Distilleries are popping up like toast all over the state. One recently opened in Park City and is so popular it’s nearly impossible to get in it.
And now, Utah’s largest independently-owned distillery is not just operating in Ogden, about 40 miles from Salt Lake City, but it has opened a bar to enjoy drinks from its distillery. It’s called Side Bar and – like all distilleries in the state – it features full-strength alcoholic cocktails. Its spirits are categorized in four flavor groups: Sweet & Fruity, Sour & Tart, Spicy, and Spirit Forward.
Within each category, Ogden’s Own’s core portfolio of spirits is featured, including Five Wives Vodka (and its flavors “Sinful” and “Heavenly”), Porter’s Whiskeys (including Porter’s Small Batch Rye and flavors Peanut Butter, “Fire”, Huckleberry, Apple, Peach), Madam Pattirini Gin, and Underground Herbal Spirit.
Side Bar even offers a wide selection of non-alcoholic “mocktails” that look like real cocktails.
Conceived and led by Ogden’s Own President Mark Fine and Emily Yett, a nationally recognized bartending consultant who has appeared on “Bar Rescue,” all drinks are infused infused with in-house made syrups, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, and even a pinch of molecular expertise.
“With Side Bar, we strive to share our inspiration with consumers and industry members through creative craft cocktails that use taste and presentation to engage all human senses…including your mind and heart,” Fine said
“Too many people go to a bar or restaurant and don’t know what to order, and we wanted to rethink that experience with an environment that is fun and unpretentious but executed with the utmost precision and professionalism, helping our guests discover multiple cocktails fitting their tastes and moods at any given time.”
Side Bar opened its bar in late October. Its mixology team even makes the cocktails tableside, reinforcing a personalized, memorable and “Instagrammable” experience with a dash of showmanship. Side Bar also provides complimentary recipe cards so people can at least try to re-create the cocktails at home.
Eventually it will host events, including concerts.
Side Bar at Ogden’s Own Distillery is located at 615 W Stockman Way. Its doors are open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 4-10 p.m.
It website is at OgdensOwn.com.
About Ogden’s Own
Ogden’s Own is based in Ogden, Utah and gained notoriety for its unique expressions and its often-satirical playfulness on stereotypes in its home state. Founded in 2009, Ogden’s Own’s first product was Underground Herbal Spirit, which was met with immediate acclaim, winning a Double Gold Medal from the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012.
The distillery then released Five Wives Vodka, which the brand is perhaps best known for today due to the national notoriety it received upon hitting the market. The name “Five Wives” was such a topic of controversy within the conservative-leaning Utah and surrounding states refused to sell the product, prompting a national lawsuit that Ogden’s Own eventually won.
This is one of the most fun, interactive and deliciously wicked cocktail spots in Utah (and I have lived here for 25 years)! Their blends of the finest local ingredients coupled with unique presentation from some of the friendliest staff around make this my all-time favorite libation spot in Northern Utah. If you like your whiskey with a twist of intriguing sultry and savory, sure to please even the most delicate of palettes. You have to try the “Bacon Bitch” (ensure you get it “Smoked”), or “Maple Old Fashioned”..they are out-of-this-world on taste and satisfaction.
Wow – Steven is a big fan of the place. Cheers!