From Salt Lake to Vegas: Behind the Scenes of Our Bar-Hopping Research Adventure
When you’re building a dream from the ground up—especially one that involves cocktails, community, and killer design—sometimes the best inspiration comes from the road. Over the last few months, Scott and I have been making the scenic drive between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, stopping at every kind of bar we can find along the way. From classy rooftop lounges to cozy dive bars tucked in forgotten corners, we’ve been soaking up everything. Why? Because we want Coal Creek Taproom & Eatery to feel just right. This wasn’t just an excuse to sip a few (okay, maybe more than a few) great cocktails. We were studying every detail—how the lighting changed the mood of a room, how certain furnishings made people want to linger longer, and how the best bars crafted drinks that told a story. We took notes, snapped photos, scribbled flavor combos, and asked bartenders way too many questions (bless them). We explored sleek industrial lounges with all kinds of accents and leather booths,...