and pick up some imported European snacks and some funky cheese sure to wow any dinner party guest. An uptown location of the wine store celebrated its grand opening this fall. Best Neighborhood Taproom CHUPACABRA TAPROOM 14 North Robson, Mesa 480-751-5566 chupacabrataproom.com When you walk in, you can practically hear the Cheers theme song play. Everyone is friendly. Everyone is talking to each other at the 12-seat bar and sipping a glass of wine, an Arizona beer, or a $3 Montucky Cold Snack. Chupacabra is where the Mesa locals go for a great beverage selection; there are 32 rotating beers on tap; a curated selection of cans; wines from Arizona, Argentina, and everywhere in between; and their latest addition, rotating slushies. Chupacabra is a solid hangout every day of the week, but if you’re there on the weekend, you may catch a DJ on the roof or a beer pong tournament, just some of the events Chupacabra hosts to make it a neighborhood mainstay, not just a place to get a drink. Best Arizona Bourbon SACRED STAVE SanTan Spirits 495 East Warner Road, #101, Chandler 480-534-7041 santanspirits.com SanTan Spirits has been distilling since 2015, and their Sacred Stave Arizona Bourbon makes it clear why they’re one of the top distilleries in Arizona. It’s not because their Cinnamaple Whiskey tastes amazing on French toast (it does). It’s because they’ve figured out how to distill a bourbon that challenges the notion that Kentucky is best. Their Sacred Stave bourbon is high rye with a 28 percent rye malt aged in white oak barrels and then finished in carefully selected wine barrels. The result is a ridiculously smooth and oaky bourbon, but with a slightly sweet finish because of wine barrels. The flavor profile is similar to bourbons from Angel’s Envy, Four Roses, and other heavy hitters that are their best in a rocks glass by the fireside. Best Arizona Agave Spirit DROVE EL ROBLE Wild Hare Distilling 5869 South Kyrene Road, #18, Tempe 602-402-2329 wildharedistillery.com If it’s made in Arizona, we can’t call it tequila, but Wild Hare Distilling is breaking down barriers in the world of agave spirits. Jim Matz and Wendy Tilton, the husband-and-wife team behind the distillery, are experimenting with new flavors and ways to think about agave spirits. Drove El Roble isn’t like other spirits — it’s something else. It’s created with their clear, agave spirit base, but they add fermented cacao to give it some choc- olate notes, and it’s aged in an American oak barrel that provides the spirit with a rich, almost bourbon-like color and depth of flavor. On sipping, the notes of cacao come through along with some vanilla and oak from the char. It’s an ode to the complexity that an agave spirit can have. Best Liquor Store TREVOR’S 7340 East McDowell Road, Scottsdale 480-581-8923 trevors.com Walking into Trevor’s as an adult is akin to the childhood experience of walking into a candy store. Trevor Phillips, the owner, knew what Total Wine was missing, and he ran with it and created a liquor store that isn’t just a stop on the way, but a desti- nation in itself, just south of Old Town Scottsdale. The selection is excellent. There are colorful displays and end caps with liquor we haven’t even heard of before. There are recommendations and an entire refrigerated room to peruse cigars. And then it gets better. Past the registers, there’s a beer and wine bar with cozy chairs, a daily happy hour, and a constantly rotating selection. There’s nothing better than being able to try a beer before you commit to all four cans. The bar also has an expansive patio and a regular food truck schedule. 224 BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
