Tirion Boan
Audio By Carbonatix
When a new spot opens in town, we’re eager to check it out, let you know our initial impressions, share photos and dish about menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened – an occasion to sample a few items and satisfy curiosities (both yours and ours).
At Still & Barrel, a quote from Mark Twain shines in lights above the bar.
“If I cannot drink bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven, then I shall not go,” it says.
Bourbon is undoubtedly the focus at this new uptown Phoenix destination. Glistening bottles line the wall behind the bar. There’s a “Bottle Shop” in the back, where a glass case displays specialty labels. The menu is filled with whiskey and bourbon-based cocktails and flights. Servers are knowledgeable and eager to answer questions about the spirits. And the customers who have found the bar, so far, are mostly there to drink.
Still & Barrel opened on Feb. 5 and is the latest brainchild of Sheldon Knapp and Dennis Shaw. The duo run Phoenix City Grille, the large restaurant next door that has served customers for nearly 30 years.
Along with its menu of burgers, sandwiches, short ribs and shrimp scampi, the longstanding restaurant became equally known for its stellar spirits collection. So much so, its owners decided to open a bar entirely dedicated to the stuff right next door.
So yes, Still & Barrel is designed for sipping whiskey neat and enjoying a classy cocktail experience. But we beg you, don’t skip dinner.
Tirion Boan
What to order at Still & Barrel
When Still & Barrel opens its doors at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the leather barstools fill up first. Larger groups perch around high-top tables and everyone peruses the cocktail list.
The menu begins with a section titled “Must be the Whiskey,” and an Old Fashioned called The Still House ($18). While this is one of the simpler sips on the menu, our bubbly server smiles and nods in agreement, saying, “That’s a good one,” as our table of friends orders a couple.
The quality of ingredients and level of execution make The Still House stand out. The cocktail starts with barrel-aged Still & Barrel private selection whiskey, which is then boosted with orange, Bolivar and cherry bark vanilla bitters, and Demerara sugar. It’s the first drink on the menu, and works as a welcome into the world of Still & Barrel.
Martini fans should opt for the Invitation Only ($20). This cocktail comes served up in a thin-stemmed martini glass and mixes Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof Single Barrel Rye with Ford’s Gin, peach and walnut liqueurs and sweet and dry vermouths. A ramekin of candied walnuts comes on the side. The ice-cold tipple is at first sweet, with a bitter finish and a depth that keeps you coming back for more.
Tirion Boan
The second section of the menu, titled “Your Classics. Our Riffs,” delves into tequila, mezcal, gin, vodka and rum.
From this section, the Hippies & Cowboys ($20) is a surprising sip, described by our server as similar to an espresso martini, although it’s really anything but. The clarified cocktail is pale yellow in color and filled with a single large ice cube topped with a chocolate-covered espresso bean.
The base is Herradura Añejo Tequila and Mr Black Cold Brew Liqueur. It then gets a dose of coconut liqueur, coconut syrup and Thai coconut milk, which hide any hint of coffee. The resulting sip is sweet and texturally thick, making us dream of tropical vacations and piña coladas, more than espresso martinis. Nevertheless, this dessert in a coupe is delicious.
Looking around the room, as bartenders top the creamsicle-like Southern Hospitality with whipped cream and servers deliver brimming Make It Rains with rum, Cachaça and crisp sparkling wine to customers throughout the bar, it becomes evident that it would be hard to go wrong on the drinks menu.
Where many customers do go wrong, however, is by stopping at drinks.
Tirion Boan
Don’t miss the food menu
The list of “Provisions” at Still & Barrel is small but well-stocked, and often bolstered by seasonal specials.
On a recent night, we started with the special tuna crudo ($24) and short rib empanadas ($15).
In the special, thin slices of tuna rest atop bright pesto and are topped with lemon zest and slices of firetruck-red Fresno chiles. The dish is refreshing, herbaceous and packed with flavors that complement the fresh fish.
The short rib empanadas are on the other end of the spectrum. Instead of cold and refreshing, these bites are hot, hearty and comforting. Breaking into each of the two deep-fried parcels releases a small cloud of steam and a peek at the braised beef and green chile inside. A drizzle of cilantro crema and neon pickled red onions complete the plate, accompanied by two salsas, one orange and one green.
The duck tacos ($16) are likewise packed with tender meat and topped with pink pickled onions, and the green chile gets another appearance in its own dedicated dish ($18). A miniature cast-iron skillet comes overflowing with chunks of pork and sauce perfect for scooping with the accompanying flour tortillas.
Tirion Boan
Upon our server’s recommendation, we also split the ribeye share plate ($35). The dish centers around a 6-ounce Argentine ribeye, grilled over mesquite wood and topped with roasted blue cheese potatoes and pickled mushrooms. The meat-and-potatoes dish is the most similar to something you might expect at a decades-old classic restaurant, and while each savory bite was satisfying, the steak felt a touch thin for the price.
Every time we visit, we’ll start with the specials to see what creative new dish the chefs have whipped up. When friends suggest stopping by for a drink before or after dining elsewhere, we’ll encourage them to settle in for the whole experience.
At this new bourbon bar, the bourbon is wonderful. We expected as much. But the food punches way above its weight, suggesting that the simple joys in life may go beyond drinking bourbon and smoking cigars to pairing those experiences with stellar food.
Still & Barrel
5812 N. 16th St.
