Salt Lake City's Dry Spell Gets a Repeal - Racketeer Broadcast Association

Salt Lake City’s Dry Spell Gets a Repeal

Salt Lake City. A place, let’s be frank, that conjures images of… well, let’s just say the nightlife expectations might typically involve a vigorous game of charades followed by an early night with a lukewarm herbal infusion. One pictures a certain… orthodoxy when it comes to leisure pursuits. A landscape, shall we say, less associated with the clinking of cocktail shakers and the sultry saxophone wail than, perhaps, the gentle rustling of scripture.. And yet. Word on the street, whispered with a mixture of disbelief and burgeoning excitement, is the imminent arrival of “Repeal.” Not just a bar, mind you. Oh no. A “sophisticated hideaway for jazz and libations.” In downtown Salt Lake City. The cognitive dissonance, one must admit, is rather… delicious. It’s like discovering a secret society. Baffling, and therefore, rather intriguing. Apparently, this “Repeal” is the brainchild of the folks behind “Prohibition,” a 1920s-themed establishment already daring to “raise the bar” in the Salt Lake Valley. Now, they’re doubling down on this delightful anachronism, transforming a former “Bourbon House” (the very name hinting at a clandestine past) into a haven of curated craft cocktails and the dulcet tones of local jazz artists. One pictures the scene: patrons, perhaps still slightly bewildered by the concept of a dedicated “libations” establishment, tentatively stepping into a space designed to feel “captivating, mysterious, and more!” More than what, one wonders? More than a particularly engaging lecture on local flora? More than a spirited debate about the optimal thread count of one’s undergarments? The possibilities, like a well-mixed martini, are surprisingly potent. The father-daughter duo, Kelly and Camille, along with a newly acquired Chef Joey Ferran speak of a “collaborative passion.” One can only imagine the spirited discussions around the menu: we need something with oomph. Something that whispers of forgotten freedoms. Perhaps a deconstructed sarsaparilla reduction with a whisper of… gasp… bitters?” And the name! “Repeal.” It’s practically a wink and a nudge to the very notion of stringent regulations. It’s a declaration, a subtle act of defiance served with a twist of lime. In a city where one might expect the most daring culinary innovation to be a new way of presenting gelatin, the arrival of a bar named “Repeal” feels almost… subversive. Reservations, I gather, are being accepted starting this very Sunday. One can almost hear the hushed whispers as locals tentatively navigate the website, their fingers hovering over the “book now” button with a mixture of excitement and a faint sense of… well, is this entirely legal? Walk-ins are also welcome from the 29th of April. One can only hope for a suitably dramatic entrance. Perhaps a furtive knock, a sliding panel, and a password involving a particularly obscure passage from a forgotten jazz standard. So, there you have it. Salt Lake City, a bastion of… well, you know… is about to get a dose of the roaring twenties, albeit a century late and with a knowing, almost apologetic, smile. The Racketeer Broadcast Assoc, ever the keen observer of societal quirks and delightful contradictions, will be watching with considerable interest. This “Repeal” sounds less like a bar and more like a wonderfully enticing environment for debauchery. Frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. To make your reservation or learn more about when Repeal spills the tea, visit: RepealUtah.com

Written by: Maxfield Hunt

Nightlife Utah Venue