Liquor and Spirits

Second Helpings

Sense of Humidor

Best Margarita

Old Town Tortilla Factory
6910 East Main, Scottsdale
480-945-4567

Stupor Market

Tequila gets trendy, and pricey

Best Tequila Selection

Coyote Grill

Fire Wall

New code extinguishes flaming food

BEST MARTINI

Devil's Martini

BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT

La Casa del Mariachi

BEST IRISH PUB

Fibber Magees Irish Restaurant & Pub

El Farol Adds a Dash of Peruvian Flair to Arcadia’s Restaurant Selection

Fibber Magees Irish Restaurant & Pub

Spooning: Merry's Cranberries Recipe

This week we are proud to present our new column, Spooning, by C.M. Redding, the writer formerly known as Booze Pig. Redding has a way in the kitchen -- and the bedroom. (We'll take his word for it on the latter.) And he's promised to share. Each time we publish Spooning, we'll bring you the reci ... More >>

Monday Night Martha: Digestif's "They Make Pie"

Even Martha deserves a night off, so this week we're offering you the option to ditch the kitchen for the bar. It's hard to find a decent restaurant open Mondays in this metropolis (particularly in Phoenix, but other 'hoods, as well), which is why we're delighted to remind you that Digest ... More >>

Summer Guide: Shaking it Up with Valley Mixologists

Even Martha deserves a night off, so this week we're offering you the option to ditch the kitchen for the bar. It's hard to find a decent restaurant open Mondays in this metropolis (particularly in Phoenix, but other 'hoods, as well), which is why we're delighted to remind you that Digest ... More >>

Whiskey Business

How a sour mash becomes a Kentucky Mule

Agwa, a new liqueur made from coca leaves, is giving Valley barflies a boost

How a sour mash becomes a Kentucky Mule

Jamaican Whoopie

Take a vacation to Callaloo

Haunted by Spirits

John McCain derived his wealth from his marriage to Cindy Hensley McCain, whose father started his road to riches as a bootlegger. As a politician, the senator has remained beholden to the liquor industry and the family business

Spiked! Thursday: Saffron Theme

John McCain derived his wealth from his marriage to Cindy Hensley McCain, whose father started his road to riches as a bootlegger. As a politician, the senator has remained beholden to the liquor industry and the family business

Three Valley BBQs Compete in Jack Daniel's Competition

Jack Daniel's​Three Valley-area barbecue teams have been selected to compete in the "prestigious" 21st Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue.Barbecue pros from Blake's BBQ in Gilbert, Otis and the Bird in Mesa and Rhythm 'n QUE in Phoenix will duke it out against sixt ... More >>

Recipe: Rhythm & Blues From Rhythm Room

Benjamin LeathermanThe Rhythm and Blues, as created by Mona Watkins.​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. ... More >>

The Ginger Old Fashioned at Shady's

Adriane GoetzThe Ginger Old Fashioned, made exclusively by Ted Grossman at Shady's.​The plush leather booths, dim lighting and retro jukebox tunes give Shady's somewhat of an old fashioned vibe, but with Ted Grossman is behind the bar, you'll swear you're in a Brooklyn speakeasy circa the 196 ... More >>

Red Brazilian at Olive & Ivy

Benjamin LeathermanChaz Anderson gabs with a Scottsdale socialite while whipping out a Red Brazilian at Olive & Ivy.Chaz Anderson is deeply involved with preparing a Red Brazilian behind the bar at Scottsdale's Olive & Ivy, muddling and mashing raspberries and fresh lime slices into a fragra ... More >>

Happy Hour Cocktails at Spotted Donkey Cantina

​This winter season, the specialty cocktails offered on the happy hour menu of Spotted Donkey Cantina in north Scottsdale will have you feeling like it's a lot warmer, as the chic southwest Mexican restaurant presents sweet, brightly colored drinks more suited for the beach than for cold mo ... More >>

St-Germain: Patron Saint of Modern Cocktails?

Even the bottle suggests a "refined" new liqueur.​With the recent resurgence of "classic" drinks, it's nice to see a relative newbie that combines tradition with innovation like St-Germain, an artisanal French liqueur made from handpicked elderflower blossoms found in the foothills of the Alps ... More >>

Behind the Bar: Steve Howard of Murphy's Law

Nicki Escudero Ready to serve you​It's easy to see why Steve Howard of Murphy's Law in Chandler is a popular bartender. The handsome 25-year-old is extremely charming, doing tricks behind the bar and letting customers name drinks he makes for them. And he's had plenty of time to build up a ... More >>

Behind the Bar: Steve Howard's Papa Smurf

​When Steve Howard (whom we profiled yesterday) of downtown Chandler's Murphy's Law creates drinks for customers, he lets the drinker name the cocktail. This one has a blue tinge from the Blue Curacao that's sunk into liquid, which inspired his patron to call this drink Papa Smurf. It looks p ... More >>

Valentine's Cocktails from Sassi

Coppa Venere (left), Cara Mia (right)​Whether you're hosting a singles' party this Valentine's Day or looking for a tasty cocktail to get you in the mood, these drinks from Sassi look pretty and are simple to make. They'll also be served at the upscale Italian restaurant this V-Day. Start sa ... More >>

Yucca Tap Room Adds Craft Beer and Whiskey Lounge

​Tempe's Yucca Tap Room has been a Tempe dive bar favorite for years, especially for its live music. (Photo by Benjamin Leatherman) But now there's a whole lot more on tap. Earlier this month, owner Rodney Hu unveiled the Yucca's expansion into the space next door, a craft beer and whiskey ... More >>

Top 5 St. Patrick's Day Drinks That Aren't Green Beer

Not this year, buddy.​As the old adage goes, "Everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day." That does not, however, mean you have to celebrate your "honorary" Irish heritage by swilling pints of leprechaun piss until the inside of your mouth starts to look more like Shrek's. So while others go fro ... More >>

Infuse Your Booze : Easy, Cheap, Fancy Drinkin'

Adriane GoetzCherry-infused Woodford Reserve bourbon and pineapple-strawberry-infused gin at the Phoenician's Grape & Grain boutique.​Even with top shelf alcohol, a mixed drink is only as good as its mixer. A cheap, artificially flavored juice can totally ruin the taste; and the usual "soda, j ... More >>

Top 5 Cocktails For Easter

http://www.alcademics.com/2009/04/easter-drinks-for-my-peeps.htmlDown the hatch ... er, rabbit hole.​Church. Hiding plastic eggs for unappreciative children. Cooking a huge dinner. Putting up with painfully unlikable family members. Whatever your Easter entails this Sunday, there's a good cha ... More >>

Champagne Cocktails: Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere!

Diddy and Cristal (before it was racist).​Champagne isn't just for wedding toasts and hip hop videos anymore. What was once generally reserved for special occasions is now popping up on drink menus all over the country in cocktail form, and the standard brunch Mimosa is just the tip of the spa ... More >>

New Twists on the Old Fashioned

deoveritas.comThe classic Old Fashioned cocktail.​Traditional cocktails are back in a major way, and there's no drink that embodies old fashioned imbibing quite like the—um, well, like the Old Fashioned. Over the last few years, the drink has surged in popularity as Mad Men bad-boy ad- ... More >>

Behind the Bar: The Thai Basil Margarita at Malee's Thai Bistro

​ Tyler Christensen, the 31-year-old bar manager at Malee's Thai Bistro, thinks of bartending as alchemy. In Christensen's modern-day apothecary, he likes to create a new cocktail list each season. Christensen never used to like margaritas, so he decided to come up with a new recipe that ke ... More >>

Ice Rage

​ Tyler Christensen, the 31-year-old bar manager at Malee's Thai Bistro, thinks of bartending as alchemy. In Christensen's modern-day apothecary, he likes to create a new cocktail list each season. Christensen never used to like margaritas, so he decided to come up with a new recipe that ke ... More >>

Whisky & Cigar Tasting

​ Tyler Christensen, the 31-year-old bar manager at Malee's Thai Bistro, thinks of bartending as alchemy. In Christensen's modern-day apothecary, he likes to create a new cocktail list each season. Christensen never used to like margaritas, so he decided to come up with a new recipe that ke ... More >>

Simon Alam's Caipirinha

The Caipirinha ​Yesterday we met Simon Alam, the man handling the bottles at Merc Bar. Today he treats us the Caipirinha, a drink he was kind enough to share some history on: "The Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail. It's made with cachaca, the most common distilled alcoholic beverage. ... More >>

New in Scottsdale: Lee's Cream Liqueur Ice Cream Parlor

​I've never met Lee Turner, but I think she's a gal after my own heart. ​Why do I say that? She just opened her own ice cream parlor in Old Town Scottsdale, Lee's Cream Liqueurs, and she's got a great aesthetic, with a pink, brown, and white color palette and an adorable logo. Her webs ... More >>

Urine Whiskey, Wine Dinner at Bravo Bistro, and Bacon Ice Cream in Today's Eater's Digest

susikochenundbacken.blogspot.com​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Italian Wine DinnerForget cooking tonight, make your reservations for Bravo Bistro's Italian Wine Dinner happening tonight from 6:30 till close. The five-course meal will ... More >>

Lee Turner of Lee's Cream Liqueurs

When Lee Turner faced a nightmarish, ice-cream-less childhood because of her egg allergy, she started making her own eggless ice cream at home. When Turner hosted martini and knitting parties for her girlfriends, she started making her own kahlua and lemoncello. Ever the mixologist, Turner thought: ... More >>

5 Ways to Drink Your Halloween Candy

mixthatdrink.comA rainbow of vodka flavors.​Candy is dandy, liquor is quicker, so combining candy AND liquor must be a jovial jaunt to inebriation.If you've  got a bowl full of Halloween candy and some alcohol in your cabinet, why not get creative and really trick-or-treat.Here are 5 ideas to ... More >>

The 10 Best Cocktails for Your Holiday Party

​Party season is full swing and the best way to make your holiday party a hit is to serve the best drinks in town. We have compiled a list of our favorite cocktails based on holiday desserts. Pick one to serve as a signature drink or stock up and try them all! ​1. Sugar Cookie Martini - ... More >>

Top 5 Valentine's Day Cocktails for The Hopeless Romantic

​Nothing says "I love you" quite like an inappropriate public drunken make-out session at your local bar. It's also a good way to scare off your friends and the fastest way for the entire place to suggest the two of you get a room. Save yourself the embarrassment and keep your friends by shaki ... More >>

New in CenPho: Rum Bar at The Breadfruit

​Dwayne Allen and Danielle Leoni, the folks behind cheerful Jamaican restaurant The Breadfruit, just opened Rum Bar in the space next door to the restaurant, serving nearly 70 kinds of premium rum, from smooth, young spirits to exquisite aged reserve varieties. There are also several kin ... More >>

Wei of Chocolate: Flourless Chocolate Cake

courtesy Wei of Chocolatechocolate cake ingredient prep​ Lisa Reinhardt is the CEO and chocolatier behind Wei of Chocolate, a unique Phoenix chocolate business combining the health benefits of dark chocolate with homeopathic floral essence infusions. In our Sweet Talk with Lisa she revealed her ... More >>

Five Phoenix Bars that should be on the Best Bars in America List

courtesy of thedailymeal.com​Lets face it: Living in Phoenix means having a love/hate relationship with Phoenix, especially when it's balls hot and there's absolutely nothing to do other than drink cold beer inside our favorite air conditioned drinking establishment. But that's just it. Yeah ... More >>

Three Favorite Phoenix Rum Cocktails

The Dark & Stormy cocktail at J&G Steakhouse is the perfect late-summer cooler​Crisp, citrus-y and mixed liberally with ice, a nice tropical tipple is the perfect late-summer cooler. Here are three Valley bars serving up great rum cocktails. 1. The Dark & Stormy at the J&am ... More >>

Chris Lingua's Rimbaud's Left Hand

Zach Fowle​Yesterday we met Chris Lingua, bar manager at the dimly-lit Scottsdale speakeasy Kazimierz World Wine Bar. Today he shares with us the recipe for Rimbaud's Left Hand, a drink created by a bartender in Chicago with this story behind it: The drink is named for Arthur Rimbaud, a 19th ... More >>

Crepes Suzette at Cibo for New Year's Eve

This New Year's Eve, reserve a table at Cibo in downtown Phoenix to enjoy simple-yet-amazing Crepes Suzette in the restaurant's romantic garden dining area. After all, dessert that's plied with liquor and set on fire just screams New Year's Eve.

Gin: How to Drink It, and Like It

Really, they're better than you think!​In my years of bartending, one of the things I've heard the most is this: "I don't like gin." When I press for details, the story is always the same: They had a bad experience with it years ago (inevitably in college) and haven't been able to touch the ... More >>