The Parlor’s bar manager Michael Allmandinger sat down with us a few weeks ago, he did so with a list titled “Amaro 101: An Introduction to Italian Amari.” It includes 18 bitter, Italian apertifs and digestifs.  But that’s not all.  “Currently we have….” he trails off, twisting around in his…

It’s been said that the mint julep is perfect when temperatures are between 70 and 100 degrees. That’s when it does its job best — the job of cooling, soothing, and satisfying. “And it’s pretty much always between 70 and 100 in Phoenix,” says Micah Olson, co-owner at Okra, Central…

At one point toward the middle of our interview with Joshua James — he was leaning against a stool, arms crossed, calmly answering question after question about the specs on this or that ingredient — we went in for a sip of Clever Koi’s House Dirty Martini. Crisp, briny, evoking…

Imagine a 3,000-mile bartending tour across the United States that favors Riverside over Los Angeles, stops in Santa Fe instead of Austin, and chooses Jackson, Boise, and Salt Lake City over Seattle, New Orleans, and the Big Apple. Imagine it’s thrown by reputable cocktail personality and barman Erick Castro of…

Because it’s so un-fussily titled, “Vodka Ice Cream” could conjure up three possible realities in your mind. We saw it on the menu at the recently re-opened Milk Bar, Downtown Phoenix’s new-ish Polish bar and restaurant, and wondered what would come of such a union. Like, you know, “Could it…

Ever tried sloe Gin? (It’s a sort of reddish-purple color — not clear — if you’re trying to picture it.) If so, then you’ve most likely you’ve had it in a sloe gin fizz (sloe gin, lemon juice, egg white, sugar to taste) since you certainly didn’t order it neat,…

We’re far from the first to predict that sotol is going to be the next big thing. In fact, both sotol and it’s sister spirit, bacanora (a Sonoran spirit that, mind you, will likely become the new sotol), have been awaiting star treatment all summer. Agave-hounds with ears to the…

Lately, we’ve noticed a trend: Cocktails in which the bartender could have used gin or vodka but opted instead for white rum. It’s an interesting choice, so we wanted to know, are these clear spirits really interchangeable? And if so, does white rum that can be enjoyed neat actually exist?…

When Aaron May sold Mabel’s on Main to Genuine Concepts — the company that opened four locations of The Vig, as well as The Little Woody and Linger Longer Lounge — nearly one year ago, it left a lot up in the air in the Scottsdale cocktail scene. Mabel’s on…

What’s the challenge for a mixologist who must create a cocktail list to pair with a Southern-inspired menu filled with rich, smokey and protein-driven courses? To cut through fat and oils that immediately lay foundation on a diner’s palate and reward them with refreshment. In the summertime you could turn…

Brothers Dimitri and Mike Uhlik are trying to begin a new conversation around a spirit called absinthe — one that, unlike this article, doesn’t need to begin with disclaimers about absinthe’s legal history, or the bohemian rituals that see imitation products (“crapsinthe” to those who know better) dyed green and…

By now it’s fairly clear that the modern speakeasy has become its own antithesis. These dark, precise concepts, like the famed Death & Co. in New York City’s West Village or Employee’s Only in its East, have garnered the most attention worldwide, not the least. The latter of the two,…

While brawls in bars have long favored brawn over brain, Sanctuary Resort’s new cocktail competition series, Bar Brawl, will favor the more cerebral elements of the bar — the gloves-off, hands-on crafting of fine cocktails. And competitors will be under just a little bit of pressure, with a champion’s trip…

Frozen and frappe-style cocktails have had a few good seasons under their belts in larger cities like Chicago and San Francisco, but these frozen drinks have yet to gain real popularity in the Valley. (Though, to be fair, Joshua James of The Clever Koi did do Negroni snow cones for…

Three weeks into the Ten Weeks of Tiki series, Jade Bar and lead bartender Eddie Garcia are keeping classic tiki drinks flowing. And the combination of fresh juices, rums, and bitters at a resort bar is the perfect reminder to slow things down, if only for a drink or two. …

Craft cocktails were in vogue long before craft barbecue, but have the two ever crossed paths? Rarely. And certainly not often in Phoenix. But Adam Haggert, formerly of The Local and Merc Bar, has rolled out his second cocktail menu at Bootleggers’ second location in Old Town Scottsdale. It’s obscure,…

Make no mistake, the real-deal bartender is serious about the craft. So serious, in fact, that the best bartenders set themselves up for successful evenings, to banter and make conversation that leads drinkers away from the usual script and toward getting the best cocktail for into their hands. If you…

Friend 1 asks Friend 2 a seemingly trick question, “Hey, wanna go to Four Peaks for a cocktail?” Except it’s not a trick question at all. With a new Summer Signature Craft Cocktail Menu, Four Peak Brewery in Tempe has successfully debuted cocktails that are easier drinking than one might…

Usually you’d drink a Negroni just ’cause — ’cause, you know, they’re delicious. But Negroni Week will give you the chance to drink for a cause. Next week bars around the world, the country, and right here in Phoenix are participating in Imbibe Magazine and Campari’s Negroni Week, which takes place from…