The Rhythm Room has built a reputation over the past two decades as the Valley’s premier destination to hear the best in rootsy, down-home music like the blues, Americana, and rockabilly. But what about its drinks? Not so much. That’s not to say that bartender Mona Watkins doesn’has never gotten…
Like any bartending pro, Mona Watkins has a cadre of regulars and knows their preferred poison by heart. Thing is, a good chunk of her return customers are bit more noteworthy than your garden-variety barfly or martini sipper. As one of the main barkeeps and manager at the Rhythm Room,…
The Turf Restaurant and Pub may be an Irish bar, but Jameson and Guinness are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to The Turf’s list o’ libations. No matter what yer poison, The Turf’s bartenders can make it–and they don’t need a bevy of “house cocktails” to…
There are people who tend bar, and then there are bartenders. Both can mix you a drink and take your money, but a true bartender wears more hats than a balding boy band. One must learn to be drink-maker, host, counselor, server, cashier, bouncer, manager, custodian, concierge and friend (often…
Poker is a strange beast. People behave differently when in addition to competing for glory there’s a bit of money involved. They get almost religious about certain little customs and superstitious behaviors. You’ve got the guy who shuffles chips cause he believes it’ll intimidate the competition. Then you’ve got the…
So is there any difference in serving suds in either town? Not much, King says.”It’s pretty much the same thing in either city. It’s pop a beer, pour a shot. That’s what everybody wants. They’re looking to get to a certain place and alcohol gets them there. They just want…
Tyler King is one tough-looking hombre. Sporting a tee shirt for notorious New Jersey hardcore band Shattered Realm and innumerable tattoos covering his burly frame from head to toe, the 38-year-old bartender at Jugheads looks like someone you’d wouldn’t wanna challenge to a fight. Instead, try challenging him to whisk…
The anticipation has been building for months, but we’re happy to report that Taste of Tops has finally opened right next door to Tops Liquor in Tempe. The new neighborhood bar opened last night at 6 p.m. to a crowd of thirsty, Tempe citizens. As we reported way back in July,…
Linda Q. Chu doesn’t just serve the numerous cocktails, martinis and saketinis at Sens Asain Tapas & Sake Bar–she also invented them. As an ASU graduate in international business, the restaurant industry wasn’t even on Chu’s radar. But her career path wasn’t a change of mind so much as a…
Real life is so underrated. That’s what I found myself thinking as I wandered through the dimly lit pathways of the Desert Botanical Gardens on Saturday night. In real life, security guards prevent you from going places. But at Biergarten, Desert Botanical Gardens’ beer festival, security guards want to make…
“It’s helped make me successful because they’re usually bringing in their friends with them,” he says. “Like if I think its gonna be a slow night, I call up my friends and they show up with a crowd of people.” And Gurian sometimes rewards their loyalty by mixing up some…
[jump] Powering this drink-slinging dynamo is often a “shitload of caffeine” (natch) in either pill form or a couple of Red Bulls, which Gurian sometimes guzzles down before his shifts. “I have a really high tolerance for that kinda stuff and usually take pills on the days that I’m dragging,”…
The Stone Brewing Co. is not the type of brewery to get involved in any marketing schemes; especially not with their Arrogant Bastard brand. As a matter of fact, they make several references to how pointless “multi-million dollar ad campaigns” are right on their bottles. It’s a bit of a…
I have been accused of being the last person to jump on the pop culture train. I bring this up because I recently discovered (unlike the rest of America) “Like A Boss” by The Lonely Island. And you know what? Like Andy Samberg, I’m feeling extra corporate today, so (like…
Lately I’ve been looking outside the U.S. for tempting brews to try. Last week Tiger from Singapore left me feeling flat as, well, the beer itself. This week I’m heading to Brazil to try out Xingu Black Beer. But first, a brief history lesson about the word “xingu.” Xingu refers to…
Trudy Thomas spent her childhood in the bourbon distilleries of Kentucky. She spent her a good part of her twenties working under Wolfgang Puck in Chicago, and now she’s spreading the mixology gospel in the Valley. The Director of Beverage at the Camelback Inn, the co-founder and vice-chairman of the…
There are bartenders. And then there are bartenders. Trudy Thomas is the latter. By bartenders (emphasis on the art), we mean those who take their jobs a lot more seriously than the rest – those who discuss bartending in terms of dedication and passion; those who treat their craft with…
Today, while discussing Asian beers, I was asked the following question: do you prefer Kirin to Sapporo. Allow me to suggest an experiment. Next time you eat sushi, instead of reaching for a frosty Kirin or Sapporo, drink Budweiser. That’s right. Event after I lambasted President Obama for drinking the…
Chase Crain is not a bartender who messes around much with garnishes or puréed fruits or little umbrellas. He’s more about throwing a great party. When Crain is behind the highly-stocked bar of Bar Smith downtown, his showmanship comes through in a different way — with fire, flips, tricks and…
Flairtending occupies a realm of its own in the bartending world — there’s fire, alcohol, flips, spinning and juggling. Chase Crain has spent a good part of the last two years learning the craft. “It makes people wanna know your name” he says. “‘Using attitude,’ I like to call it.”…
I would be remiss not to begin this review by admitting that I’m becoming a bit of a Dogfish Head fan boy. Maybe it was the first sip of the 120 I.P.A. that finally made me a convert. Perhaps it was the subtle blending of chai in the bottle of…
Where she grew up in small-town Georgia, Gillian Tervet says, “by middle school, we were drinking whiskey.” “That’s just the way it is in the South.” Next month, when she heads off to Australia for a few months to try her hand at another culture, she’s hoping to land a…
