Bars & Breweries

The Spot: Spoke & Wheel 8525 North Central Avenue 602-870-8860 www.spokeandwheeltavern.com…

Beer: Saison Brewery: Funkwerks Style: Saison ABV: 6.8 percent Phoenix, it must be said, is a pretty odd place — made up primarily of people exported from other regions. With our climate and the variety of drinkers making their homes in the Valley, it’s difficult to dial in on what…

Thanks to a recent shift change at work, I’m now off on Sundays. This means I can once more be on the receiving end of that wonderful Sunday morning drinking tradition, brunch. Some of my favorite cocktails are tailor-made for brunch. I can get picky with my brunch drinks. The…

In the South of France, November 2012, the most stunning example of terroir was when we were confronted with the rock-filled vineyards of Chateauneuf de Pape. Terroir (French pronunciation: ​[tɛʁwaʁ] from terre, “land”) is the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology, and climate of a certain place …

The Spot: Mabel’s on Main 7018 East Main Street, Scottsdale 480-889-5580 www.mabelsonmain.com…

Beer: Arctic Saison Brewery: Grassroots Brewing Co. Style: Saison ABV: 6 percent Until the highly sought-after Three Floyds Brewing Co. collaborated with Mikkeller, we could never get its beer in Arizona. Russian River also was never available in our state — until the famed brewery collaborated with Sierra Nevada Brewing…

The Spot: El Chorro 5550 East Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley 480-948-5170 www.elchorrolodge.com…

Beer: Duvel Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale ABV: 8.5 percent The year is 1830, and the southern provinces of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands are sick of it. Sick of the tulips; sick of that sauce made with egg yolk and butter; sick of the…

One of my favorite parts of tending bar is clearing up misconceptions about alcohol. The biggest one has to be the old saw about beer before liquor or vice versa. (Answer: It doesn’t matter, except you tend to drink faster and, therefore, drink more when you start with beer.) Right…

It’s been established: With airline crashes, it’s never one thing. It’s usually a combination of three. More on this later. I love the sea. (Yeah, that’s why I live in Arizona.) I grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, where it’s impossible to be more than 15 minutes from the ocean…

The Spot: The Parlor Pizzeria 1916 East Camelback Road 602-248-2480 www.theparlor.us…

Beer: Irish Red Brewery: Fate Brewing Co. Style: Irish Red Ale ABV: 5.4 percent Having just attended a gathering of beer industry leaders who discussed the merits of drinking local and supporting a brewery’s core brands, I am (for this week, anyway) pumped on flagships. These are the beers that…

While looking through all the Last Call columns I’ve done, I was somewhat taken aback that I’d been writing about cocktails for this long and have yet to discuss a cocktail cornerstone, the Manhattan. It’s a very elegant cocktail; it has only three ingredients, but its flavor is almost infinitely…

Have you been searching for your favorite wine and can’t find it anywhere? It often comes down to how wine is distributed in the United States. In short, politics, laws, and distribution. In most cases, wine needs to be “picked up” by a distributor to be sold legally to retailers…

The Spot: Otro Cafe 6035 North Seventh Street 602-266-0831 www.otrocafe.com See Also: – CLOSING: 31-Year-Old Guerrero’s Mexican Food in Tempe on July 31 – Roka Akor in Paradise Valley: Happy Hour Report Card – Mexico City Memories at Chef Doug Robson’s Otro Cafe in Phoenix…

Beer: Got Beer Brewery: BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse Style: Gotlandsdricka ABV: N/A Got beer? Gotland does. A 90-mile-long island off Sweden’s eastern coast, Gotland has a population of about 60,000, several hundred of whom brew beer. And bubbling away in the cellar of nearly every one of these Baltic brewers…

Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron once said “The main reason for having a lot of liquor is to show off.” You know what? He’s exactly right. We bar folk tend to be show-offs, whether through technical drink expertise, or good old extroversion. Either way, bartenders often have very impressive home bars…

If you’re looking to impress your guests at Fourth of July celebrations and weekend BBQs, look no further. We’ve got you covered with this simple slush recipe. Just be sure to keep it away from the young ones because it packs a punch! Non-alcoholic versions of this could made –…

The season of outdoor parties and barbecues is officially under way, and refreshing cocktails are a must. Whether you’re hosting or an attendee at your next soiree, indulge in this simple and delicious cocktail…

The Spot: Roka Akor 7299 North Scottsdale Road, Paradise Valley 480-306-8800 www.rokaakor.com…

Beer: Wailua Ale Brewery: Kona Brewing Co. Style: American Pale Wheat Ale ABV: 5.4 percent At substantial risk of telling you what you already know: It’s hot outside. Like, soul-crushingly, melt-your-eyeballs hot. I enjoy thick, robust stouts and palate-busting barleywines as much as anyone, but when I’m wandering this desert…

It’s nice to have a finely crafted drink. These days, a well-made frozen piña colada or margarita is especially delicious. But sometimes, I want to let down my hair. I want something that I can throw together with a minimum of fuss that’s still delicious and full of booze. That’s…