-215-9165, kiitosbrewing.com
2. T.F. Brewing Coco Guava Sour
3. Shades Brewing Tom Kah

Best Ale
Bewilder Brewing Co. ESB
When City Weekly readers look for an ale that covers all the bases, the Extra Special Bitter (ESB) seems to be their go-to brew. The Bewilder ale’s red appearance, caramel malt profile and hop bitterness that can please all beer lovers has found that rare intermediate space where all the flavors jive and are in complete harmony. 445 S. 400 West, SLC, 385-528-3840, bewilderbrewing.com
2. Grid City Beer Works Honey Cream Ale
3. Kiitos Brewing Big Gay Ale

Best Wine Selection
BTG Wine Bar
BTG Wine Bar and longtime neighbor Cafe Molise joined together in occupying the 105-year-old Eagle building on West Temple, and both are thriving in their new home. BTG occupies the lower level of the building, perfect for cozy and intimate interactions. Worried your wine game isn’t up to par? BTG gained popularity as a local hangout to enjoy excellent wines and cocktails for wine-oes and novices alike. 404 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-359-2814, btgwinebar.com
2. Tea Zaanti
3. Veneto Ristorante Italiano

Best Locally Brewed Beer
Fisher Brewing Co. Fisher Beer
It’s ironic that the overall best beer in the state is also one of Utah’s oldest beers. Even though Fisher Beer took a long hiatus between 1963 and 2017, this German-inspired pilsner still endears itself to beer drinkers young and old. This simple lager hits all the right notes with toasty biscuit-like malts and classic European hops and is always available on draft at Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC, 801-487-2337, fisherbeer.com
2. Bewilder Brewing Co. Dos Hazy Boi
3. Hopkins Brewing Co. Back to Basics Pale Ale

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Best Hard Cider
Mountain West Cider
Owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo Jennifer and Jeff Carleton, Mountain West Cider prides itself on being a locally owned and locally sourced business. They are the perennial winners in this category, despite other great cider houses joining the fold over the last few years. Come for the popular Ruby Hard Cider and stay for the delicious 7 Mile Session and Desolation Prickly Pear. 425 N. 400 West, SLC, 801-935-4147, mountainwestcider.com
2. Etta Place
3. Scion Cider Bar

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• The Bayou's Pink Guava Funk is from Prairie Artisan Ales.

Best Beer Selection
The Bayou
If for no other reason, you should patronize The Bayou for its 2020- 2021 battle with the anti-mask crowd. The Bayou stuck to CDC-recommendations (facemasks, social distancing, vaccinations), outraging those who left threatening messages and wrote negative reviews (most had likely never set foot in The Bayou anyway). But now, The Bayou is back in full force and ready to serve you one of their 500-something beers from across the world. 645 S. State, SLC, 801-474-6435, utahbayou.com
2. Beer Bar
3. Beerhive Pub

Best Michelada
Purgatory Bar
For fans of a bloody without the vodka spike, the michelada hits the spot. At Purgatory, you can expect the same kind of flavor kick from a michelada as you can from a bloody, but with beer forming the more tame alcohol base. It is, however, well accompanied by a sipper of tequila on the side. And, of course, a snack ordered from Purgatory’s scrumptious menu. 62 E. 700 South, SLC, 801-596-2294, purgatorybar.com
2. Red Iguana
3. Facil Taqueria

Best Brewpub
Squatters Pub Brewery
There’ve been many brewpubs that have popped up since Squatters first opened in 1989, but they all have a long way to go to catch up to the reputation and history of this brewpub pioneer. Business partners Jeff Polychronis and Peter Cole envisioned Salt Lake as having a thriving beer scene, and they took the plunge in a dry pool to make one of the most classic establishments in town. Cheers to many more years, Squatters! Multiple locations, saltlakebrewingco.com
2. Bewilder Brewing Co.
3. Grid City Beer Works

Best Brewery
T.F. Brewing
Established in October 2018, T.F. Brewing quickly rose to prominence in the Utah beer scene like a head of foam rises to the top. Raise that glass and give a toast to the Beehive’s best brewery, Templin Family. Their pristine bar and friendly bartenders make the experience one of a kind among breweries around town. Oh, and the beer? Yeah, we have a pretty good idea you’ll be a fan of that, too—Ferda DIPA is a City Weekly favorite. 936 S. 300 West, SLC, 385-270-5972, tfbrewing.com
2. Fisher Brewing Co.
3. Shades Brewing

Best IPA
T.F. Brewing Ferda
On the craft beer scene, IPAs reign supreme. Every brewery has a dozen in their lineup, but readers chose Ferda from T.F. Brewing above all others. This Double IPA’s creamy caramelized maltiness combined with its massive grapefruit peel and pine bitterness is the best mood enhancer in and outside of pubs. It’s perfect “ferda” IPA lovers of all stripes. 936 S. 300 West, SLC, 385-270-5972, tfbrewing.com
2. Squatters Pub Juicy IPA
3. Red Rock Brewing Co. Elephino

Best Lager
Uinta Brewing Co. Our Lady of the Desert
There’s no wonder this first-time beer from Uinta became the favorite lager of 2022. This special beer was designed with input from every brewery in the state and is the brainchild of Utah’s Pink Boots Society, a fermented beverage advocacy group that promotes the advancement of women in the industry. This beer’s citrus and herbal flavor profile made this an instant hit around the state. 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC, 801-467-0909, uintabrewing.com
2. Wasatch & Squatters Brewery 1st Amendment
3. Bohemian Brewery Vienna Lager

Best Cocktail Bitters
Bitters Lab
Leave it to a lady cake designer to renovate the way we experience flavors and extracts. After experimenting and testing bitters she created in her home, (hence ‘the bitters lab’) owner Andrea Latimer has changed the way we create a cocktail. Each bitter is handcrafted in small batches and made with the best local ingredients. Try your hand (or shaker) at adding Hibiscus & Yuzu to Mezcal or a dash of Habanero Lime in your next margarita. ¡Olé! Sold in multiple locations or by subscription, bitterslab.com
2. Honest John Bitters
3. Grandeur View Bitters

Best Tiki Drink
Ducky Deathstar at El Chihuahua Restaurant
El Chihuahua Restaurant sells great Mexican food, sure, but they are also known for daring to ask: What if a fish bowl-shaped glass wasn’t a home for a fish, but instead a ... Deathstar? And the Deathstar was not a Deathstar but a tiki drink? And the tiki drink was not a tiki drink in any traditional fashion, but a mixture of vodka, Everclear and 151 rum, topped with Bud Rita, Mike’s Harder or Smirnoff Smash ... and a rubber ducky? If this beverage is a tiki drink, it’s because it’s outrageously garnished. And because—like many a tiki drink—it’s a one-and-done. 3926 Highland Drive, Millcreek, 801-272-8091, elchihuahuaslc.com
2. Wray Daq at Water Witch
3. Hurricane at The Bayou

Best Mixologist
Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club’s Tucker Castle
Tucker Castle is fun, creative and clearly loves his job. His drinks are innovative and tasty (Strawberry Fields is a local favorite). Tucked in a building at The Gateway, you will be pleasantly surprised. You can make an entire night at Flanker—karaoke, sports simulator games, mini bowling, DJ with a dance floor. Make sure to say hi to Castle and congratulate him! 6 N. Rio Grande St., SLC, 801-683-7070, flankerslc.com
2. Sam Miller, Water Witch
3. Alexi Fisher, Cocktail Collective

• Derek Carlisle
• A Five Wives cosmopolitan

Best Local Spirit
Ogden’s Own Five Wives Vodka
The spirit that built the small Ogden distillery and turned it into a regional powerhouse keeps on delivering in terms of versatility and drinkability. Well known in Utah as a consumer and bartenders’ favorite, Five Wives amplifies the tastes of its cocktail pairings better than other vodkas do for a spirit that is neutral in flavor but big in creating social vibes. You may also recognize this brilliant vodka under its seasonal label, Five Husbands. 615 W. Stockman Way, Ogden, 801-458-1995, ogdensown.com
2. Beehive Distilling Jack Rabbit Gin
3. High West Distillery Rendezvous Rye

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• St. Regis’ 7452 Mary

Best Bloody Mary
St. Regis Deer Valley
Much can be said about dining at St. Regis, but the bloody mary has been known to steal the spotlight on many occasions. You may not think creating a tomato juice-based concoction can be varied much, but you’d be wrong. The mixologists here replicate the St. Regis New York’s Original Red Snapper bloody mary and have created their own version using local spirits, called 7452 Mary (named for the bar’s elevation)—it’s a fan favorite. The secret? It’s the addition of the wasabi-celery foam. 2300 Deer Valley Drive East, Park City, 435-940-5760, marriott.com/en-us/hotels/slcxr-the-st-regis-deer-valley/dining
2. Gracie’s
3. Lucky 13 Bar & Grill

Best Distillery Tour
High West Distillery
For the whiskey novice or expert, get an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the phases of distilling. Get up close and personal with the barrel-aging process and learn how each product is created from blending to bottling. Tours start on the hour and last 45 minutes on Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 27649 Old Lincoln Highway, Wanship, 435-649-8300, highwest.com
2. Beehive Distillery
3. Holystone Distillery

Best Distillery
High West Distillery & Saloon
High West Distillery founders, biochemist David Perkins and his wife Jane, began distilling in 2007 in a historic stable turned garage (and now the High West Saloon) in downtown Park City. Growing from a small passion project to a juggernaut in the industry, in 2015, High West built its distillery in Wanship. Sample their aged whiskeys and barrel-finished cocktails to see what all the fuss is about. Saloon, 703 Park Ave., Park City; Distillery, 27649 Old Lincoln Highway, Wanship, 435-649-8300, highwest.com
2. Beehive Distilling
3. Ogden’s Own

Best Liquor Selection
Lake Effect
A deep pantry is essential in any chef’s arsenal. The same goes for a mixologist’s backbar. No matter if you’re looking for the perfect classic cocktail, a unique house drink or a sip from a rare bottle, Lake Effect’s ceiling-high library of spirits takes its customers on an imbibing adventure. Despite Lake Effect’s comprehensive drink menu and the largest liquor inventory in the state, sometimes you simply need a true classic delivered straight up, chilled or warmed. 155 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-532-2068, lakeeffectslc.com
2. Whiskey Street Cocktails & Dining
3. Prohibition

Best Canned Cocktail
Ogden’s Own Moscow Mule
When Ogden’s Own Distillery built a massive 32,000-square-foot facility in 2020, they had visions on a grand scale in mind. They now have capacity for a 10-fold increase in production, plus the capacity to pump out their new line of canned cocktails. The new line is headed by the Five Wives Moscow Mule, quickly becoming one of the most popular items to leave the shelves at Ogden’s Own. 615 W. Stockman Way, Ogden, 801-458-1995, ogdensown.com
2. Sugar House Distillery’s Sugar House Raspberry Lemonade
3. Simplicity Cocktails’ Gin & Tonic

Best Brunch Cocktails
Purgatory Bar
Whether a salty, zippy bloody mary is what you need for Sunday brunch or an extensive list of mimosa options, including flavors like grapefruit, cherry, pineapple or mango, Purgatory has whatever is needed to revive your weekend vibes. Get there early, because the brunch line gets long. 62 E. 700 South, SLC, 801-596-2294, purgatorybar.com
2. Prohibition
3. Piper Down Pub

Best Craft Cocktails
Water Witch Bar
The principle of craft cocktails is combining unique flavors that seem like they wouldn’t make sense together but inexplicably belong. That’s the essence of Water Witch Bar, a cozy establishment (and we mean cozy, with just a handful of seats) that’s a favorite watering hole for those willing to color outside the lines a bit. Water Witch is funky and impressive, serving local spirits in innovating creations. 163 W. 900 South, SLC, 801-462-0967, loveinutah.com
2. Prohibition
3. Whiskey Street Cocktails & Dining

Best Barista
Aubry Childs,Tres Gatos Coffee
There’s a whole “latte” love going into the cups at Midvale’s Tres Gatos Coffee. Campaigning to win Best Barista, Aubry Childs took to Instagram, posting, “If you know me, you know I L-O-V-E my job!!! Especially those who’ve shown me the ropes to get where I am today. Being a barista is extremely RAD.” The love goes both ways it seems. Her boss posted this note earlier in the summer: “We aren’t your typical shop. These aren’t your typical baristas. ... what makes us different is THEM ... We love each other like family. ... We aren’t normal. Thank God. We are rowdy. We tease. We are pros but also know we are all dorks who are humanly imperfect. Almost daily we hear customers comment on the fun we have.” And somehow, all this mutual admiration gets infused into their beautiful drinks and tasty treats to make us all feel a bit better. 7567 S. Main, Midvale, 801-403-8351, Instagram @tresgatoscoffee; Instagram @aubry.childs
2. Sam, Old Cuss Cafe
3. Jadey Crofts, Sugar House Coffee

Best Frappe
Bjorn’s Brew
“Drink Coffee. Save Animals.” That’s the slogan of Bjorn’s Brew, which donates $1 per filled punch card redeemed at one of its drive-ins. In 2021 alone, they donated a little over $30,000 to local charities and animal rescues. Supporting the pups is the perfect reason to stop in for their blended frappes, including latte frappes, mocha or caramel frappes or chai or green tea frappes. If you bring your furry friend along for the ride, they’ll provide you with a “pup cup” of a milk bone and whipped cream on the house. Multiple locations, bjornsbrew.com
2. Beans & Brews Coffeehouse
3. Java Jo’s

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• The Boss smoothie

Best Smoothies
Brass Smoothies
No matter the time of day, a whipped smoothie of fresh, natural and locally sourced ingredients is a win. Try The Boss, made with jalapeno, mango, cilantro, spinach, lime and coconut water. Don’t you feel powerful already? Slurping a Brass Smoothie is a tasty way to enjoy your favorite fruits, veggies and proteins in style. 925 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-208-6542, brassmoothies.com
2. Keva Juice Utah
3. Sugar House Coffee

Best Oat Milk Latte
Old Cuss Cafe
It figures that one of the valley’s newest plant-based cafes on the scene would end up doing a great oat milk latte. You can order the basic version, or one of their rotating riffs—past versions include the strawberry rhubarb, blueberry pie, locally sourced peach cobbler and smashed pumpkin. 2285 S. Main, South Salt Lake, oldcuss.com
2. Tres Gatos Café
3. Sugar House Coffee

Best Boba Tea
Tea Bar
Tea Bar serves delicious boba (tapioca pearls made from brown sugar and potato starch with a gummy texture) in delectable teas and smoothies. Offering many flavors, with several jelly/boba options, Tea Bar is also well known for authentic, housemade Taiwanese fare, such as popcorn chicken, green onion pancakes and fried squid balls. The environment is clean and organized, with outside seating options. Drinks are served in plastic glasses adorned with a cute Boston terrier. 1201 E. Wilmington Ave., No. 109, SLC, 385-322-2120
2. Space Tea
3. Tiger Sugar

Best Kombucha
Han’s Kombucha
Kombucha is everywhere these days, but nobody is changing the game like Han’s. Their flavors go beyond the garden variety of familiar herbs and berries, experimenting with flavors like pineapple cactus nectar, white peach Champagne and beet lemonade. The woman-owned business is opening a taproom soon, too, so keep an eye out for your next favorite barstool. 370 Aspen Ave., SLC, 385-227-8240, hanskombucha.com
2. Mamachari Kombucha
3. Sünnte Kombucha

Best Tea Service
The Grand America Hotel
Few things are more civilized than a freshly steeped cup of tea, and the Grand America Hotel brings its “A Game” to each tea service. From indulging in finger sandwiches (crust removed, of course!) to munching on English scones with cream, it’s a delight to get dressed up and sip away an afternoon with family or friends. 555 S. Main, SLC, 801-258-6000, grandamerica.com/dining/afternoon-tea
2. Tea Zaanti
3. The Tea Grotto

Best Horchata
Alberto’s
Nothing cuts the heat of a spicy Mexican dish like horchata, a rice beverage with its splash of milky cinnamon that cools the tongue and tickles the taste buds. The fine folks at Alberto’s have seemingly perfected both sides of that coin, with its entrees that add a casual modern riff to traditional Mexican favorites and its superb horchata, the perfect complement to a meal or a delightful treat all by itself. Multiple locations, albertosmex.com
2. Red Iguana
3. Facil Taqueria

Best Mango Lassi
Cafe Shambala
If you’ve even got room after stuffing yourself from Cafe Shambala’s large plates of delicately savory dishes, you’ll want to order the mango lassi as dessert. Smoothie-like with some tang from yogurt and spice from cardamom, lassi can come in a variety of flavors, but mango is the best, and it’s the best at Cafe Shambala. 382 E. Fourth Ave., SLC, 801-364-8558, cafe-shambala.business.site
2. Tandoor Indian Gril
3. Curry Pizza

Best Milkshake
Iceberg Drive Inn
Iceberg’s fame from creating thick, over-the-top shakes began in 1960 and continues now in its 62nd year. A group of regular customers initially requested extra thick shakes that included less milk. Today, the over-the-top shakes continue to be popular in more than 30 flavors ranging from cake batter to fresh strawberry to root beer to Almond Joy, all super thick and huge. In addition, burgers, fish and chips, fries and onion rings round out the menu. Multiple locations, icebergdriveinn.com
2. Jake’s Over the Top
3. Woody’s Drive-In

Best Fresh-Pressed Juices
Vive Juicery
Fresh-pressed juice has many draws—all those condensed veggies pack a health punch, but also a flavor punch. At Vive Juicery, you can indulge in a vibrant array of cold-pressed blended juices from fruits, veggies and greens; smoothies; immunity shots; or pastel plant milks with golden turmeric, matcha, cacao or strawberries. Visit their comfy cafe and settle in as you claim your new go-to juice favorite. 1597 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-875-8923, vivejuicery.com
2. The Juice Shop
3. Liberty Heights Fresh

Best Divinely Inspired Beer
False Prophet, RoHa Brewing Project
This Hazy IPA made its promotional debut on or very near to July 24, 2022—a date better known as Utah’s Pioneer Day (also affectionately known as Pie & Beer Day among imbibers). It’s also a date when many Utahns were celebrating the arrival to Utah of an entirely different prophetic message. False Prophet is said to pair perfectly with beef sticks, making it a prophecy we fully understand. And that can! Who wouldn’t worship that fellow? 30 E. Kensington Ave., SLC, 385-227-8982, rohabrewing.com

Best Ogden Beer Shop
Salt & Hops
Grocery and convenience stores are fine and have an adequate selection. But if you want the full spectrum of “low point” craft beer, Ogden’s Salt & Hops has the most brilliant selection of local craft beers and beers from outside our borders. Gluten-free, alcohol-free or even beer-free options pepper the wall-to-wall cold cases with an unrivaled selection that includes not only beer but uncommon snacks, produce and mixers. 443 27th St., Ste. B, Ogden, 801-689-2936, saltandhops.com

Best Brewed Comfort ‘Food’
Shades Brewing Co.
Gifted with the ability to concoct beers that mimic other convections, entrees and comfort foods, South Salt Lake’s Shades Brewing Co. has endeared itself to the hearts of Utah’s craft beer lovers with their signature Kveik sours, barrel-aged beers and IPAs. In a world where you can get Peach Cobbler, Indian Masala and even Spaghetti Dinner designed beers, the heavier things in life don’t seem to weigh as much when this kind of beer artistry is in our area code. 154 W. Utopia Ave., South Salt Lake, 435-200-3009, shadesbrewing.beer

Best Mug of Foam
Grid City Milk Shots
Adopted from breweries in the Czech Republic, this creamy beer pour looks like milk and tastes sweet and smooth. It’s meant to be drunk all at once, like a shot. That way you can enjoy the hoppy aroma of the foam before it settles into beer. The Mlík Pour is a special treat. It’s not the kind of beer you’d order again and again while you’re at Grid City. It’s something fun to change the mood, and it’s a different way to enjoy their traditional pilsner or the hoppy pilsner. 333 W. 2100 South, South Salt Lake, 801-906-8390, gridcitybeerworks.com

Best End to a Beer Drought
Prodigy Brewing
The beer-loving residents of the Cache Valley are a patient lot. These long-suffering and easy-going Utahns have been without a local brewery since Cache Valley Brewing Co. closed its doors in 1912. Prodigy Brewing Co. has finally ended the 110-year drought and established itself smack dab in the middle of downtown Logan, making an array of suds that range from lagers to juicy IPAs. 25 W. Center St., Logan, 435-375-3313, prodigy-brewing.com

Best New Soberwave Bar
Curiosity
At Curiosity, get all the glam of a night out with no hangover. Enjoy gem-like glasses filled with innovative cocktails that nod to alcoholic predecessors while wandering a new path of flavor, form and sensation. Ask the folks behind the bar about adaptogens, and indulge in their fine espresso, thoughtful charcuterie, the dazzling bottle shop, actually tasty NA wines and beers, and flavors any craft bartender in the city would recognize as inspiring. 145 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-259-0193, curiosityslc.com

Best Ski-Town Rivalry
Park City Sunrise Shot Ski
A “shot ski” is a traditional snow ski that has shot glasses glued to the plank and is imbibed in tandem with others. In January 2014, the town of Breckenridge, Colorado, set a world’s record for the longest shot-ski at 219 skis and 666 people at 973 feet long. A year later, Park City broke that record as 1,191 people lined up in the middle of the town’s Main Street with a similarly designed, street-long shot ski. This friendly competition continues to this day with proceeds going to various charities. Main Street, Park City, 800-453-1360, parkcityshotski.wixsite.com/2022

Editor's Note: Over 160,000 votes were cast in the 2022 City Weekly Best of Utah poll. The ballot software used was from Revfluent, Inc. which provided City Weekly a list of "estimated winners." That list was tallied and vetted by City Weekly editorial staffers per our historic rules and published guidelines that are intended to monitor ballot malfeasance. The official City Weekly Best of Utah 2022 results were printed in Salt Lake City Weekly on Nov. 17, 2022 and are republished here online.