Utah Opera's 'Libretti & Libations' Features Cocktails Inspired by THE RAKE'S PROGRESS

For the last time this season, art influences life with Utah Opera's "Libretti & Libations," a partnership with Salt Lake City's top mixologists to create craft cocktails inspired by the current opera production. During May, six social sippers -- Bambara, BTG Wine Bar, Caffe Molise, Finca, Takashi and Pallet -- offer the second installment of opera-based libations with "The Pearl Fishers"-inspired craft cocktails as a way of creating an intersection between food and drink, and opera. Visit www.utahopera.org/libations for more information.

Libretto refers to the spoken word portion of the opera. As patrons enjoy their libations at the participating "Libretti & Libations" restaurants, they have the chance to read a portion of libretto from the current opera. People can also enter a social media contest sponsored by Salt Lake Magazine to win a pair of tickets by sharing photos of their libations on Twitter or Instagram prior to Wednesday, May 13 and tagging #UtahOperaSips. This month's winner will attend the Friday, May. 15 evening performance of Stravinsky's "Rakes Progress" at Capitol Theatre.

Finca has taken a classic cocktail from the 1930's, the Pegu Club, and added some twist and dashes to make "The Rake's Revenge". The cocktail starts with a base of Royal Dock Gin, a classic London Dry Gin, aptly chosen for Tom's desire to test his luck and whit in London. Then added are the dashes and twists which consist of fiery ginger tincture, cinnamon, and blood orange juice to reflect Tom's temptations with Nick Shadow.

Pallet chose to show Tom's softer side in their "Gently, Little Boat" cocktail. Touching on gentle notes of apple, clove, citrus, and cardamom, the drink reflects upon his somber visit from Venus. Mixologist Bijan Ghiai describes it as "a gentle blend of bittersweet and intoxicating flavors, resembling certain emotions felt in the final act."

Bambara's drink, "The Delights of London," embodies Nick Shadow's cocktail of choice. Austin Craig, head bartender said "We raked our collective minds to come up with what we think would be Nick Shadow's favorite pernicious palliative." Starting with a base of Gin, every Londoner's drink of choice, it adds citrus flavors from lime, lemon, and grapefruit to juxtapose the gin to show the sweet and sour of Tom Rakewell's life.

Takashi Sushi's drink is inspired from the opera's moral "For idle hearts and hands and minds the Devil finds work to do" duly naming it Idle Hands. Drawing from Nick Shadows character, Rich Romney the mixologist says "I wanted to create a cocktail that represented a lost love brought about by the fiery enticement of the devil himself."

As a nod to British artist David Hockney, whose original costumes and set designs are featured in the opera production, and the 18th century setting of the opera, BTG's Wine Bar and Caffé Molise are serving a British-inspired gin and white wine craft cocktail, "Back in Thyme," that features accents of thyme and rhubarb bitters.

For more information, visit www.utahopera.org/libations.

LIBRETTI & LIBATIONS PARTNERS

Bambara

202 S Main St, Salt Lake City

801 363 5454

Mixologist: Austin Craig

Craft cocktail: The Delights of London

Ingredients: Boodles Gin, Ransom Dry Vermouth, Grapefruit Juice, Fresh Lime, Fresh Lemon

Served chilled in a half sugar rim martini glass with lemon twist

Caffé Molise/BTG Wine Bar

63 W 100 S, Salt Lake City
801 359 2814

Mixologist: Jesse Garrett
Craft cocktail: Back in Thyme

Ingredients: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Pinot Gris dry white wine, house-made thyme syrup, fresh lime Rhubarb bitters

Finca

327 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

801 487 0699

Mixologist: Davy Bartlett / Natalie Hamilton

Craft cocktail: The Rake's Revenge

Ingredients: Royal Dock London Gin, Canton Ginger liqueur, blood orange juice, lime juice, cinnamon tincture, ginger tincture

Pallet Bistro

237 S 400 W, Salt Lake City

801 935 4431

Mixologist: Bijan Ghiai

Craft cocktail: Gently, little boat

Ingredients: Apple Brandy, Ramazotti (a Sicilian amaro), lime juice, clove infused honey, and pimento bitters

Takashi Sushi

18 W Market Street, Salt Lake City

801 519 5959

Mixologist: Richard Romney

Craft cocktail: Idle Hands

Ingredients: Beehive Barrel Reseve Gin, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, house-made burnt sugar syrup, fresh lemon, Peychauds Bitters, egg white

PROGRAM:

Utah Opera Presents

Stravinsky's The Rakes Progress

Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, 50 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101

May 9, 11, 13, 15 | 7:30 p.m.

May 17 | 2 p.m.

The Rake's Progress

Composer: Igor Stravinksy

Librettists: ­­­­ W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman

Sung in English with English supertitles

World Premiere: Venice, Italy in 1951

Utah Opera Premiere

About Utah Opera - Established by Glade Peterson in 1978, Utah Opera has been part of the community for more than 35 years and provides Utah's citizens with distinguished quality productions that showcase emerging and established artists, celebrate traditional works, and champion the American operatic tradition. The opera company presents four annual productions at the historic Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol. Utah Opera operates a full production studio where productions are rehearsed and costumes, props and sets are designed, made, rented out and stored. The opera currently has 17 full sets and costumes for 45 full productions in its inventory. Utah Opera also offers a Resident Artist Program, a nationally recognized young artist training program for professional singers and pianists who perform for more than 65,000 students each year through the organization's education department. For more information, visit www.utahopera.org.

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