246 party until late in the night, but for a more serene atmosphere, we recommend Wine Girl. The ultra-feminine decor includes roses in vases, white wicker chairs and several backdrops for photo ops, and the back- ground music is heavy on the 1990s and 2000s pop hits. The menu, as you might imagine, is mostly vino, including tasting flights, wine cocktails and frosés. Nibbles include light fare such as dips, flatbreads and avocado toasts. It all makes Wine Girl a mandatory destination for bachelorettes. 22222 B EST N O N -A LC O H O L I C D R I N K O P T I O N S Maple House 198 W. Boston St., Chandler 480-247-8727 maplehouseaz.com Maple House is not your average bar. The downtown Chandler spot was opened in late 2023 by the team behind the craft cocktail bar The Brickyard and eateries including Hidden House. The space is inspired by an old farm- house, with cozy spots inside and out, perfect for a relaxed afternoon or nightcap. While the founders know their way around a cock- tail shaker, it’s Maple House’s alcohol-free options — from its all-day coffee service to zero-proof cocktails — that are notable. That’s by design; the team wanted to create a comfortable, casual spot with drinks to match. Maple House’s mocktails are based on popular classics. The Nojito replaces rum with the spiritless Seedlip Garden 108, which is made by distilling herbs and botanicals. The use of Seedlip ups the herbaceous quality of the cucumber and mint-forward refresher. In addition to nonalcoholic options, Maple House has a selection of low-ABV cocktails, beer and wine. 22222 B E ST P L AC E TO TA K E A C O C KTA I L G E E K Fuck You Pay Me 509 E. Roosevelt St. fypmphx.com In case you didn’t know, there’s a mirrored wall inside Disco Dragon on Roosevelt Row, and behind the mirror lies Fuck You Pay Me, one of Phoenix’s newer speakeasies. Your journey begins with a welcome shot. Ours was a white tea shot, but don’t let that fairly basic sip fool you — FYPM is the place to take your cocktail-loving friends. Options like the sweet-but-not-too-sweet No Dice (dark cherry, cognac, apricot, smoky tea and tart cherry), the bubbly Main Squeeze (lemon cream greek yogurt, grains of para- dise and orange gin) are fun and creative, and pair well with bar’s menu of Asian-inspired bites. (The shrimp tempura bao buns are to die for.) Add in an intimate space bathed in pink light and hip tunes playing in the back- ground and you’ve got the perfect recipe for an evening of cocktails. B E ST N E W N I G H TC LU B Thundercat Lounge 747 W. Van Buren St. 602-789-3600 thundercatloungephx.com New bars and clubs often need a theme to survive and thrive in the Valley’s crowded nightlife scene. Case in point: Downtown Phoenix’s Thundercat Lounge made the biggest splash of any new local nightspot after its January debut by tapping into a deep sense of nostalgia. The “visually immersive” 3,000-square-foot club is like a time warp and differs from other recent arrivals with its retro vibes. The foyer is equipped with lighting inspired by “Star Wars.” The rest- rooms incorporate the vibrant aesthetics of “Saved by the Bell” and “Pee-wee’s Play- house.” The main room is drenched in neon, adorned with Patrick Nagel prints and exudes an ’80s and ’90s mall food court aura. Thundercat Lounge transcends its nostalgic shtick by booking tastemaking DJ/producers such as Com Truise, YehMe2 and Felix Cartal to perform on the club’s stage, which is equipped with a 20,000-watt PK Sound system and LED video wall. According to co-owners Jeremiah Gratza and Jacob Wiedmann, the pair behind the Melrose District’s popular Thunderbird Lounge, this allows Thundercat to keep one foot in the past while staying relevant with cutting-edge music tastes. 22222 B E ST N I G H TC LU B Cake Nightclub 4405 N. Saddlebag Trail, Scottsdale 480-626-8465 cakenightclub.com Cake has been around long enough to qualify as a Scottsdale nightlife institution, but it’s anything but boring or predictable. No cap. One of the last true nightclubs in the city’s entertainment district, this 3,500-square-
