Beer: PerseveranceBrewery: Alaskan Brewing Co. Style: Russian Imperial StoutABV: 9 percent To last a quarter century in the beer industry takes a lot of perseverance. So does consistently producing award-winning brews in temperatures that would make Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat bundle up. But Alaskan Brewing Co., based in frosty Juneau,…
At this point in the career of actor-comedian Tracy Morgan, it’s likely you’re familiar with some of his belly laugh-inducing characters. For instance, unaccredited zoologist Brian Fellow from Saturday Night Live, with a sixth grade education and an abiding love for all God’s creatures. More recently Morgan has portrayed 30…
Beer: Arizona Centennial Ale & Arizona Centennial Copper AleBrewery: Sonoran Brewing Co. Style: American wheat ale, Extra Special Bitter On Feb. 14, 2012, our beloved state will have been part of the union for 100 years. An entire century! It’s a big deal deserving of celebration, and there’s no better…
Yesterday we met Wayne Scalaro, who’s tended bar at the Rokerij for more than a decade and once got laid thanks to George W. Bush. Today he shares with us the recipe for his Prickly Pear Margarita, a drink Scalaro says is a smooth cocktail great for the summer heat…
The tender: Wayne ScalaroThe bar: The Rokerij (6335 N. 16th St., 602-287-8900) The pedigree: Scalaro began bartending at restaurants owned by his parents in Portland just before he was old enough to drink, though by his own admission he “pretty much drank everything” before he was of age. After moving…
Calling all card sharks: Think you can maintain that rock-solid poker face while facing the flop against local celebrities like Grant Hill and Danica Patrick? It’s not as easy as pros like Eoghan O’Dea and Matt Giannetti make it look on TV, as you’ll learn firsthand when participating in the…
Beer: 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. Style: Black IPA ABV: 10.8 percent I wasn’t kidding when I said black IPAs were everywhere. Adding to this growing group of uncooperatively-colored and hoppy brew, Stone Brewing Co. recently released their Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA to celebrate 15…
Yesterday we met Mary Melton, director of beverage for P.F. Chang’s — all of them. Today she shares with us the recipe for the Dark & Spicy. New for the restaurant’s happy hour menu, it’s a twist on an old classic, the Dark & Stormy. “It’s my favorite drink of all the…
Would you drink a Pants on the Ground Porter? How about Boom Gueze the Dynamite? The internet influences everything these days, and memes are the vehicles by which it does so. No one knows why certain YouTube videos and other messages on the internet become so popular (we’re still waiting…
The tender: Mary Melton The bar: P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (multiple locations) The pedigree: Melton found her first bartending job post-college, at an airport in Kansas City. After working her way around several bars and restaurants in that city, she moved to San Diego, where she ventured into restaurant and…
Beer: Negro NitronBrewery: SanTan Brewing Co. (8 S. San Marcos Place, 480-917-8700)Style: Black IPAABV: 7.3 percent The Black IPA is so hot right now. As in fashion, music and baby names, trends in the craft beer world progress rapidly. Last year, Belgian IPA was the tits, and lately it seems…
Yesterday we met Jon Doholis, bar manager at swanky neighborhood restaurant and wine bar Cork. Today he shares with us the recipes for not one but two vegetarian cocktails, the Carrot Cosmopolitan and the Celeri-addict, added to the restaurant’s menu for August to celebrate Vegetarian Month. The vegetarian cocktails make…
The tender: Jon Doholis (Bar Manager)The bar: Cork (4991 S. Alma School Road, 480-883-3773) The pedigree: Doholis has been involved in the food industry for most of his life — he got a start working at a restaurant in Kansas City at 16, lived with a chef roommate for a while,…
Beer: Tramp Stamp Brewery: Clown Shoes Style: Belgian IPA ABV: 7 percent “Tattoo on the lower back? Might as well be a bullseye.” – Jeremy Grey, Wedding Crashers Another newbie to the Arizona desert, Clown Shoes is actually contract brewed through Mercury Brewing Company in Ipswich, Mass. They are their…
Yesterday we met Ryan Nishijima, who pours beer and wine at Cave & Ive’s in Arcadia. Today he shares with us the recipe for the G-Spot. Because Cave & Ive’s doesn’t have a license to sell hard liquor, the owners had to get creative with their cocktail menu. The result…
The tender: Ryan NishijimaThe bar: Cave & Ives (4247 E. Indian School Road, 602-955-1924) The pedigree: Like many others, Nishijina started bartending when he went to college, working at a local T.G.I.Friday’s. After he graduated, Nishijina took his skills international, tending bar on cruises to the Mediterranean, Hawaii and the Caribbean…
The beer: Life & LimbThe brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co./Dogfish Head Craft BreweryStyle: American Strong AleABV: 10.2 percent Craft beer is a funny business, wherein traditional ideas about competition and market domination are thrown out with the spent grain. Rather than attempting to destroy one another, contending breweries often join…
On Thursday, Scottsdale’s Citizen Public House held its first-ever Cocktail Pairing Dinner. This “nod to pernod” featured cocktails from three of the Valley’s top tenders — Richie Moe, chief mixologist and partner at Citizen; Kris Korf, Citizen’s bartender; and Travis Nass of Rancho Pinot — who gathered to craft a…
Yesterday we met Francisco Alcaraz, master distiller at Patron and the man who designed the process for making the high-class tequila. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Rose of Patron, a complicated yet beautiful and complex beverage…
The tender: Francisco Alcaraz The “bar”: Patrón Spirits Company The pedigree: Alcaraz may not be a bartender, but he certainly tends to the entire alcoholic beverage industry. The master distiller for Patrón, Alcaraz was born in the small town of Tamazula de Gordiano and educated at the University Guadalajara, where…
The beer: The VermonsterThe brewery: Rock Art BreweryStyle: American BarleywineABV: 10 percent Normally, I like to introduce you to new beers in this space. There’s been no shortage of choices in that regard — tons of great breweries have been entering Arizona lately. But while some grow and expand, others…
Yesterday we met Miles Buckles, who heads the bar at the downtown spot Hanny’s — they of the penis-shaped couches and confusing bathrooms. A bourbon man, today Buckles shares with us the recipe for the Pomegranate Julep, a simple yet delicious cocktail tinged with pomegranate sweetness and backed by manly…
