No shock Phoenix—one of many nation’s most revolutionary cocktail scenes—is dwelling to the last word cocktail competition.
Photographs courtesy of Arizona Cocktail Weekend
Just like the World Honest for cocktail fans, Arizona Cocktail Weekend will take your data to the following stage because the globe’s finest bar and drinks trade professionals descend upon Phoenix, Arizona. The five-day competition options tastings, seminars, brand-driven completely satisfied hours, and three signature occasions: the Cocktail Carnival, High Bars, and Final Slinger Standing.
The place most cocktail festivals have a good time native expertise and bars, Arizona Cocktail Weekend champions each native and worldwide bartenders with the High 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 Vainness Honest’s post-Oscar social gathering, High Bars is a star-studded, who’s who of the bar trade. As follows had been just some 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 High 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 High Bar attendee Ryan Lilola of Clover Membership in Brooklyn. “Everybody’s very severe about craft right here.”
On the High Bar occasion, every bar has a devoted sales space to precise 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 employees—stayed on-brand with rock-and-roll artwork, serving up their monster standard cocktail: the Hobnail (whiskey, ginger, lemon, Amaro, and bitters). Trick Bar’s theme was a child birthday celebration, full with pinatas and bartenders with social gathering hats. Others stored 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. High Bar is our favourite to work. It’s effectively organized and there’s so many gifted bartenders right here,” says Sadie Canada from Denver, Colorado’s Williams and Graham, a World’s 50 Finest Bars winner.
The Cocktail Carnival is 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 the most effective 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 efficient 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 dwelling the Final Slinger Standing trophy in 2023.
Get your tickets now. Over 5000 individuals attend. Each Cocktail Carnival and High Bars—with over 1300 individuals exhibiting up for a superb time and nice cocktails—promote out yearly.
Listed here 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:
High 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 Resort
With a celebration pool scene and a booming rooftop bar, Rise Uptown is, merely put, the place the cool children 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 competition. I imply, who doesn’t love a popsicle at examine in?
Arizona Biltmore
If a swanky resort is what you search, look no additional than Waldorf Astoria’s Arizona Biltmore, the lately refurbished almost century-old magnificence impressed by Frank Lloyd Wright structure. Though fabulous in each means, from the luxurious grounds to the elegant rooms, the resort is roughly a 20-minute drive to Arizona Cocktail Weekend occasions.
Eat
Hula’s Fashionable 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, an area Hawaiian favourite of white rice, burger patty, and egg smothered in gravy, is a good pre-game feast earlier than both cocktail occasion. Should 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 severe 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 night time 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 rather a lot!), U10 scallops in a divine candy potato puree and Beef Wellington. Though the menu is elevated, Anhelo’s employees 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 High 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 Large Breakfast
The proper answer when you tried too many drinks at one of many occasions, Matt’s Large Breakfast is every little thing you need in a diner: snug and fast with large 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 here are among 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 places), Platform 18, Bar 1912, Bitter & Twisted (in downtown Phoenix) and one of many latest bars to scene: Quartz.
