Alcohol: The cocktails never taste so good

The good news: the cocktails.

The bad news: bowing to Salt Lake City culture and adding a sports channel to the TV.

After presenting my senior project my posse of Ava, Erin, Lilian and Manfriend indulged my love of classic cocktails at the Speak Easy.

The Speak Easy is a 20s inspired bar in Downtown Salt Lake City (63 West 100 South). My friend Alex joined us later in the night. He just got back from South Korea, so you can blame him for my current indecision about teaching there or in Taiwan.

We had a great time with a lovely group of people who also sat in our comfy corner. The Speak Easy is a small venue, but has never been very packed. The live band was great and the cover charge was a reasonable $3 for one or $5 for two.

The space is lined with great comfortable couches and small tables. There are cool vintage mirrors above the stage area. And a small dance floor for the dancers of the group. The club has a dress code, but isn't too strict about it. In the name of dressing nice though, it's a great excuse for a cocktail dress and heels. There is a TV playing sports above the bar, but it's easy to ignore with all the other cool vintage things to watch.

The bar tenders know how to treat you right and will set you up with any cocktail. I tried the Bee's Knees and it was delicious. Lemony, sweet, and pretty, too. It was a little sweet for my taste so I went with a Long Island next.

I've explained the baseline theory of cocktails before, any one who can make a Long Island can make a cocktail. I said it at the bar and I'll say it at the blog, "Speak Easy makes the best Long Island's in Salt Lake." These people aren't afraid of their alcohol and you can taste it.

I finished the night with a side car. I love the cognac, lemon mix.

I also tried Manfriend's Singapore Sling. It was definitely too Kool-Aid like for me, but he liked it enough to get a second.

The Speak Easy also serves beer on tap.

I had a great night with a great group of people. I highly recommend Speak Easy to anyone who wants a different bar experience in the city of sports bars.

Alcohol Review: Mixin' drinks ain't easy

I've always thought if I were alive during the 20s I would be a flapper and maybe that's why Speakeasy was so easy for me to love. Ava and I went to Speakeasy in downtown to check out the location with the 20s name and live jazz entertainment. I also needed to speak with the fabulous Rita Boudreau about doing vocals for my upcoming film "On the Other Side."

Speakeasy has amazing decor. The owners are dedicated to their Prohibition-era theme. "Casablanca" was playing on the pretty, HD, big screen TVs before the live act was on. The lights are dimmed low and even the chairs feel like something my great-grandmother may have owned.

After being denied a lemon drop because the bartenders didn't know what one was, I started out the night with a dirty vodka martini. Mostly, because I've never had a straight-up martini before as I usually take mine with apple. And with Humphrey Bogart staring down at me I was feeling brave about the vodka and olive mixture. (Yes, I know a martini usually has gin, but I chickened out and went with Grey Goose.)

It was okay. Not my favorite cocktail, but I can see why it's considered classic. I love olives and should've asked for extras. And judging from the few men who were there drinking martinis as well I'm guessing Speakeasy makes a good one.

Next I tried the night's special "Sparkly Cosmopolitan," which was described as a regular Cosmo with champagne. When I ordered the bartender said okay, then proceeded to look up the recipe in his handy-dandy flip book. I'm okay with this and I waited patiently--after all, Speakeasy is a fairly new club and most likely he's a fairly new bartender. My complaint? All the ingredients for the drink are listed on their menu so I fought the urge to just hand over the menu to the bartender. The recipe search meant the wait was a little long.

Once I got my pink, girly drink, I was happy to down the sweet drink. I love cosmos and they rank in my top cocktail list right after Long Islands and Cape Cods. The addition of champagne made the drink a little too sweet for my tastes, but the drink was mixed well.

My next adventurous drink was the sidecar to finish off the night. Another classic cocktail, I hadn't tried before. This drink was my favorite discovery of the night. It was sour and sweet with a mixture of cointreau and lemon. Ava didn't like the harsh aftertaste, but I thought it was a great finish to such a sour drink. Maybe I just like knowing there is alcohol in my drink.

At the end of the night, Speakeasy was a great bar for a girls' night out. We'll definitely be back again for more classic cocktails, 20s ambiance and great music. Hopefully between now and next time, the bartenders learn how to mix a few drinks so even the wait for the drink is easy.