Debunking the MythsThere are lots of misconceptions about drinking in Salt Lake and its surrounding state. Some of our favorites: You’ll be smitten from on high. You have to get a temporary Utah drivers' license. You have to smuggle your booze in from Nevada. You can’t get beer over 4.0% ABV. You have to buy a membership to get into a bar. You’ll be tarred, feathered, and then run out of town.So why does this reputation persist? Utah has historically had some funky liquor laws (yes, for a brief period of time, you DID have to buy a membership to get into a bar), and a few of those laws still exist. But let's be honest: there are lots of weird liquor laws in the world and the "peculiar" nature of Utah's liquor laws aren't going to hamper your night out or stop you from enjoying a drink while you dine. Here's what you need to know :Getting a Drink in Utah: A Quick Guide "Utah beer" (the kind found in grocery stores) is 3.2% alcohol by weight, but by volume—the standard measurement—it's 4.0%.

You can get high-point beer—that is, any beer over 4.0% alcohol by volume (ABV)—at most bars and restaurants, but it must be served in bottles. Anything on tap is 4.0% ABV. Buying it to go? Full-strength beer, wine, and liquor can be purchased to go from state liquor stores, breweries, distilleries, wineries, and some hotels and resorts. State liquor stores are closed on Sundays and major holidays. You can buy 4.0% beer practically everywhere: grocery stores, gas stations, arenas, festivals, etc. If you’re drinking at a restaurant, you'll need to be "dining" in that restaurant in order to be served alcohol. But that doesn't mean you need to order a full meal. You can order just a single appetizer along with your drink (the app can be shared with your group). Ordering food is not required at bars and clubs. If you’re drinking at a restaurant that opened after July 2012, your bartender will mix your drink out of view (for the children…or something). This is jokingly referred to as “The Zion Curtain,” and is not in effect at bars and clubs.

Your cocktail can contain up to 2.5oz of liquor. You can have more than one drink in front of you at a time, but you can't have a "double" or "sidecar" (don’t ask us why).  At restaurants, you can buy booze beginning at 11:30 a.m. At clubs and bars: 10 a.m. Last call is at 1 a.m. Nothing that will stand between you and a drink or three. Want more information about Utah’s alcohol-related vernacular and classifications? Alcoholic-Beverage ClassificationsLiquor and wine: Pretty self-explanatory. Heavy beer: Any beer or malt beverage with over 4.0% alcohol by volume (or 3.2% alcohol by weight). Also casually referred to as high-point beer or full-strength beer.Beer: Any beer or malt beverage with up to 4.0% ABV. Also casually referred to as low-point beer.Liquor-License ClassificationsClubs: Full-service bars that sell liquor, wine, heavy beer, and beer. “Club” in this context doesn’t necessarily mean dancing, strobe lights, or cologne. It refers to any drinking establishment with a full liquor license.

Salt Lake has hundreds of “clubs” in the forms of bars, live-music venues, nightclubs, and more. No, you don’t need a membership, and no, you don’t need to buy food. Full-service restaurants: Eateries with full drink menus, just like you’d find at a club. best buys wine 2013Here you’re required to buy at least an appetizer.best white wine for drinking without foodLimited-service restaurants: These dining establishments provide wine, heavy beer, and beer. best italian wine dealsBeer-only restaurants: These restaurants sell 4.0%-ABV-and-under beer. best wine from parisOn-premise beer: Bowling alleys, arenas, outdoor festivals, and a handful of taverns and lounges serve only 4.0% ABV beer. buy ice wine usa

There is no food requirement to purchase drinks from these establishments, which can start serving beer at 10:00 a.m. Retailer ClassificationsState liquor stores: Government-operated stores offering a large selection of liquor, wine, and heavy (full-strength) beer. best wine shop in west los angelesOne drawback is that the beer here isn’t refrigerated, and these stores are closed on Sundays and holidays, so plan accordingly. best wine chicagoPackage agencies: Stores contracted by the state to sell liquor, wine, and heavy beer. best red wine with ice creamThey’re often located in resorts or hotels for the convenience of visitors (Solitude, Alta, The Marriott Hotel at City Creek, and Deer Valley have onsite package agencies, for example). where can i buy cheap wine in the uk

Some of these stores are open on Sundays and holidays. Breweries, wineries, and distilleries: These businesses are allowed to sell their goods to the general public. Squatters/Wasatch, Epic, Bohemian, Red Rock, and Uinta breweries all sell high-point beer, and Bohemian and Epic are even open on Sundays. Also, the bottled brews are also kept perfectly chilled. High West Distillery is also open on Sunday; you can buy whiskey and vodka at its airport or Park City locations.Grocery and convenience stores: These retailers sell beer up to 4.0% ABV from 7:00 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week. Other areas of Utah may differ from this policy. Find Bars>Find Liquor Stores > See a List of Package Agencies >Bag-in-a-box wine usually consists of a 3- or 5-liter bag of wine inside a cardboard box. When it’s time to drink the wine, a hole is made along perforated lines on the box and a tap already attached to the bag is pulled through for dispensing. After opening, these wines stay fresh for 30 to 60 days.

Exposure to oxygen can cause wine to turn, and the speed can vary with the fragility of the wine, says Helene Hopfer, Ph.D., of the Department of Viticulture & Enology, at the University of California, Davis. “One major advantage of bag-in-box,” she says, “is that you can pour one glass at a time without opening the bag, like you would have to with a bottle.” The bag inside the box slows oxidization because as you use the tap to remove the wine from the bag, the bag collapses and limits the air inside. With a bottle of wine, once it has been opened, the exposure to oxygen means you usually have just a few days before air affects the flavor of the wine.Value: Three liters of wine is about the same as four bottles of wine, and five liters is about the same as 6.7 bottles. You typically get more for your money when it comes to buying wines in a box. Lorena Ascencios, the head wine buyer for Astor Wines & Spirits, in New York City, says, “You can buy larger-size box wines and save a tremendous amount at the register.

I’ll give you an example of a wine we carry in two sizes: Côtes-du-Rhône, Domaine le Garrigon from France. The 750-milliliter bottle costs $13.96 a bottle and the 3-liter box costs $38.99. If you were to buy four bottles, you would pay $55.84, versus $38.99 for the boxed version. You save $16.85 by buying the larger format.”Convenience: Boxed wine is a great choice for picnics and parties. The wine can rest on a table or in the refrigerator and guests can dispense it easily into their glasses. Boxes of wine are also great for times when glass bottles aren’t ideal, like pool parties, camping trips, and sporting events. But even if you aren’t having a large gathering, a box of wine may be worth buying, especially since it typically lasts a month or longer and can fit easily in the refrigerator. And having a box in the kitchen allows you to use a cup or two for cooking without letting the majority of a bottle go to waste.Environmentally friendly: Boxed wines are believed to have less impact on the environment than more traditionally packaged wines.

The cardboard package is recyclable, and research indicates that the entire bag-in-a-box packaging system contributes less to global-warming potential and uses less water and energy than glass wine bottles do. Boxes are also thought to have a smaller carbon footprint than glass bottles, since they are lighter and easier to transport.Stigma: Even though the quality of boxed wine has drastically improved in recent years and you can find a large selection of fresh, even organic wines in boxes, some people still turn up their noses at them. Possibly it’s because they can’t forget the box of sweet White Zinfandel or blush sitting in their parents’ or grandparents’ kitchen, says Brad Nugent, the beverage director at the restaurant Porter House New York. “The fact is, wine as a whole has gotten better. Producers, sommeliers, and consumers are all better educated and able to make, swirl, and sip higher-quality wine,” he says. “Looking at it from this perspective, it is natural to assume that boxed wine is being held to higher and higher standards and will continue to improve.”

Does this mean that your neighbors won’t pooh-pooh your box of wine? But they may change their minds once they taste what’s inside.Palate exhaustion: What if you want to drink Sauvignon Blanc before dinner, Chardonnay with your salad, and a nice Pinot Noir with your lamb chops? Bottles of wine allow you to open and enjoy more than one varietal over the course of a meal. This is particularly important to people who like to pair wines with their food. In this case, large-format boxed wines are not ideal, says Nugent. “The problem with boxed wines for personal consumption [as opposed to for large gatherings] is that you can get tired of them. To finish a box of wine, you have to make it your go-to wine for a few weeks. Most people like a little more variety.”Wine packaged in Tetra Pak cartons are another option for people looking for wine in alternative packaging. Tetra Pak cartons are like the boxes of juice or chicken broth you find in the grocery store.  When filled with wine, they typically come in 1-liter or 500-milliliter sizes and have a screw cap for dispensing.