With almost 2 million residents within the metropolis, every thing in Arizona’s capital is rising quick—together with its bar scene. “Cocktail tradition is robust, and might be about as robust because it’s been within the final 10 years,” says Mat Snapp, a accomplice in Barter and Shake, the consultancy behind Phoenix’s award-winning idea bar, Century Grand. Snapp moved to Phoenix as a pupil within the Nineties, started to work in bars and eating places within the early aughts, and is thrilled to see the extent of expertise now shaping the town’s evolving cocktail scene.
“I’m impressed day by day by the information and the thirst for information that bartenders have throughout the town,” he says. That free-wheeling creativity behind the stick generally outpaces locals’ appetites for journey, Snapp says. As a constructive offshoot, many cutting-edge bars have judgment-free vibes and menus that give crowd-pleasing Margaritas simply as a lot care and a focus as lacto-fermented mushroom infusions. “You could have Metallica’s biggest hits in your entrance pocket and Bob Dylan’s B-sides in your again pocket,” he says. It’s a promising playlist.
Century Grand
“There are three very particular and elaborate experiences at Century Grand,” Snapp says. UnderTow is a tiki bar with tropical drinks. Modeled after a Twenties prepare automobile, Platform 18 serves cocktails like The Gibson Woman (gin or vodka, dry vermouth, sake, orange bitters, and lemon oil) and 54th Avenue Membership (popcorn-infused reposado tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, togarashi, and pandan). Gray Hen takes cues from Prohibition-era Chinatown. Its menu, designed to seem like a Twenties New York Metropolis newspaper, riffs on every thing from burlesque (the Stars and Garters cocktail options cardamom-infused tequila and hibiscus liqueur) to wonton soup (gin, bourbon, yellow Chartreuse, wonton broth, and toasted sesame). “We’re having manner an excessive amount of enjoyable out right here,” Snapp says. Since opening in 2019, Century Grand has been ranked amongst The World’s 50 Finest Bars and was named Bar of the 12 months at Tales of the Cocktail’s 2023 Spirited Awards.
Barcoa Agaveria
An in depth number of agave spirits headlines Barcoa, a bi-level bar situated behind XICO, a Latin and Indigenous artwork gallery, in a 1928 former ironmongery shop within the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations. The glossy, dimly lit decrease degree affords elegant cocktails like Ellas Caminaron en Fila (mezcal, espresso liqueur, house-made grenadine, pineapple and lime juices, and Angostura) alongside a 40-odd-page menu of tequila, mezcal, sotol, raicilla, and different Mexican spirits.
The extra informal first ground serves typical cantina cocktails like Margaritas, Carajillos, and the Batanga (blanco tequila, lime juice, and Mexican Coca-Cola), all for $7 throughout the weekday blissful hour from 4 to 7 p.m. There’s additionally a patio with a meals truck with quesadillas, chips and guacamole, and churros; and the area hosts occasions together with DJs spinning Latin dance music, free Spanish courses, bachata classes, and karaoke Sundays. “They’ve helped construct an unbelievable group, particularly amongst Latin bar professionals,” says Snapp.
Greenwood Brewing
“Megan Greenwood is a neighborhood who’s making unbelievable beer,” Snapp says of this woman-owned downtown brewery. In 2020, after three years of contract brewing, Greenwood opened the full of life area that features a dog-friendly patio, year-round beer backyard, and an array of award-winning beers. Flagships embody the easy-drinking Herstory Pale Ale, which is made with Mosaic, Falconer’s Flight, and Warrior hops; in addition to a dry-hopped Rosemary IPA, and Function Pilsner, a brilliant, Bohemian-style pilsner made with 100% Saaz hops. Experimental beers change incessantly and embody a blueberry wheat ale and gose-style bitter made with seasonal fruit. The welcoming area hosts stay music and trivia nights, and shows exhibitions by female-identifying artists. Greenwood additionally organizes fundraisers and donates roughly 20 p.c of its annual income to organizations like Contemporary Begin Girls’s Basis, UMOM, and Women on the Run.
Highball
Ever since two Barter and Shake alums opened this cozy, low-lit cocktail bar in 2020, it’s racked up a stack of native and nationwide awards, together with Phoenix New Occasions’ Finest New Bar in 2021 and a number of other Spirited Awards nods at Tales of the Cocktail. The yearly rotating cocktail menu contains riffs on classics, like a Nitro Espresso Martini and a Garibaldi made with a coconut fats–washed home aperitivo mix, in addition to ingenious creations just like the Saturday Evening Particular, a boozy quantity that includes Lapsang Souchong–infused rye alongside sherry, bourbon, scotch, and natural liqueur. “Their menu is a really robust illustration of the capabilities of bar individuals in Phoenix,” Snapp says. He tends to order off-menu “and ask for an Angostura-forward Gin & Tonic,” particularly when the Highball staff has one in every of their distinctive gin infusions out there, made with substances like tea, herbs, or dehydrated mushrooms.
Lux Central
In 2020, after functioning as a conventional espresso store for almost a decade, Lux expanded its footprint and operations to open an inside cocktail bar, dubbed Lux Salon, within the rear of its Uptown constructing. Psychedelic-looking Tom Dixon lighting fixtures, vibrant wall artwork, and a canary-yellow tufted couch brighten the cavernous area. The glossy wooden bar serves artistic cocktails like a Final Phrase riff made with mezcal, crisp white Sangria with rum and sliced peaches, and a each day rotating punch (earlier iterations embody gin and Champagne, or bourbon plus Aperol, strawberries, grapefruit, and thyme). The kitchen serves not-to-be-missed consolation meals classics, Snapp says. “They’ve one of many world’s greatest BLT sandwiches within the historical past of time. You suppose you already know what a BLT is, however this one will change your life.”
Gracie’s Tax Bar
Grace Perry sang with Phoenix steel band Landmine Marathon earlier than she opened this low-key neighborhood joint in what was Abbey Tax Companies in downtown Phoenix in 2017. “It’s a gap within the wall,” says Snapp, and a terrific place to go for a shot and a beer—his duo of selection is Maker’s on the rocks plus an ice-cold Coors Unique. Along with a each day, 4 to 7 p.m. blissful hour that features $5 nicely drinks and $7-9 mini beer pitchers, Gracie’s serves crowd-favorite fried pickles, tater tots, and conventional and vegetarian chopped cheese sandwiches. The pet-friendly out of doors patio hosts DJ units and film screenings; different occasions embody craft nights, pop-ups with native eating places and wineries, and fundraisers with nonprofits like AZ Hugs, which serves unhoused communities within the space. “You at all times have a good time at Gracie’s,” Snapp says.
Carry On
Leap on a first-class flight on this Nineteen Seventies airplane-themed cocktail bar in downtown Phoenix. Carry On takes its bar-goers again to the times when flying was an opulent expertise, full with loads of legroom, a cocktail bar cart, and a view out the portholes (suppose: the prepare journey in Century Grand). In a single 90-minute sitting, you depart from Phoenix, take pleasure in basic cocktails and in-flight snacks, navigate by means of thunderstorms and flying penguins, after which contact down in some far-off vacation spot. The vacation spot colours the cocktail menu, equivalent to a G&T with white wine for San Francisco and a mezcal Negroni for Mexico Metropolis. For these searching for an much more premium expertise, the bar affords the Captain’s Membership boarding cross with a welcome cocktail and snacks, three cocktails, and a four-course mild chunk menu.
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour
In 10 years, this downtown Phoenix cocktail bar situated within the Luhrs Constructing, the town’s first-ever excessive rise, has racked up spectacular accolades, starting from a spot on North America’s 50 Finest Bars to 2 “Excellent” pins on the Pinnacle Information. Pleasant vibes and an in depth menu of cocktails created by a staff lead by proprietor Ross Simon (previously of LAB Bar in London) make this a vacation spot for locals and cocktail vacationers. Order the Solero, a popsicle-inspired cocktail made with vodka, half and half, vanilla liqueur, and keenness fruit purée, syrup, and liqueur. The longtime bar favourite has been on the menu for the reason that doorways first opened.
FYPM
Though this hidden Roosevelt Row cocktail bar, whose identify stands for “Fuck You Pay Me,” does take walk-ins, it’s greatest to make a reservation that may safe a 90-minute slot the place you may partake of modern, well-crafted batched cocktails by co-owner Sam Olguin. Awash in a scorching pink neon glow, the open-concept bar with fluffy pink cloud lamps, black subway tiled partitions, and pink fringed stools serves up modern cocktails to match. Swoon-worthy shows contain distinctive glassware and edible garnishes equivalent to sesame mochi and a wafer cookie drizzled with honey. For these craving one thing extra substantial to nosh on, order a chunk off the menu from adjoining restaurant Fairly Penny.
Tough Rider
Regardless of being named after U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt’s volunteer cavalry regiment and situated on Roosevelt Row, this basement speakeasy goes mild on the Teddy theme, as a substitute choosing delicate and tasteful nods with wooden paneled partitions, Edison bulbs, and embedded gold bullets. It’s a darkish and moody area to step into after taking the elevator down from the intense, all-white foyer of the Ten-O-One constructing. Naturally, there are Victorian-era drinks impressed by Jerry Thomas’ The Bar-Tender’s Information but in addition adventurous cocktails that includes substances like porcini-infused bourbon, goat milk foam, and apple agave shrub.
