Bars & Breweries

The Spot: Phoenix Public Market Cafe 14 East Pierce Street 602-253-2700 www.phxpublicmarket.com…

Beer: Winter Bourbon Barrel Bomber Brewery: Grand Canyon Brewery Style: English Brown Ale ABV: 6 percent When you see the words “bourbon barrel” on a bottle of beer, certain flavors can be expected. Bourbon, for one. Oak. Vanilla. Maple. Toffee. The best beers aged in bourbon barrels combine these flavors…

Get ready to sip and sample cocktails from up-and-coming bartenders in the Phoenix scene this February. That’s right, the fifth annual Devour Phoenix Bartending Competition is back at Crescent Ballroom this year, and along with tasty samples and three live acoustic sets, the event will showcase local spirits courtesy of…

This week at Last Call HQ has been… let’s go with “interesting”. I’ll spare you the details (except to ask, how did that fit down the drain to begin with?). Suffice to say, a libation sounds pretty damn good right about now. Something sophisticated sounds nice, but the thought of…

Let’s take a trip to northeast Italy to the famous Piemonte (or Piedmont in English). Piemonte is most famous for Barolo and Barbaresco, serious and seriously expensive wines that are fantastic but outside of my wallet’s reach. It’s also famous for Moscato di Asti, the light, slightly bubbly dessert wine…

Every bartender has myriad pet peeves stemming from hundreds of grating customer quirks discovered during every shift. Some of these quirks are only mildly annoying, but others are downright unforgivable. If you’re the kind of person who orders an Adios MF on a Sunday night or flavored vodka outside of…

The Spot: Cornish Pasty Co. 3800 North Goldwater Boulevard, Scottsdale 480-945-1220 www.cornishpastyco.com…

Beer: Storm King Brewery: Victory Brewing Co. Style: Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 9.1 percent As I sip this week’s beer, I’m reminded of an old saying about “snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.” Not for a reason that has to do with come-from-behind wins or anything — it’s just…

There must be something in the air this week. My escapades with my shiny new soda maker have continued. I remembered about shrub syrups, and proceeded to make a raspberry shrub out of simple ingredients around the house. The very next day, I arrived at work and there was a…

Alpha delta zero one niner. That’s probably what we wine nerds sound like to outsiders when we talk to each other. Wine definitely has its own lingo, but with the following simple pointers, you, too, can sound like you know what you’re talking about without really knowing it. Fake it…

If you’re sick and tired of those craft cocktail wait times, cart your impatient bum over to Liberty Market, where the cocktails are premixed in bottles and ready for you with just the pop of a top. While this downtown Gilbert institution is known for serving up great food, wine,…

The Spot: North 4925 North 40th Street 602-324-5600 www.foxrc.com/restaurants/north-italian-farmhouse/…

Beer: KCCO Black Lager Brewery: Resignation Brewery & Redhook Ale Brewery Style: Schwarzbier ABV: 5.1 percent The popularity of The Chive should be surprising to approximately no one. The site is built on a simple equation: funny pictures and videos + hot women = lots and lots of hits. The…

It’s the time of year when everyone’s talking about new beginnings. Around the bar, it means it’s time to roll up my sleeves and give everything a thorough deep-cleaning. It’s sticky work, but someone has to do it. While I was going through our stock, I noticed we somehow found…

I keep waiting for Apple to come out with a crystal ball — call it the iBall. Sadly, I’m still waiting. In the meantime, I have to predict the future the old-fashioned way, with Tarot cards, tea leaves, and a lot of wine. After a marathon session of divining and…

Who would’ve thought that a moonshine and barbecue dinner could go highbrow? Well, leave it to Old Town Scottsdale’s iteration of Bootleggers Modern American Smokehouse to make it so. The Moonshine Madness dinner features a five-course (plus dessert) menu, each with its own moonshine cocktail to pair with it. Some…

The Spot: Isabel’s Amor 1490 East Williams Field Road, Gilbert 480-658-0742 www.isabelsamor.com…

Beer: Fernet Aged Porter Brewery: Odell Brewing Co. Style: Imperial Porter ABV: 9.8 percent On almost any subject, you’ll find a group of nerds willing to fight you to the death to defend its awesomeness. Every day across the land, Star Trek nerds put on their crazy Klingon makeup, fantasy…

I do love this time of year, but I’m secretly relieved that holiday madness is drawing to a close. (New Year’s Eve is looming on the horizon, but I’m choosing to not think about that yet.) This week, you almost got a recipe for Whiskey on the Rocks, but what’s…

This week we’ve looked back at some of our favorite posts in Guilty Pleasures, Bites & Dishes and Chef & Tell. We’re rounding things out with a cocktail (what else?) with our five favorite Last Call cocktail recipes of 2013, courtesy of Chow Bella resident bartender J.K. Grence. How to…

The end of the year is nigh — presents are unwrapped, recycle bins are overflowing, bellies are bulging. I’m jumping on the bandwagon of ubiquitous end-of-year reflections. It’s as good a time as any to take a look at 2013 in the world of wine. Some really great things happened…

The Spot: Central Bistro 3160 East Camelback Road, Phoenix 480-646-8560 www.centralbistroaz.com…