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…
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)…
The Spot: Va Bene Italian Cuisine and Wine Bar, 4647 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix, (480) 706-4070. www.vabeneaz.com The Hours: 4 to 7 p.m. daily, 4 p.m. to close Sundays and Mondays The Details: Contrary to what the restaurant’s website says, Va Bene’s happy hour isn’t exclusively drinks; it’s just mostly…
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…
The Spot: Jimmy Woo’s Sushi & Asian Bistro, 4233 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 945-4669. jimmywoos.com The Hours: 3 to 7 p.m. daily The Details: The Jimmy Woo’s happy hour is extremely inclusive: 1/2 price house sushi rolls (of which there are many), 1/2 price all appetizers (of which there are…
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…
The Spot: Stax Burger Bistro, 4400 N. Scottsdale Road #12, Scottsdale, (480) 946-4222. www.staxburgerbistro.com The Hours: 3 to 6 p.m. daily The Details: The Stax happy hour is all about 3 hours of $3 deals. On the $3 menu: five choices of Stax mini-burgers, like Turkey and Beef; Baskets of…
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…
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…
Beer: InebriatorBrewery: Sonoran Brewing Co. Style: Russian Imperial StoutABV: 9.1 percent Arizona having the climate it does, most local breweries seem to focus heavily on light, drinkable beers that fight the oppressive heat while shying away from the richer, darker stuff. There are few year-round Russian imperial stouts made in…
The Spot: Carly’s Bistro, 128 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix, 602-262-2759.www.carlysbistro.comThe Hours: 4pm – 7pm, and the reverse, 10pm – 12am, daily.The Details: Carly’s daily happy hour includes 1/2 off all of their delicious bistro-style appetizers, $1 off beer and wine, $3.50 wells, and all day every day $2 PBR and…
Beer for Brains sure knows how to throw a party. On Saturday, close to 800 beer lovers soaked themselves in suds at the RAREaffair, thrown by the Beer for Brains Foundation. Held at Talking Stick Resort, this no-limit food-and-drink-tasting event featured more than 75 beers for sipping. While some brews…
