Wine geeks, cork dorks, oenophiles, and winos: Welcome to our little corner of Chow Bella. It’s here that you’ll find weekly dispatches from the wine universe or at least the very small part of that universe that I humbly inhabit. It was over a decade ago that I came to…
Get ready for a match made in Phoenix imbibing heaven when Arizona Distilling Company pairs with the folks at Crudo for a one-of-a-kind cocktail dinner. The local whiskey maker, reportedly the only one to legally produce spirits in Arizona since Prohibition, has quickly made a name in local watering holes…
The Spot: The Vig Fillmore 606 N. 4th Ave. 602-254-2242 http://www.thevig.us/…
Beer: Lolita Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co. Style: American Wild Ale ABV: 9 percent “We live not only in a world of thoughts, but also in a world of things. Words without experience are meaningless.” ― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita Eloquent, no? It’s not often I get to quote literature in…
You know you’re a native Arizonan when it’s 60 degrees outside and your thoughts turn to wintry things. There I was, enjoying a late-night dinner on a restaurant patio after work when I got in the mood for a warm nightcap. Dinner was hearty, so coffee sounded good. What should…
You walk up to the front desk in The Biltmore’s lobby and say something cryptic like “I’m looking for John Galt” or “I have the missing eye to the blind tiger.” The concierge tells you to take the elevator to the second floor, take a left, then a right and…
The Spot: The Mix Up at Royal Palms 5200 East Camelback Road, Phoenix 602-840-3610 www.royalpalmshotel.com…
Beer: Picacho Pecan Pie Brown Ale Brewery: Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. Style: Northern English Brown Ale ABV: 6.6 percent One month ago, Gilbert’s first craft brewery smelled incredible. Arizona Wilderness’ brewmasters, Jonathan Buford and Patrick Ware, had almost finished the first step of their much-anticipated brown ale, but the addition…
As the days get shorter and the weather turns cooler, my cocktailian thoughts turn toward darker spirits. Out go the gin and rum, and in come the whiskey and brandy. And I start to get more of a taste for after-dinner cocktails. Lately, I’ve been in the mood for whiskey…
Although Alexa “Pixie” Bowler began her career in culinary school, she found a love for mixology when she realized that it combines the creativity of the kitchen with the guest interaction of the front of the house. She’s a “cook by trade” but brings her love of balance, flavor and…
The Spot: Welcome Diner 924 E. Roosevelt St. 602-495-1111 www.marthaandmary.net/welcomediner…
Beer: Untouchable Brewery: Speakeasy Ales and Lagers Style: American Pale Ale ABV: 5.4 percent You’ll often hear people waxing nostalgic about decades long past, wishing they could’ve been born in a different time. But nobody ever says they wish they were alive in the ’20s. Know why? Prohibition. Thirteen long…
I have had more than a few people lately ask me . . . What’s a good drink to serve at my Halloween party? The easy answer is: Take your favorite punch recipe and add a block of dry ice to it to create a layer of billowing fog. Dim…
Courtesy of Rumchata.”Oh my god. Have you tried Rumchata yet?”If you’re like us, you’ve noticed a new cordial donning bartops all over town in the past month. You’ve also had several friends say something to the effect of, “Oh my god. Have you tried Rumchata yet?” Chances are if you…
The Spot: Casey Moore’s Oyster House 850 South Ash Avenue, Tempe 480-968-9935 www.caseymoores.com…
Beer: ‘Merica Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales Style: Saison ABV: 7.5 percent America: It’s great. Inventors of football and tailgating, back-to-back World War champs, land of the free, home of the brave, etc. Despite the occasional government shutdown, it’s a pretty sweet place to live. ‘Merica: It’s also pretty great. The…
This time of year, a favored drink special of many bartenders is a cocktail that evokes the taste of warm apple pie. Or at least, it’s supposed to taste like apple pie. More than a few I’ve had these days taste like nothing more than apple juice spiked with Red…
As Phoenix mixologists work through the somewhat overwhelming task of getting our fair Valley on the map of craft cocktailing, reinforcements from Portland, Oregon have arrived by way of Ryan Magarian. The decorated career bartender and brain behind Aviation Gin, a craft, small-batch spirit, was hired on to completely transform…
The Spot: Kitchen 56 3433 North 56th Street, Phoenix 480-994-5656 www.kitchen56.com…
Denver is a sadder, quieter place this week. The vendors have broken down their booths; the brewers have packed up their jockey boxes; the drinkers have sobered up. The 2013 Great American Beer Festival is over and done. But all is not lost. Held every year since 1982 in the…
Beer: Oude Geuze Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen Style: Gueuze ABV: 6 percent Acidic. Funky. Skunky. Barnyard. Vinegar. Cat pee. Horse blanket. Usually, these are not words you want associated with your food. But beer, as we know, is a magical nectar in which even the most unexpected, obnoxious flavors can…
As crafty as some of my favorite bartenders are with their cocktails, I’m surprised that the old, forgotten Boulevardier cocktail is just starting to gain traction. Quite a few libationists I know drink Negronis with abandon. Most of these same folks also greatly enjoy whiskey drinks, especially ones made with…
