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SEAN NEVES, SCOTT GARDNER, MATT PFOHL, BARTENDERS
Three guys lead the way in Utah’s sea change of spirits. Matt Pfohl, Scott Gardner, and Sean Neves all ran incredibly successful bar programs at some of Utah’s more reputable restaurants before inching toward the cliff that Holden Caulfield warned his sister about leading into the world of owning their own operation.
Three successful bartenders in the Salt Lake community can’t all come together under one roof and behind one bar, can they? Can three egos coexist and run smoothly? The absence of ego is precisely why Sean, Matt, and Scott work so well together. Ego generally comes in the absence of skill. When skill can’t speak for itself, egos grow as compensation for what is lacking on the plate or in the glass. These guys let the cocktails speak. There’s no false humility here. They know they’re good, otherwise they wouldn’t be cashing it all in to start their own spot. Approach a bar tended by any of these three, and you’ll quickly see that pretense isn’t their game. They realize that ego distances the barman from his people. These guys are for the people.
Think of them as doctors. Yes, they’re all in the same category, bartender, but look closer. They’re specialists, like a neurologist or a cardiovascular surgeon. On the surface the cocktail virgin might accuse them of being the same, but look deeper, and three highly specialized professionals emerge.
Scott Gardner makes cocktails like Brittanica makes encyclopedias. From beginning to end, Scott can tell you the history of every liquor in the glass and the philosophy behind its production. Matt Pfohl is something of a love doctor. Every cocktail speaks beautiful poetry. Take one drink and you really don’t care what’s in it. You’re mesmerized by its passion and perfect fit for the day’s mood. Sean Neves embodies Utah. He knows its history, loves the Jazz, and pushes hard to see it all elevate. He’s the business mind of the three, who makes a cocktail with a nod to Utah’s past and an abundance of love and passion for what’s in the glass and the person drinking it.
The state of spirits in Utah is safe thanks to these guys and about a dozen other bartenders who are changing Utah’s horizon.
BY SCOTT GARDNER
(SERVES 1)
1 ounce Jamaican rum (we use Smith & Cross)
¾ ounce VSOP cognac (we use Gautier)
½ ounce Oloroso sherry (we use Bodegas Hidalgo)
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce black tea syrup
1 dash angostura bitters
Lemon peel
Nutmeg, whole
Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake vigorously for 20–25 seconds. Twist lemon peel into a chilled cocktail glass, so the lemon oil coats the glass. Strain punch into the glass over a small “block” of clear ice. Grate fresh nutmeg over the surface of the punch.
By MATT PFOHL
(SERVES 1)
1½ ounces bacanora (use blanco mezcal if bacanora is unavailable)
¾ ounce dolin blanc (can use a dry vermouth if blanc styles are unavailable)
½ ounce grappa
¼ ounce luxardo maraschino
1 dash orange bitters
Lemon peel
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Fill the glass with ice to three-quarters full. Stir the drink for about 20–25 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over the surface of the drink and garnish with the peel.
Note: Jaibica is the small ax used to harvest the agave in traditional bacanora production.
