Yesterday we met Samantha Rogers, bartender at the Hotel Valley Ho’s Café Zuzu. Today she shares with us the recipe for the Elderfire, a drink she invented for a mixology competition held by Bombay Sapphire. “I went in a classic direction,” Rogers says. “With all the botanicals in gin and…
”It’s different than a traditional beer festival; it’s a party.” That, friends, is straight from the mouth of Louis Dolgoff, founder of the Beer for Brains Foundation — a national nonprofit association of craft beer lovers, distributors and brewers committed to raising awareness and dollars for brain cancer research. You…
The tender: Samantha RogersThe bar: Café Zuzu (6850 E. Main St., 480-421-7997)The pedigree: Rogers got into bartending when she was 20, starting as the daytime bartender at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant in Tempe. She spent four years there, eventually working her way up to bar manager and crafting the…
The Spot: Bonfire Grill & Bar, 7210 E 2nd St., Scottsdale, 480-945-6600 www.thebonfireaz.com/ The Hours: 11am – 10pm, Wednesday through Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday). That’s right, all day, every day– in the bar area only. The Details: Cozy up to this happy hour bonfire with 1/2 off well drinks,…
Beer: Fade to Black Volume 3Brewer: Left Hand Brewing Co. Style: Pepper PorterABV: 7.2 percent FADE IN: Dusk inside a shadowy bar. A snifter filled to the brim with sable liquid is placed before a thirsty patron. It seems at first glance to be a standard porter, but when the…
Yesterday we met Matt Slenske, bar manager at American Junkie. Today he shares with us the recipe for the bar’s signature drink, aptly named the American Junkie. Packed with ingredients, it’s like a Long Island Iced Tea gone to the loony bin…
The tender: Matt SlenskeThe bar: American Junkie (4364 N. 75th St., 480-990-3000)The pedigree: Slenske got his start at Devil House, his local hangout during college. Since then he’s tended bar at Sanctuary (now Mist) and Acme as well as Loco Patron, where he spent four years before American Junkie’s owner…
The Spot: Windsor, 5223 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 602-279-1111.www.windsoraz.comThe Hours: 11 am- 5 pm, daily.The Details: Though this happy hour is limited to booze, $5 goes a very long way at Windsor. Enjoy pitchers of beer, wine on tap, AND their kick ass signature cocktails for just $5, before 5…
Beer: Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin AleBrewery: Boston Beer Company Style: Pumpkin beerABV: 5.7 percent Well, Pumpkin Month is at an end. It’s been four weeks filled with pumpkin pie spiciness and every shade of orange here at Craft Beer of the Week, and the mob of pumpkin brews that crowded…
Yesterday we met Dolh Chompupong, bar manager at bank-turned-nightclub The Mint. Today he shares with us the recipe for his Counterfeit Cantaloupe. Why counterfeit? There’s no actual cantaloupe in the drink, which is incredible given that the martini tastes like Sunday brunch. The drink is usually garnished with a slice…
The tender: Dolh ChompupongThe bar: The Mint (7373 E. Camelback Rd., 480-947-6468) The pedigree: Dolh’s always worked in the industry. He started in his parents’ restaurant washing dishes, cooking, bussing tables and making drinks. He’s been at several places around town, including Pink Taco and Roka Akor. Until recently, he was…
Beer: Pumpkin AleBrewery: BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse – ChandlerStyle: Pumpkin beerABV: 4.7 percent This week’s player in the Month of Pumpkin Beers is a real winner. Pumpkin Ale (no doubt buoyed by its super-creative name) took home hardware at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival, held just a few weeks…
The Spot: Rice Paper, 2221 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, 602-252-3326www.facebook.com/pages/Rice-PaperThe Hours: 11 am- 6:30 pm, 7 days a week.The Details: The Cen-Pho newbie may have higher price points on traditional Vietnamese fare than what you’re used to, but with happy hour discounts that run all day, 7 days a week,…
Yesterday we met Curtis Williams, bartender at popular Mill Ave. hangout Mill Cue Club. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Orange Sherbet shot, his go-to for girls who want something sweet and boozy. “The name was obvious,” Williams says. “It tastes just like Orange Sherbert ice cream.”…
The tender: Curtis Williams The bar: Mill Cue Club (607 S. Mill Ave., 480-858-9017) The pedigree: Becoming a bartender at Cue Club works differently than at most places: any girl who wants to tend bar has to start out as a server, and any guy has to first work the…
The Spot: Delux, 3146 E Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-522-2288.www.deluxburger.comThe Hours: 4- 6pm and a reverse happy hour from 10pm- 2am, 7 days a week.The Details: Choose from four appetizers priced from $3.50 to $4 including, Roast Beef Sliders ($3 each), Bruschetta, Toasted Sliced Demi-Baquette w/ olive oil and reduced balsamic…
Beer: Wasatch Pumpkin Ale Brewery: Utah Brewers Collective Style: Pumpkin beer ABV: 4 percent Pumpkin beer month continues! Huzzah! This week’s addition to the best family of vegetable beers around often flies under the radar, but is nonetheless so tasty that it topped our recent list of the nation’s best…
Like Linus awaiting the Great Pumpkin, we find ourselves plopped outside our local brew shops each October, anticipating the arrival of the season’s bounty of pumpkin ales. The selection is vast — this year there seem to be more gourd-based brews on shelves than ever. Some are mediocre; some are…
Yesterday we met Rich Heider, the wealth of knowledge working behind the bar at the new Casablance Lounge in Old Town Scottsdale. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Japanese Revival, a drink Heider says is a good jumping-off point for the different things he does there. “We…
The tender: Rich Heider IIThe bar: The Casablanca Lounge (7134 E. Stetson Dr., 480-970-7888) The pedigree: Heider was once a corporate bar trainer for Dave & Buster’s, opening locations in Maple Grove, Minn., Times Square and Tempe. He helped open J&G Steakhouse, then became GM at a few Scottsdale nightclubs, then…
The Spot: Big Earl’s BBQ, 7213 E. First Ave., Scottsdale, 480-947-6800. www.bigearlsbbq.comThe Hours: 2 – 6pm, Monday through Friday.The Details: Happy hour at this BBQ joint is simple: Choose from 5 finger-lickin’ appetizers priced at $5 each, plus $3 Bud Light drafts, red sangria and Rancho Allegre 100% Agave Margaritas…
Beer: Smashed PumpkinBrewery: Shipyard Brewing Co. Style: Pumpkin AleABV: 9 percent We at Chow Bella spent some time last week talking about pumpkin fatigue — how pumpkins and things flavored with pumpkin, much like premature Christmas decorations, have started sneaking into stores before they’re welcome. As noted, the world of…
