Last week, I was able to head over to Salt Lake City’s own little speakeasy, The Rest, and do a bitters tasting of the new product line, Honest John Bitters. Honest John was launched late last year by owner of Bodega and The Rest, Sara Lund — and she has been able to combine her craft cocktail bar and bitters line in a really cool way.
When you go into The Rest, you can request the Honest John Bitters Tasting menu for $22 (bar service only), where a knowledgeable bartender will walk you through four bitters flavors – experiencing them in three ways: a tasting on their own (normally done with a dropper on the back of your hand), an olfactory experience (rubbing the bitters in your hands and experiencing the aroma), and then tasting the bitters in sparkling water. Each of these gives you a good sense of the complexity that bitters offer in multiple ways.
With the bitters tasting, you also get to choose a classic craft cocktail created with Honest John Bitters, and can purchase additional cocktails on the tasting menu for only $7. (You can also do a non-alcoholic bitters tasting without the cocktails for $15). You’ll even get each of the bitters tasting droppers in a cute little take home box, so that you can make a few cocktails at home. It is a really great experience and an informative and educational one that can help you understand how bitters work, the history, and what they can do for the flavor profile of a cocktail.
Currently, Honest John Bitters have exclusively been available for purchase at The Rest, but starting on the 22nd of January, you can purchase these new local bitters online! I really enjoyed each of Honest John Bitters flavors, especially the Nola and the Grapefruit. They are a great addition to our wonderful line of local bitters companies here in Salt Lake.
Get to The Rest to do the tasting, and check in on the
website on the 22nd (that’s TOMORROW) to make easy, online purchases.
Bodega | The Rest
331 S. Main Street, Salt Lake City
ritualandcraft.com 