Thirsty for something new? 5 Valley cocktail bars debut summer menus

Five bars around the Valley, including Gilbert speakeasy The White Rabbit, have rolled out new cocktail menus for summer sipping. The White Rabbit

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When it comes to cocktails, there's no shortage of options around the Valley. Stirred or shaken, sweet or dry, the tipples in this desert city offer cool relief. And bartenders here can sling drinks with the best of them, continuing to rack up accolades and bragging rights.

They're also not resting on their laurels, serving the same ol' old fashioned. If you're ready to mix it up, these five cocktail bars around metro Phoenix have recently dropped new drink menus.

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For its eighth cocktail menu, Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour's bar team has created 17 new drinks.

Grace Stufkosky

Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour

1 W. Jefferson St.

One of the most anticipated drinking updates each year comes when Bitter & Twisted, helmed by self-described "cocktailian" Ross Simon, announces its new menu. The downtown Phoenix bar's eighth illustrated book of cocktail options takes inspiration from literary icons from Shakespeare to Tolkien. There are 17 new drinks to try plus 19 fan favorites available for the change-averse.

New concoctions include the Plot Twist, found in chapter one, "Mixing Under the Influence." The drink consists of rum, Maker's Mark 46 bourbon, dram, pineapple, lime and plantain syrup and promises to be tropical and refreshing. Along with the unique additions, the menu features chapters dedicated to classics including martinis and Negronis, all coming together to make a real page-turner.

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The Papillon is among The White Rabbit's new cocktails, featuring lemon verbena gin, egg white, lemon, ginger, lychee and creme de violette.

The White Rabbit

The White Rabbit

207 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert 

One popular downtown Gilbert speakeasy has dropped a new menu with options ranging from spirit-forward drinks to refreshing and dessert-like libations, as well as nonalcoholic options. New drinks at the White Rabbit include the tiki-style Calypso's Curse, featuring rum, watermelon, chipotle pineapple, citrus and menthe or the stirred Guns & Butter, which includes Suntory Toki Whisky, cardamom, sarsaparilla, bittersweet orange peel, black pepper and orgeat. There's also the delightfully twee Papillon with lemon verbena gin, egg white, lemon, ginger, lychee and creme de violette.

White Rabbit devotees will find cocktail favorites that have graced previous menus under its "Vintage" section. Be sure to sign up online to get the monthly password; it's your ticket to go down the rabbit hole.

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Quartz, the cocktail lounge that opened in downtown Phoenix earlier this spring, is rolling out an alphabetic menu of classic cocktails starting July 3 – and challenging guests to try all 26.

Quartz

Quartz

341 W. Van Buren St.

Taking inspiration from the alphabet and cocktail classics, the mixology team at Quartz will roll out 26 cocktails over 26 weeks starting on July 3. Think A for Aviation, B for Blue Hawaiian and C for Caipirinha.

If you're looking for a mid-year goal, Quartz is challenging people to try each cocktail. Drinkers who punch their card each week will receive a T-shirt, and one will receive a $200 gift card and a reservation for two to The Cave, the immersive bar within Quartz. These alphabetical classic cocktails will only be available at Quartz's front bar and lounge from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

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Little Rituals is debuting 10 new cocktails on its menu, including the Mr. Hollywood. The cognac-based cocktail gets a dose of opulence with a potato chip garnish topped with caviar and creme fraiche.

Grace Stufkosky

Little Rituals

132 S. Central Ave., 4th Floor

Little Rituals has debuted 10 new cocktails, the most it has shaken up its menu since opening in the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott in 2019. The oft-awarded bar team, led by co-owner Aaron DeFeo, has worked in some unexpected ingredients into its latest tipples – Irish whiskey, barley tea and Vidalia onion. Take the Mr. Hollywood, described as "opulent, crisp, intense, savory and tart," the cocktail starts with two kinds of cognac and adds sweet onion cordial, lemon and Taittinger Champagne. Atop the coupe glass, sippers will find a house-made potato chip with caviar and creme fraiche.

“We think people gravitate to us because while they can enjoy their favorites on the menu, we keep pushing the boundaries with presentation and technique,” DeFeo said in a release announcing the new drinks.

And Little Rituals may receive more recognition later this summer. It is currently a finalist for Best U.S. Hotel Bar in Tales of the Cocktails' Spirited Awards, the Oscars of mixology.

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The clarified cocktail-centric Pour Bastards has a new menu and new look to its space on Roosevelt Row.

Tirion Boan

Pour Bastards

504 E. Roosevelt St.

The team behind Pour Bastards has renovated both the bar's space and its menu. From the same crew as Killer Whale Sex Club, Disco Dragon and FYPM, Pour Bastards has flown a bit under the radar compared to its sister Roosevelt Row spots. While the bar team leans heavily on technique, clarifying cocktails and infusing flavor through gels, foams and cocktail toppers like salted cherry tomatoes, shards of meringue or black sesame powder, the bar is laid back.

Try the Whisper Carelessly, which brings together tequila, mezcal, watermelon, fermented strawberry, Serrano, mint and lime and is topped with watermelon-lime bubbles, or the Cool Your Jets, which features Grey Goose, agricole, cantaloupe, vanilla Greek yogurt, green tea and mint. Previously walk-in only, Pour Bastards now provides reservations via Tock.