Utah's bar ecosystem has seen plenty of growth over the past decade. This exciting period of evolution is thanks to several different factors—new talent looking to prove itself, passionate locals who believe in the community, and plenty of thirsty patrons who see Utah's potential on the national field.

It was, is and will always be an uphill battle because of the state's often restrictive liquor laws. But Utah's growing presence in the national bar scene is a testament to the scrappy locals who have built a nightlife oasis in the middle of a legislative desert.

Among this gallery of enthusiastic local bar owners are Sean Neves and Scott Gardner, who founded Water Witch (163 W. 900 South) with bartender Matthew Pfohl in 2016. And this year, our friends at the Witch were among the finalists for Outstanding Bar at the prestigious James Beard Awards—a huge deal for anyone in the hospitality industry.

The James Beard Foundation seeks out and celebrates the country's best restaurants, bars, bakeries and food media. And while Water Witch ultimately lost the top prize to the Chicago bar Kumiko, its inclusion as a finalist marked a historic first for Beehive State watering holes.

In the 34 years since the James Beard Foundation held its first awards ceremony, no other Utah bar has made it this far.

While national praise of this caliber can raise new challenges for a friendly and intimate neighborhood spot like Water Witch, it's safe to say that Neves, Gardner and the whole Water Witch team aren't planning on compromising their own standards any time soon.

"All these accolades are really cool. But no matter what, we have to draw a very hard line at a certain point," Gardner says. "We will never be anything we're not, and we have to be the Witch 100% of the time—full stop."

Season of the Witch
When Water Witch first opened its doors, Utah's local bar scene was in an evolutionary period. And Neves said the team behind the bar intentionally leaned into the energy and experimentation taking place.

"We always had a vision of sparking some real drink programming in Utah," Neves says. "We're in a city that will never stop growing, and there's a lot of interest locally."

Though Water Witch is perhaps at its most memorable on those busy weekend evenings, when the cocktails are flowing and the locals are howling at the moon, there are some definite benefits to visiting the bar while the sun is still shining. The Central Ninth location has an effortlessly cool aesthetic that is easier to appreciate during the establishment's more thoughtful times.

"We've really learned to value moments when the bar is like this," Gardner remarks during an afternoon visit by City Weekly. "You learn that you don't want it to be stacked 100% of the time."

Water Witch has always been a cozy spot that gets decently packed on weekends. But regardless of when you visit, it is the type of establishment that fosters a sense of unspoken comradery among its patrons.

The community responsibilities that belong to a neighborhood bar are not lost on Neves. "I've been in here on a random Wednesday at 4 o'clock and the place is full of retired female judges who are just ripping negronis," he related. "It speaks its own language and you sort of capture that to make sure everybody is having a good time."

Before Neves, Gardner and Pfohl joined forces, they were each making names for themselves at local restaurants. When the trio first met, Neves was tending bar at Wild Grape Bistro, Gardner was working as head mixologist at Finca and Pfohl managed beverages at Pallet.

Water Witch was one of the first businesses to set up shop in the nascent Central Ninth commercial node from Atlas Architects. This well-known cluster of local businesses—which also includes Laziz, Troubadour, Bar Nohm and Central Ninth Market—anchored an intentional evolution of the neighborhood, backed by city tweaks to mixed-use zoning codes and investment in modernized walking, cycling and transit infrastructure around the Trax station on 200 West.

Neves was acquainted with Atlas Architects during the development phase of the commercial space, and when the firm offered one of their spots to Neves, Water Witch was born.

During their time at the bar, both Neves and Gardner have developed a contagious enthusiasm for the work they're doing here.

"There's a certain point where you ask yourself if you could be the 80-year-old bar guy telling stories and polishing glasses for the rest of your life," Gardner remarked. "And I decided that I could be that guy."

Weighed and Measured
Though it was the Beehive State's vote that drove the final nail into Prohibition's coffin in 1933, Utah's history with liquor legislation has made it a unique place to open and maintain a bar. Over the years, Utah's conservative government leadership has imposed liquor laws that add a few frustrating hoops for bar owners to jump through.

"The one we hate the most is the click measure in secondary spirit regulations," Neves says. "They're totally unproductive and they need to go away."

Essentially, the click measure applies to the amount of alcohol that can be served to a patron, which is a total of 2.5 ounces—1.5 ounces of primary liquor and one ounce of secondary or flavoring liquor. These rules explain the clunky metering devices attached to liquor bottles in Utah, which also get in the way of traditional recipes and cocktail ingredient ratios.

On top of these limitations, bars don't get a break on purchasing wholesale liquor in bulk for retail use. "Even if we got a 10% break, it would be life-changing," Neves said. "We're the client in that relationship, and the state is the regulatory authority, the wholesaler and the retailer. All these conflicts don't speak well to each other."

But even with these tricky legislative hangups, both Neves and Gardner speak highly of working with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS).

"I think the people at the DABS do their best," Neves emphasized. "It's manned by people who have to deal with really bad laws, and more often than not, they want to help us succeed."

Gardner echoed that sentiment, noting that DABS employees are not responsible for the laws that flow down from Capitol Hill.

"The fact of the matter is that it's their job to enforce legislation," he said, "not create it."

As Utah's liquor laws are unique to the state and can be difficult for bar owners to navigate, the success Water Witch has earned feels particularly hard-won. Much of this success can be attributed to the team and its leadership, which holds the bar to a high operational standard.

But Neves and Gardner also credit the local support for its continued success.

"Specifically, the Salt Lake bar community is great because everybody wants to help," Neves said. "Everybody's really anxious to teach and help people understand their tricks, so that's really helped us expand our vision."

Awards and Accolades
When the cool neighborhood bar that you like starts making national waves, in the vein of being nominated for a James Beard Award, it's normal to feel a bit of apprehension. The last thing a local wants is for their bar to start pandering to tourists and influencers because it's garnered some additional props.

The neighborhood regulars at Water Witch know it's the kind of place that strives to stay true to itself and its community, which is what made it popular in the first place. And the Water Witch team hasn't lost sight of the support it's gotten from the community, which continues to motivate the bar's leadership to reach for greater heights.

Neves and Gardner see their presence at the James Beard Awards as a catalyst to work even harder to take the Water Witch brand further.

"We're always going to try and do cool cocktails and be really creative," Gardner said. "I think my hope is that we'll be able to combat any change that makes the locals question whether they can come back, because I feel like we're not ever going to stop being us."

From a local bar perspective, seeing a Utah standout get a bit of national recognition inspires pride. But at the end of the day, any fan of Water Witch will also tell you that it's about damn time.

"It makes me really proud of the work our team does, and how they can deal with all the crazy stuff that happens at a bar and still have it function the way they want it to function," Neves said. "Our people have been busting their butts for a long time, so it's great to get a little sunshine on them."

As Utah's bar scene and liquor legislation continue to evolve, it is milestones like a James Beard Award nomination or the fight to outlast a global pandemic that keep spots like Water Witch near to our hearts.

A successful bar needs a combination of menu innovation, team cohesion, solid leadership and a keen understanding of its patrons. Each of these aspects are on display at Water Witch every night, and it's easy to spot them whether you're a regular or a newcomer.

Regardless of what the future holds for Water Witch and its team, it's safe to say that the Witch will simply keep on witchin'—and that's what makes it a local classic.