At a place serving more than 60 sakes, you might think a bartender could end up feeling a little limited in drink options. Not Jason Catlin– the psychedelic, country-western musician by day, bartender by night, and constant cocktail pioneer uses the Asian flavors at Sens as his muse, finding new…
In yesterday’s Behind the Bar, Eric Carfagnini of Culinary Dropout talked about his favorite drink to make, the Moscow Mule. The retro cocktail from the 1950’s has been modernized with the bar’s own ginger agave syrup…
It’s no wonder Eric Carfagnini enjoys bartending at Culinary Dropout. Just shy of three months old, the restaurant/bar prides itself on taking traditional cocktails and serving them up with a twist. With house-made ingredients like ginger agave syrup and a Guinness reduction, manning the bar offers up the opportunity to…
Inside the VIP tent of the Great Arizona Beer Festival at Tempe Beach Park, it is difficult to tell if Magician Robert Ray is amusing a crowd of beer drinkers or simply amusing him self with their alcohol-fueled reactions to his tricks. He hands two foam, red balls to a…
The Spot: Boulders on Broadway 530 W. Broadway Rd. Tempe, 480-921-9431 The Hours: Happy hour starts at 3 and goes until 7 pm Monday thru Friday. Reverse happy hour is 10 pm till close Monday thru Thursday. On Saturday, you can take advantage of happy hour deals from open to…
For days when you really need a getaway, but have nowhere to go, Preston Ramsey has the answer. Ramsey, star of yesterday’s Chow Bella Behind the Bar profile, and bartender at Local Breeze has a drink that will transport you to the nearest chain of islands at first sip. Inspired…
Preston Ramsey is an easygoing guy. In fact, the same welcoming spirit and unhurried attitude that have an effortless way of making people feel at home is just what got him into bartending in the first place…
The Spot: The Lodge 4422 N. 75th Street, Scottsdale 480.945.0828 The Hours: Happy hour is everyday from 3 to 7pm. The Details: $3 Coors lights, Lodge Beer, Well Drinks, an House Wines plus half off all appetizers. They also have a burger or brat and a beer for only $6…
Yesterday we had a chat with Matt McCullough bartender at R Bar at the Camelback Inn Resort. Last year he was a finalist in the GQ’s Most Inspired Bartender contest held by GQ magazine and Bombay Sapphire. The drink, which he calls the Sonoran Summer, was inspired by the…
Matt McCullough will make anything his customers want, but he really hopes that they don’t ask for something frozen. He doesn’t mind working hard to prepare a drink, he’ll mix a Ramos Fizz, a drink made with egg whites that can take 3 – 4 minutes of vigorous shaking. He…
Starting this week, we’ll be giving you our own “report card” review of a local happy hour spot. Study hard! The Spot: Moto Sushi 6845 N. 16th Street Phoenix 85016 602-263-5444 The Hours: Happy hour kicks off at 3 pm and goes till 6:15 pm Monday thru Saturday. On Sundays…
Sometimes you’re in the mood to put on your best silk stockings, sequined minidress and Jimmy Choo heels and sip cosmos in a trendy bar with a few of your best gal pals. White Trash with Money, on the other hand, is a cocktail for the days you’d rather lounge at…
Laura Rose, bartender at Tempe’s Yucca Tap Room and and Team Lead for the Phoenix New Times Street Team, is as far from the stereotype of a female bartender as you can get. The petite blonde 23-year-old oozes corn-fed Midwestern innocence out of every pore. Not to say she’s a goody two shoes… This bartending…
Whether you’re stoked on Valentine’s Day or really loathe it, this Cupid’s Hot Pop cocktail will engage all your senses on the love- (or hate-)filled holiday. Not only is it pretty and sweet-tasting, it also includes Pop Rocks that will make drinking this cocktail really fun. David Needham, manager of…
He may be a bar expert now, but David Needham, manager of Vista Lounge at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, got his start as a culinary student at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park in New York. Not that he didn’t always enjoy cocktails, though…
When the Boulders Resort was trying to come up with a tasty drink to celebrate their 25th anniversary, the bar aimed to make it mighty loaded with alcohol, but smooth and simple enough to make it enjoyable to most drinkers. The Silver Sip was formed, and the Long Island Iced…
“You get a lot of requests for certain things that are illegal.” And no, they’re not alcohol-related, but we couldn’t get this friendly guy to go any farther. Maybe you can. Hecomovich got his start in the business in the 90’s, bartending at Fumbles, a now-defunct ASU spot. He got a…
Last week we got our alcohol-fueled caffeine buzz on thanks to a bottle of Lagunitas’ Cappuccino Stout. Mmmm. Delicious coffee and beer in the same sip! What could be better? In a word: hops. Yup, we’re total hop heads over here at the brew review which is why this week…
When Steve Howard (whom we profiled yesterday) of downtown Chandler’s Murphy’s Law creates drinks for customers, he lets the drinker name the cocktail. This one has a blue tinge from the Blue Curacao that’s sunk into liquid, which inspired his patron to call this drink Papa Smurf. It looks pretty,…
It’s easy to see why Steve Howard of Murphy’s Law in Chandler is a popular bartender. The handsome 25-year-old is extremely charming, doing tricks behind the bar and letting customers name drinks he makes for them. And he’s had plenty of time to build up a steady clientele–he’s been in…
The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Web site states that the “Lagunitas Brewing Company is emerging as a battle-tested brewery capable of making great beer out of goat’s milk, brambles, and asphalt on the surface of the Moon, if need be.” Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that. We’re fairly sure…
If you’ve ever wanted to name a beer without the effort and work required to, you know, brew it, this is your chance. SanTan Brewery is holding a contest to rename what used to be called the Sun Devil Ale after receiving a “cease and desist” letter from Arizona State…
