The tender: Jim MeehanThe bar: PDT (113 St. Marks Place, New York, 212-614-0386) http://pdtnyc.com/The pedigree: Meehan began bartending in Madison, Wisc. At the tender age of 18. He moved to New York in 2002, and after jumping around several other restaurants and bars, opened his speakeasy PDT (Please Don’t Tell)…
From fishbowl-sized margaritas to salty shots chased with lime, tequila has a rep for getting the party started. But the agave-based liquor can also be a nuanced, complex and downright respectable beverage. Phoenix Tequila Fest will offer you a chance to discover the hard partying liquor’s sophisticated side. While perusing…
Beer: Lagunitas Sucks Holiday AleBrewery: Lagunitas BrewingStyle: Imperial IPAABV: 7.85% Lagunitas sucks, but at least they know it. I have a list of favorite winter brews, and right near the top is Lagunitas’ Brown Shugga. I love its origin story, which goes like this: Something went terribly awry when the…
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 century French…
The tender: Chris LinguaThe bar: Kazimierz World Wine Bar (7137 East Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, 480-946-3004)The pedigree: You could say Lingua came into Kazimierz, as most do, through the back door. He had long been a cook — first for sandwich-board places throughout high school and college, then at Cowboy Ciao…
Great food doesn’t have to cost more than a car payment, and the second annual Downtown Dine Around proves it. During the showcase of downtown restaurants, you’ll find crazy-good prices on some of the city’s best meals: $2 for crab cake sliders at Ghost Lounge or tacos at Sam’s Café;…
Yes, those are paint cans, and yes, they’re filled with booze. But we’ll get to that later. First, the announcement: You may not have known it, but Citizen Public House has a second floor. Nestled near the back of the restaurant, up a shady staircase above the busy kitchen, sits…
Last week we met Mario Rana, part owner and bar manager at Cuoco Pazzo. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Rio, a drink he named after himself. “It’s what everyone called me in high school,” Rana says. “They couldn’t say my name right, so I just told…
Beer: The AbyssBrewery: Deschutes BreweryStyle: Imperial StoutABV: 11 percent The philosophizer Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” I’m no historian, but I’d be willing to bet old Freddy came up…
The tender: Mario Rana The bar: Cuoco Pazzo (4175 N. Goldwater Blvd., 480-265-9814) The pedigree: Rana fell in love with creating drinks when he started behind the bar of a coffee shop at age 14. He later started barbacking at the restaurant owned by his parents, then began working at…
Since 1990, when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, David Spade has lent his trademark snark to movies and TV, bringing us characters like the sarcastic Hollywood Minute Reporter (“Look kids, a falling star! Make a wish!”), sarcastic secretary (“And you are…?”), and sarcastic flight attendant (“Buh-bye!”). In…
Beer: Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple AleBrewery: Rogue AlesStyle: Brown AleABV: 5.6% Go ahead and read that name again. Donuts. Ale. Maple. Bacon! If I were to rewrite the song about favorite things from The Sound of Music, those would be the first four words. For Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale…
Yesterday we met Beth Sacco, longtime bartender at the now-closed Billet Bar and newbie at British Open Pub. Today she shares with us the recipe for one of her favorite drinks to make: the Purple Hooter. The ingredients: 1 part Chambord or other raspberry liqueur 1 part Vodka 1 part…
The tender: Beth SaccoThe bar: British Open Pub (1334 N. Scottsdale Road, 480-941-4195)The pedigree: Sacco spent a decade cultivating a large following at Billet Bar, but when the bar closed down in November 2010, she began teaching bartending at ABC Bartending School in Tempe. She began working at British Open…
If you’re looking for a traditional Thanksgiving beverage to enjoy during the holiday, toss the wine aside. Beer was far more likely to have enjoyed a spot at the first Thanksgiving — in fact, a shortage of beer may have been the very reason the Pilgrims even chose to stop…
Admit it: you’ve wanted to crash your car into someone before. Maybe he cut you off in traffic, and you could barely repress the urge to put pedal to floor and send him tumbling along the highway in a vengeful fireball. But thoughts of the scratches and dents you’d have…
You call yourself a bacon lover. But are you a bacon lover? Baconlube is exactly what it sounds like — the world’s first bacon-flavored personal lubricant and massage oil…
Beer: 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. Style: Chile beerABV: 9.4 percent Literally and figuratively, chile beer is hot right now. From San Diego to Delaware, brewers are snatching up hot peppers and throwing them into the boil to see what new flavor combinations the veggies can elicit. Sometimes…
Yesterday we met Matt Wohleb, sommelier and bar manager at Cave Creek restaurant Amaro Pizzeria and Vino Lounge. Today he shares with us the recipe for one the Amaro Old Fashioned, an Italian twist on a cocktail classic made using Amaro Montenegro, a brand of bitters made using more than…
The tender: Matthew WohlebThe bar: Amaro Pizzeria and Vino Lounge (28234 N. Tatum Blvd, Cave Creek, 480-502-1920)The pedigree: Wohleb began working at age 20 at Kazimierz World Wine Bar. The place’s vast wine cellar spurred an interest in the beverage, so he moved on to other wine-centric spots– Cowboy Ciao…
To quote humorist Dave Barry, “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer.” Granted, the wheel was also a pretty good invention. But the wheel doesn’t go nearly as well with a pizza. Get your fill of the world’s most awesome beverage during NovemBEER at Casey…
Hello, reader. What’s happening? Did you get that memo? Yeah. We’re going to need you to go ahead and come to the Sail Inn for the Office Space Party, mmmkay? Cure your lingering case of the Mondays with games like Jump to Conclusions and Pass the Cake, or take out…
