Yesterday we talked about buying your own barrel of tequila, which the Spotted Donkey Cantina at el Pedregal recently did. But what to do with it after you bring it home? Cocktails, of course. The Dulce Calor is a spicy new addition to Spotted Donkey’s menu made with cilantro simple…
So you say you have a nice collection of bottles of tequila at your home bar? Oh, and it’s top-shelf stuff? Yawn. Talk to us when you have your own barrel of tequila. In June of 2011, tequila distillery Tequila Herradura announced the launch of its Buy the Barrel program,…
Hypothetical situation: A friend of yours, who recently decided to buy a kit to brew his own beer at home, has presented you with a bottle of his first batch and asked for your honest opinion. This beer is flat, sour and looks like it was brewed with 51 percent spittle…
Think you’re tough? Tough enough to run 12.5 miles in three hours? Tough enough to run 12.5 miles in three hours while overcoming almost 30 obstacles in a course designed by British Special Forces °™ the same guys who toughened up Man vs. Wild’s Bear Grylls? Tough Mudder events are…
Remember when you were a kid and the ice cream truck came rolling through the neighborhood? Drawn in by the truck’s tinkling siren song, you’d go racing down the street, ready to toss some change at the man inside in exchange for frosty treats. You may have grown up since…
Beer: HopslamBrewery: Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Style: Imperial IPAABV: 10 percent Several times a year, a brew is released that sets the beer-buying public in a frenzy. Like a locust swarm, they’ll race from store to store to pick up as much as they can, leaving barren, empty shelves in their…
When last we left off, I had given bartender Rich Heider the task of stocking my bar, and $150 with which to do it. The goal was to grab a variety of bottles that would allow me to create a broad spectrum of easy, delicious cocktails — and he succeeded. Here are…
We seek expert advice on many things. When buying a home, you talk to a realtor. When choosing a car, you ask a car salesman friend if you’re getting a good deal. So why not ask a bartender for help when stocking the home bar? What with family visits, holiday…
The outlook for the Suns this season isn’t great among sports analysts. Most see our team finishing near the bottom of the Western Conference, and it’s hard to find any magazine or website that even counts the Suns as major playoffs contenders. As the Suns prepare for their seventh game…
Beer: Jubelale Brewery: Deschutes Brewery Style: Winter Warmer ABV: 6.7 percent At my last check, the temperature outside was in the 70s. But the calendar still says it’s winter, dammit, which means it’s still a great time of year to crack open a dark, malty winter warmer. Deschutes Jubelale is…
Never mind that the current NBA season almost didn’t happen. Never mind that greed on the part of both players and owners caused a couple dozen games to be lopped off this season’s schedule. Never mind that by this point last season, the Phoenix Suns had already gained 21 wins…
Beer: Sam Adams InfiniumBrewery: Boston Brewing Co. Style: Biere de ChampagneABV: 10.3 percent Boston Brewing Co. comes under a lot of fire from the beer community. It’s to be expected as the largest craft brewery providing for a fickle community of geeks — people will get upset and write you…
Allow me to introduce you to a new, awesome word: sabrage. It’s the name given to the practice of opening a champagne bottle with a sword. If your New Year’s resolution is to be a badass, you should learn it. I can hear your incredulousness, but trust me — sabrage…
Christmas comes a little early to Chow Bella this year — in the form of some darn good holiday storytelling. Today, Zach Fowle shares a sweet, citrus-tinged tale. Over the years, as my tastes changed, so did the contents of my Christmas stocking. The candy canes, packs of Starburst and…
We talked a little bit last week about eggnog, but if you’ve spent more than 20 minutes at Chow Bella you know that I’m a beer guy. A good beer offers a bigger body and complementary flavors that will bring your nog to the next level. Plus, beernog has an…
It’s been mighty hard to be a supporter of Arizona’s major sports teams lately. The Diamondbacks fell apart in the first round of the playoffs; the Cardinals will be lucky to win as many games as they lose; the Suns have been nonexistent. But there’s one team that’s been consistently…
Beer: The Nut Before ChristmasBrewery: SunUp Brewing (322 E Camelback Road, 602-279-8909)Style: English Brown AleABV: 4.2 percent ‘Twas the Nut Before Christmas, and all through the bar, People were coming, from near and from far, For a delicious nut brown ale and some holiday cheer, Nothing quite warms the spirit…
Yesterday we got nogged up by Richie Moe, bar manager and eggnog expert at Citizen Public House. Today he shares a recipe for one of his signature eggnogs. After you try it, you’ll never want the store-bought stuff again…
National Eggnog Day (or, as some people like to call it, Christmas Eve) is right around the corner, and we’re smack in the middle of December, AKA National Eggnog Month. How did a drink made with eggs get to be the most ubiquitous holiday cocktail around? If you ask Richie Moe, bar manager…
Celebrating Hanukkah is, indeed, lots of fun-akkah, but, as it goes with most holidays, laughs can make it even better. Prep for the upcoming eight crazy nights (which begin December 20) with the team at National Comedy Theatre, who perform a Whose Line is it Anyway?-style comedy show featuring some…
Beer: Winter WarmerBrewery: SanTan Brewing Co. (8 San Marcos Place, 480-917-8700)Style: Winter WarmerABV: 9.5 percent One of the great things about beer is its ability to combat oppressive weather. In the dead of summer, nothing beats back the heat like a frosty pale ale or light lager, and when the…
Yesterday we met Jim Meehan, bartender at New York speakeasy PDT. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Green Deacon, a drink included in The PDT Cocktail Book. According to Meehan, the cocktail’s based on a recipe in Stan Jones’ Complete Bar Guide called the Rosy Deacon. One…
