A comment overheard recently: ‘If it looks like a Bar, sounds like a Bar, it is a Bar.’ It’s hard enough to grow and plant wine grapes in Arizona, or anywhere for that matter, and fortunately this is not a majority opinion, but I beg to differ. Let me explain…
The Spot: Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails 2 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix 602-258-0231 www.bluehoundkitchen.com See Also: – 10 Hotels for a Phoenix Staycation – Pallets in Downtown Phoenix: Happy Hour Report Card – Cibo in Downtown Phoenix Has a New Happy Hour Menu…
Beer: Homefront IPA Brewery: Phoenix Ale Brewery Style: American IPA ABV: 6.5 percent I didn’t know Gregory Fretz well. I really only met the man once, during the Beer for Brains Bocce Brew HaHa held in 2012, as he was pouring glasses of Phoenix Ale Watermelon Wheat. He told me…
This week for Last Call, my frozen drink series continues with arguably the most popular cocktail in the state. That’s right, it’s time to make some frozen margaritas. Sounds simple enough. I’ve already written an article about “regular” non-frozen margaritas; all I’d have to do is take one and toss…
Beer: Péché Mortel Brewery: Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! Style: Imperial Stout ABV: 9.5 percent While much ado is made about brews from ‘Merica, it should be noted that the craft beer revolution is underway abroad as well. Canada, notably, has moved past its macro exports like Labatt and Molson’s to…
The Spot: Pallets 1011 North Third Street 602-254-1168 www.palletsfoodandbar.com See Also: – Roaring Fork in Scottsdale: Happy Hour Report Card – The Most Popular Spirit in the World is Chinese Firewater Baijiu — And It May Be Coming To The States – Hotel Palomar’s One Year Anniversary Party in Downtown…
I’ve had it. I’m sick of fellow bartenders who turn up their nose at frozen drinks. Most mixologists in town get a disgusted sneer at the mere mention of the word “blender”. Countless bar blenders have found themselves victim to horrible “accidents” wrought by bartenders who find blended drinks beneath…
I watched the chef swirl and sniff as I opened the rest of the bottles. I had learned not to expect too much from resorts, and this was one of them. We have really nice relationships with some, but they tend to be too big, run by out-of-state corporations, and…
The Spot: Roaring Fork 4800 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-947-0795 www.roaringfork.com See Also: – SoChu House in Phoenix: Happy Hour Report Card – Green Chile Mac and Cheese Smackdown: The Main Ingredient vs. Roaring Fork – 10 Best Margaritas in Metro Phoenix…
I love a good Moscow Mule. But then, who doesn’t? It’s more interesting than your average vodka drink (i.e., ridiculous flavored vodka and soda or 7-Up), but accessible enough for mainstream mass appeal. See also: – Stop the Reduced-Calorie Vodka Madness! – How to Make a Great Moscow Mule -…
Beer: Long Strange Trip Brewery: Sonoran Brewing Co. Style: Oatmeal Stout ABV: 7.2 percent The journey began with 7 Wives Saison, a brew featuring pink peppercorns, mesquite syrup, orange, coriander, fennel, and fennel pollen. Our travels then took us to the river for some FFF, where grapefruit, brown sugar, and…
The Spot: SoChu House 2801 North Central Avenue, Phoenix 602-340-9777 www.sochuhouse.com See Also: – Pig & Pickle in Scottsdale: Happy Hour Report Card – Tastemakers 2012: Johnny Chu – Miu’s Cuisine: Sichuan Food That’s Anything but Familiar…
Part of writing this column, and of bartending, is keeping abreast of booze trends. One would have to live under a rock to not know that flavored vodka is massively popular. Take a look at almost any back bar in town, and there’s a wide array of flavors from classic…
Beer: Sunbru Brewery: Four Peaks Brewing Co. Style: Kolsch ABV: 5.2 percent If you people are any part the beer geeks you claim to be, you’ll journey outside your homes on Saturday, May 18, into the increasingly balmy summer air and over to the AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival. You’ll…
Here I go again with drinks with weird names. Hanky Panky? It manages to be hopelessly outdated, yet still carries a lurid aura with it. The origin of the drink’s name is a bit more innocent. It goes back to the early 20th century, at the American Bar in London’s…
You’ve probably seen the meme about wine and cooking: “I tried cooking with wine for the first time last night. After 5 glasses, I forgot why I was in the kitchen.” Even if this is you, have no fear. General “cooking with wine” rules including things like “don’t use cheap…
Why Arizona wine? In 2000 — the year I planted my first vineyard at the end of a lonely, dusty road in Cochise County, 12 miles south of Willcox — one of the 10 Best ‘How to Lose Money’ jokes on Saturday Night Live was: Plant a Vineyard In Arizona…
The Spot: Pig & Pickle 2922 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale 480-990-1407 www.pigandpickle.com See Also: – Bink’s Midtown in Phoenix: Happy Hour Report Card – Scottsdale’s Pig & Pickle a Culinary Power to the People – Perk Eatery and Barrio Cafe Scheduled for Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in May…
Beer: Ten FIDY Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery Style: Imperial Stout ABV: 10.5 percent As we inch ever closer to the third-annual AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival, our discussion of aluminum cylinders continues, and it’s only right that, at this point, we bring up Oskar Blues. See also: – 2013 AmeriCAN…
This weekend, brace your livers for impact. Sunday is Cinco de Drinko Mayo. Thankfully, I already have that base covered with how to make an awesome margarita. But first, it’s time to get out your ludicrously oversized hats for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. If it’s time for the Derby,…
Beer: Bitter American Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery Style: American Pale Ale ABV: 4.4 percent Welcome back to Craft Beer OTW, where our discussion of canned craft beer continues. Now, it’s come to my attention that despite my very convincing proselytizing on canned craft beer’s behalf, there are still plenty of…
The Spot: Bink’s Midtown 2320 East Osborn Road, Phoenix 602-388-4874 www.binksmidtown.com See Also: – Scratch in Downtown Phoenix: Happy Hour Report Card – Sam Pillsbury Spills on the Reason He Landed in Arizona, and Launches a Wine Column for Chow Bella – Bink’s Midtown Is a Must (Especially When It…
