Cocktail pro Jason Asher wants to ‘rewrite the playbook’ for bar business

A pioneer of Phoenix’s craft cocktail scene wants to bring immersive bars to more places.

Jason Asher is known for crafting bold-flavored, technique-driven cocktails sipped inside over-the-top, award-winning spaces. The bars he helped create resemble the belly of a boat, a train car and an apothecary.

Asher recently decided to go out on his own. In December, he announced the launch of his consulting business, Juniper & Jigger Hospitality Co.

Describing it as a consultancy is perhaps too dry of a take, the owner says. Asher aims to create and curate bar experiences the same way that celebrity chefs design restaurants around the world.

“There’s not a lot of people doing licensing deals out there, from a bar perspective,” he says.

That means fans could one day sip cocktails at a bar created by Asher in Austin, Seattle or other spots around the country. Although there are no official partnerships yet, Asher says he’s in talks with groups around the United States to build cocktail programs and immersive bar experiences.

“I really love the idea of finding a moment in time, a point in history, that we can jump off from,” he says.

Valley drinkers will recognize that at Century Grand, the three-bars-under-one-roof destination Asher helped build while a partner with Barter & Shake Cocktail Entertainment.

Century Grand is home to UnderTow, Platform 18 and Grey Hen Rx. The concept snagged a bevy of awards during Asher’s tenure. Those accolades include ranking #36 on North America’s 50 Best Bars in 2024, receiving two pins from the Michelin-esque Pinnacle Guide for an “outstanding” experience and being named the Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards in 2023.

Even before launching those spots, Asher was championing craft cocktailing. He first made waves at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain’s Jade Bar. While there, he was named Bombay Sapphire and GQ Magazine’s Most Inspired Bartender of 2010. He would go on to work for a spirits brand, opting to abandon the corporate track he was on to launch Counter Intuitive in Scottsdale in 2015. It was the first bar under the Barter & Shake group.

The announcement of Juniper & Jigger also brought to light Asher’s departure from the company he co-founded. The barman left Barter & Shake because he was interested in exploring new projects, he says. Both he and Barter & Shake representatives have described the departure as amicable, with Asher calling his exit a “win-win” for both parties.

“At the end of the day I felt like the company was in great hands,” he says. “This particular trail that I was blazing had come to a fork in the road and I needed to either hang a left and stay on and do the same thing, or take another chance and take a leap of faith again, which is really intimidating and can be really scary.”

Opting to take that leap, Asher launched Juniper & Jigger. The hospitality company will do “everything” bar-related. That can mean working with an existing place to revamp their drinks program, train their staff and help ensure standards are set and maintained over time. Or, it could mean partnering with someone to build a concept from the ground up.

One thing Asher won’t do is craft a cocktail menu and then “walk away.”

“That is the one caveat,” he says. “It’s a bit of a disservice to the client and to me.”

Asher’s two decades of experience could be a boon to others. Bars are constantly working to differentiate themselves, whether through accolades or transportive experiences, Asher says. Prior to starting Juniper & Jigger, he had fielded calls from people looking to understand what it takes to garner bar awards or build out a bar that can do more than serve a good drink.

“Having blazed that trail for the last 10 years, we certainly provide an opportunity to actually accomplish,” the task of designing and building out an immersive bar experience, Asher says.

That experience matters, but he notes there’s also no substitute for good service.

“Hospitality is the backbone,” he says, “not to mention community.”

Is Juniper & Jigger a sign that the era of celebrity bartenders is upon us? That remains to be seen, but Asher is betting Juniper & Jigger will “rewrite the playbook” for the bar business.

“When I think about what has gotten me to where I am today,” he says, “it has always been about taking risks.”