Bars & Breweries

The Spot: The Duce 525 South Central Avenue 602-866-3823 www.theducephx.com…

Beer: Trooper Brewery: Robinsons Brewery Style: Extra Special Bitter ABV: 4.7 percent Ever wanted to brew a commercial beer, but don’t want to go through all those tiresome steps like investing in equipment, buying ingredients or, you know, actually learning to brew? Well you’re in luck, my friend! These days,…

These days, a sure sign of autumn’s arrival (or at least what passes for it in these parts) is the reintroduction of pumpkin spice-flavored everything on store shelves. I have a better idea. Let’s break out the Chartreuse. What is Chartreuse, you ask? For starters, it’s a yellow-green color. It’s…

The Spot: Petite Maison 7216 East Shoeman Lane, Scottsdale 480-991-6887 www.petitemaisonaz.com…

Beer: Green Bullet Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. Style: Imperial IPA ABV: 10.1 percent Science tells us that, biologically speaking, the best time to taste a beer is in the morning, when your senses are sharpest. So when evaluating a beer for a review, I’ll often wake up early and…

Cocktail trends come and go. I was talking with some friends, and realized that the appletini had quietly become passé a few years ago. I do have a certain nostalgia for them. I blame their popularity in my nascent drinking years. I remember extensive discussions with friends about what places…

The Spot: Cocina 10 in Crescent Ballroom 308 N. 2nd Ave. 602.716.2222 http://www.crescentphx.com/kitchen/…

Goodness, I’ve been getting lots of questions lately. I love it. Send me more! Leave them in the comments if you so desire. This week’s burning question reads: “What’s the difference between white and green crème de menthe, and white and dark crème de cacao? And why is it ‘crème’…

The Spot: Bootleggers 3375 East Shea Boulevard, Phoenix 602-996-4228 www.bootleggersaz.com…

Beer: Peach Ale Brewery: Four Peaks Brewing Co. Style: Fruit Beer ABV: 4.5 percent Screw you guys; I like fruit beer. A combative start to the column, sure, but a necessary one, for although craft beer has made immeasurable strides in becoming an accepted — if not integral — part…

By Pavle Milic In this occasional series, FnB’s Pavle Milic spills about his current mission to learn how wine is made, literally, from the Southern Arizona ground up. I have lived in Arizona on and off for twenty-four years. In that time I’ve seen a lot of growth and change…

A curious reader recently asked me: Why do all you bartenders love Fernet Branca so much? You know, that’s a really good question. I partake in Fernet Branca on a semi-regular basis. I enjoy it enough that I’ve written about cocktails with it. But calling Fernet Branca an acquired taste…

The Spot: Last Drop Bar 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley 602-955-7878 www.hermosainn.com…

Beers: Gregorius; Benno Styles: Belgian Strong Dark Ale; Dubbel Brewery: Stift Engelszell ABV: 9.7; 6.9 If, at some future moment, I am compelled by the holy spirit to give up my house, car and cushy blogging gig for a life on religious contemplation, I think I’ll become a Trappist. Also…

One of my favorite uses for flavored vodka has to be Lemon Drops. As far as drinks go, they’re almost foolproof. I’ll even tolerate low-rent ones made with (gasp!) bottled sour mix. While the vast majority of Lemon Drops out there are at least somewhat drinkable, a well-made one is…

“Join our wine-tasting group,” Pavle Milic offered as I was delivering wine to FnB, the the Old Town Scottsdale restaurant he runs with Charleen Badman. I was in. I am so out of practice, and I just don’t drink a wide range of wine. I live with my wife, my…

The Spot: Salty Sow 4801 East Cactus Road, Phoenix 602-795-9463 www.saltysow.com/…

Beer: Oatmeal Yeti Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. Style: Imperial Stout ABV: 9.5 percent It’s safe at this point to say it: the yeti exists. Scientists were skeptical for many years, but the evidence is overwhelming. Seasonal migration patterns have different species of yeti lumbering right through the middle of…

Up in Canada’s Yukon Territory, a bar is missing its most famous toe. A patron took it home… by swallowing it. Apparently, the long winter nights up in Dawson City are conducive to strange behavior. Back in 1973, one of the bar regulars at the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City…

Beer: Velvet Merkin Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Style: Oatmeal Stout ABV: 8.5 While the hair that grows around ladyparts is today mostly thought of as something to be avoided, back in the 15th century, pubes were the bee’s knees. A prostitute with an impressive undercarriage could command an army…

The Spot: House of Tricks 114 East Seventh Street, Tempe 480-968-1114 www.houseoftricks.com…

I had fun writing about triple sec last week. It was one of those articles that almost asked more questions to me than it answered. After all, triple sec is but one liqueur of literally hundreds out there. Why should triple sec have all the fun? Let’s take a look…