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…
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…
