The Best Food and Drink Events in Phoenix This Week, December 10-14

With only two more shopping weekends until Christmas, most of the food and drink events in the Valley over the next few days are geared toward the holidays. This weekend, you can learn the art of cheese-making and impress your family, friends, and co-workers with a hand-crafted holiday cheese ball. Or, put your nose to the grindstone and learn the finer points of wine-sniffing. Need a smile? Head to The Womack for a raucous drag show and brunch, and soften your edges. Gift-giving delays have you feeling blue? We have a cure for that, too!

Here are the best food and drink events in the Valley over the next few days.

Friday, December 10

50 Cent Bottle Signing
Head to Paradise Liquor, 722 West Southern Avenue, on December 10 for a meet-and-greet event with rapper, actor, and entrepreneur 50 Cent. Fiddy will be signing bottles of Branson cognac from 3-5 p.m. VIP packages allow you to cut the line, hang out in the VIP area, and secure a bottle for signing. Meet-and-greet packages range in price from $229 to $699. Bottles are limited and no guarantees can be made on the day of the event. Online orders placed will be available for pick up on the day of the event. The rapper's Branson brand was launched in 2018. His Cognac XO was ranked as one of the top 100 spirits of 2020, according to Wine Enthusiast magazine.

Delayed Package? Give Heineken

Have a gift package that's delayed? You might be in luck. Gift-givers in Phoenix affected by supply chain delays will have a chance to get a free IOU from Heineken. Beginning December 10, Heineken will release Heineken IOUs, a free placeholder gift for gifts that won’t arrive on time. The promotion is valid in select markets, including Phoenix, for two weekends before Christmas: December 10-12 and 17-19. To request an IOU, upload a screenshot of a delayed shipping notification beginning December 10.

Saturday, December 11

Holiday Vegan Market
The Phoenix Vegan Night Market presents its December offering from 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, December 11, off Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street on Garfield Street between First Street and Central Avenue. This month's market will have a holiday theme, feature live music, and more than 45 local vegan and vegan-friendly food, beverage, essential, pantry, produce, and artisan vendors. Entry is free, and there's discounted $5 public parking available all night on the northwest corner of Roosevelt and First streets, beginning at 5 p.m. Pre- and post-market parties are planned at The Churchill.

Outdoor Artisan Market
A new, free admission outdoor artisan marketplace in Tempe will be open for its second Saturday market, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Merchantile Market, at 1500 North McClintock Drive, has vintage, one-of-a-kind, and handmade items. There is also live music and free face painting. The first 50 guests will receive free market totes. The market is sponsored by its brick-and-mortar counterpart, The Merchantile of Scottsdale in Old Town. Future markets are planned for select Saturdays through April 2022.

Spirited Sipping Seminar
Explore the wonderful world of bubbly at this class at Hearth '61 at Mountain Shadows, 5445 East Lincoln Drive in Scottsdale. There are 30- and 45-minute classes available, where you'll learn about the history of drinks with bubbles, and get to sample a few. Space is limited to 20 guests, with a maximum party size of eight people, and it's $39 to attend.

Sunday, December 12

Sunday Drag Brunch at The Womack
Make your way to central Phoenix's recently revamped live music cocktail lounge, The Womack, 5749 North 7th Street, for its festive Sunday Drag Brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cocktail lounge reopened earlier this month. Kick back on the newly expanded indoor-outdoor patio for entertainment by The Gender Outlawz. The lounge's all-new menu of Japanese-style craft cocktails is certainly worth a closer look or opt for a local-brewed craft beer like Wren House, AZ Wilderness, or Tombstone.

Monday, December 13

Aromatherapy for Wine Lovers
Ever wonder why they're always smelling wine? Sniff around long enough at LDV Winery, 7134 East Stetson Drive, Suite B-110, in Scottsdale, and you're sure to find out. Le Nez du Vin, which translates to "The Nose of Wine," is a hands-on experience that focuses on expanding wine appreciation using all senses, particularly building expertise in the range of wine aromas. The event, from 3 to 5 p.m. on December 13, includes a special tasting of LDV's award-winning wines, plenty of nibbles, a wine and chocolate pairing, and an aroma-based exercise to help you identify the various scents commonly found in wines.

Holiday Cheese-Making
Give the gift of cheese this holiday season. This two-hour cheese-making class for beginners at Peacock Wine Bar, 1525 North Gilbert Road, Suite C-108, in Gilbert, will teach you how to make cheeses that can be packaged and gifted for the holidays. Each group of students, about five per group, will start with milk and finesse it over the course of the class into two types of cheeses that can be packaged as great holiday gifts. Ideally, you will walk away with a night of fun, your own copies, and the knowledge to make your own cheese and handmade edible gifts at home.

Tuesday, December 14

Wonderland Whiskey Tasting
Whiskey lovers will appreciate this seasonal tasting event at Second Story Restaurant and Liquor Bar from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14, at the restaurant, 4166 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 102, in Scottsdale. Sample a five-whiskey flight, with a welcome barrel-aged cocktail, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Blanton’s Bourbon, Eagle Rare Bourbon, Sazerac Rye, and W.L. Weller Special Reserve. Tickets are required for the tasting event.