No shock Phoenix—one of many nation’s most progressive cocktail scenes—is house to the last word cocktail pageant.
Pictures courtesy of Arizona Cocktail Weekend
Just like the World Honest for cocktail fans, Arizona Cocktail Weekend will take your data to the subsequent degree because the globe’s finest bar and drinks business professionals descend upon Phoenix, Arizona. The five-day pageant options tastings, seminars, brand-driven pleased hours, and three signature occasions: the Cocktail Carnival, Prime Bars, and Final Slinger Standing.
The place most cocktail festivals have fun native expertise and bars, Arizona Cocktail Weekend champions each native and worldwide bartenders with the Prime Bars occasion, held on Sunday. This occasion is what actually units Arizona Cocktail Weekend—based by celebrated bartender Ross Simon— aside from others. Greater than 40 bars from all around the world showcase their finest cocktails at a historic warehouse in downtown Phoenix.
Like Self-importance Honest’s post-Oscar social gathering, Prime Bars is a star-studded, who’s who of the bar business. As follows have been only a few of the award-winning bars that attended in 2023: San Francisco’s Trick Canine; Albuquerque’s Blissful Accidents; Hong Kong’s Penicillin; London’s Amaro; Las Vegas’ Herbs & Rye; New Orleans’ Jewel of the South; Singapore’s Analogue; in addition to loads of native illustration, like Phoenix’s UnderTow and Little Rituals.
And Phoenix’s excessive caliber of bars—yearly scooping up nominations and awards at Tales of the Cocktail, World’s Prime 50 Bars and others— is what attracts many bartenders and bars to attend.
“I’m actually blown away with the cocktail scene in Phoenix. Full cease,” says first-time Prime Bar attendee Ryan Lilola of Clover Membership in Brooklyn. “Everybody’s very critical about craft right here.”
On the Prime Bar occasion, every bar has a devoted sales space to specific their creativity. Most bars pair the theme of the sales space to the cocktail they serve, like Highball Cocktail bar’s alien-themed sales space served a Shut Encounters cocktail (apple tea-infused Wheatley, Pomp and Whimsy liqueur, sherry, yuzu, orgeat, ginger and Amargo Chuncho bitters). Pontiac—the Hong Kong bar with an all-female bar workers—stayed on-brand with rock-and-roll artwork, serving up their monster well-liked cocktail: the Hobnail (whiskey, ginger, lemon, Amaro, and bitters). Trick Bar’s theme was a child celebration, full with pinatas and bartenders with social gathering hats. Others saved it easy, specializing in the spinning out drinks to the hundreds of thirsty attendees with depraved velocity and precision.
“We’ve been coming right here for 5 years. Prime Bar is our favourite to work. It’s effectively organized and there’s so many proficient bartenders right here,” says Sadie Canada from Denver, Colorado’s Williams and Graham, a World’s 50 Finest Bars winner.
The Cocktail Carnival is yet one more Dionysian affair. Happening on Saturday, the Cocktail Carnival at Walter WhereHouse options over 30 spirit manufacturers, every doing their finest to dazzle the crowds each in elaborately themed cubicles and performative cocktails. The Tito’s vodka sales space delivered probably the greatest cocktail-making spectacles with a billowing smoke as they made liquid nitrogen mojitos. There may be loads of interactive artwork, dwell music and Cirque du Soleil-style acts as effectively.
Arizona Cocktail Weekend’s last public-facing occasion, the Final Slinger Standing is an effective quaint cocktail competitors between a choose variety of Arizona barkeeps. Mixologists are judged on velocity, originality, presentation and naturally, style. Sin Muerte’s bartender Delena Humble took house the Final Slinger Standing trophy in 2023.
Get your tickets now. Over 5000 folks attend. Each Cocktail Carnival and Prime Bars—with over 1300 folks displaying up for time and nice cocktails—promote out yearly.
Listed below are particulars for Arizona Cocktail Weekend 2024:
Arizona Cocktail Weekend, Feb. 16-20, 2024
Tickets begin at $50.
Bar software to attend right here.
February 17:
The Cocktail Carnival
Walter The place? Home, downtown Phoenix
February 18:
Prime Bars
Warehouse 215, downtown Phoenix
February 19:
Final Slinger Standing
Republic Nationwide Distributing Firm, east Phoenix
The place to Keep, Eat and Sip: Arizona Cocktail Weekend’s Phoenix Information
Keep
Rise Uptown Lodge
With a celebration pool scene and a booming rooftop bar, Rise Uptown is, merely put, the place the cool youngsters keep. Rooms have an Arizona-inspired mid-century vibe, full with your personal turntable and data. Don’t miss the ceviche and a spritz at Lylo Swim Membership, the outside restaurant adjoining to the pool. It is a nice choice to remain at for the Arizona Cocktail Weekend for 3 causes: it’s near downtown, it’s reasonably priced, and it’s enjoyable, assured to maintain your spirits excessive (pun attended) in the course of the pageant. I imply, who doesn’t love a popsicle at test in?
Arizona Biltmore
If a swanky resort is what you search, look no additional than Waldorf Astoria’s Arizona Biltmore, the just lately refurbished practically century-old magnificence impressed by Frank Lloyd Wright structure. Though fabulous in each method, from the plush grounds to the elegant rooms, the resort is roughly a 20-minute drive to Arizona Cocktail Weekend occasions.
Eat
Hula’s Trendy Tiki
A enjoyable Hawaiian-meets-Tiki theme, Hula’s is nice to cease for lunch or dinner for some Baja fish tacos, shrimp coconut rolls, Hawaiian BBQ ribs and naturally, the stellar Mai Tais. The Loco Moco, a neighborhood Hawaiian favourite of white rice, burger patty, and egg smothered in gravy, is a superb pre-game feast earlier than both cocktail occasion. When you go within the night, don’t miss a cease on the next-door bar, Captain’s Cabin. It’s darkish, attractive and nautical-themed with a critical tiki cocktail menu and Dave Muhlstein aka Captain Dave, a one-man-marvel behind the bar.
Anhelo Restaurant
Close to each weekend occasions within the coronary heart of downtown Phoenix, Anhelo units a celebratory tone to the start of your evening at Arizona Cocktail Weekend. Deal with your self to indulgent favorites by the extraordinarily gifted chef Ivan Jacobo, just like the Hirame crudo, charred octopus (It was most likely the most effective octopus I’ve ever had, and I order octopus so much!), U10 scallops in a divine candy potato puree and Beef Wellington. Though the menu is elevated, Anhelo’s workers are heat and pleasant, serving to to navigate the dazzling meals choices and 35-page wine menu, a Wine Spectator “Better of Excellence” award winner in 2022.
Pizzeria Bianco
The downtown Phoenix pizza hotspot, close by Cocktail Carnival and Prime Bar occasions, helped chef Chris Bianco earn a James Beard Award for Finest Chef of the Southwest in 2023. Now in 2022, Bianco scooped up one other James Beard award. All that stated, his pizza is that good, plus the mozzarella is that good. Don’t miss it.
Matt’s Huge Breakfast
The proper answer should you tried too many drinks at one of many occasions, Matt’s Huge Breakfast is every part you need in a diner: snug and fast with big plates of greasy-in-a-good-way meals. The one twist right here to the same old diner is that Matt’s components are top-notch high quality.
Drink
Though you’ll have a lot to imbibe throughout Arizona Cocktail Weekend, listed below are a number of the must-visit bars for both boundary-pushing cocktail menus or a bar theater expertise… or each: Little Rituals (in downtown Phoenix), Throughout the Pond, UnderTow (two areas), Platform 18, Bar 1912, Bitter & Twisted (in downtown Phoenix) and one of many latest bars to scene: Quartz.
