238 NIGHTLIFE BEST NIGHTLIFE GURU CHRIS SUMLIN INSTAGRAM.COM/THECHRISSUMLIN In Chris Sumlin, Phoenix nightlife has that rare hype man who brings zero bullshit. He’s part influencer — he has more than 100,000 combined followers on TikTok and Insta- gram, where he shouts out bars and restau- rants. But he also throws events himself. Thursday nights at Breakfast Bitch, he’s hosting Phoenix Idol Karaoke, with a $100 cash prize. His affinity for pop divas comes through in his Bey-Hive brunch. For Moth- er’s Day, he threw a Bad Mom Bingo at Pour Decisions. For four hours each Sunday, starting at 10 a.m., he’s DJing and talking on Hot 97.5’s Sundays with Sumlin. When he calls out places — as in a recent Instagram reel where he blasted the low-key hostility that Black patrons encounter in Scottsdale’s nightlife — he does so with diplomacy and authority. “We’re in a loneliness epidemic, period,” he recently told the Thriving Loudly Podcast. “And I know that Black men are sometimes the most subjected to loneliness, depression.” To be the change he wants to see, he has launched a recurring event called The Check-In, at which Black men gather, pray and talk about the real shit in their lives. Sumlin is expanding the concept — he’s taking it to San Diego soon — while foremost stoking the scene in Phoenix. i i i BEST FORTUITOUS CAR TROUBLE J. COLE When J. Cole staged a sold-out blowout at Mortgage Matchup Center in September, it marked his second stop in the Valley this year. The first, though, was pure happen- stance. Back in February, the Grammy- winning rapper and producer treated local Dreamers to an impromptu appearance thanks to a twist of fate. Cole was headed to L.A. on his Trunk Sale Tour, which involved hawking copies of his latest album, “The Fall-Off,” for $1 out of his old Honda Civic at pop-ups across the country. Phoenix wasn’t on the itinerary until his road-weary ride crapped out here. Cole dropped the Civic at Virginia Auto Service on Seventh Street for repairs and tweeted he was “gonna mob around the city” selling CDs. Word soon spread, particularly after the staff at the shop dropped a dime. Within minutes an enor- mous crowd swarmed outside. When Cole returned to the shop, he signed autographs, posed for photos and gave Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker a shoutout. It was one of the Valley’s biggest hip-hop moments of the year, thanks to an unscheduled breakdown. BEST SOCIAL MEDIA SENSATIONS DREWKEY 5000 TIKTOK.COM/@DREWKEY5000 Social media phenoms can pop up anywhere — even the far West Valley. Brothers Andrew and Keenan Iwinski of Surprise (Drewkey, get it?) had been posting their music on TikTok for a while, often covers of hip-hop songs done in a retro crooner style. Virality wasn’t in the plans until, as so often happens, a single video changed everything. In Drewkey5000’s case, it was a low-fi clip of the brothers wearing blazers and hats, doing an old-timey version of Rich The Kid’s “Plug Walk” in front of a CVS drugstore. That video, posted on May 24, 2025, has racked up more than 50 million views. Fans wanted more. Drewkey obliged with covers of “Gassed Up” by Nebu Kiniza, “Bad and Boujee” by Migos (swapping “young rich crackers” for another term) and “Black & White” by Juice WRLD. The brothers sold out a show at Valley Bar this summer. Then came the social media announcement in September. Andrew was going to be stepping away from the project — hanging up the suit and putting the hat down, as he said. What- ever the future of Drewkey5000 is, we’ll always have the videos. i i i BEST BAR LITTLE RITUALS 132 S. CENTRAL AVE. 602-603-2050 LITTLERITUALSBAR.COM Expectations go out the window at this low-lit, intimate nook on the fourth floor of a downtown Marriott. The menu is recogniz- able at first — there are takes on classic drinks and descriptions with words like “complex,” “devious” and “sassy.” But there’s a sophisticated touch to these elixirs: a paloma made with koji soda, a pear brandy Negroni, an espresso cocktail finished with local cold brew. Ross Simon built his reputa- tion at Bitter & Twisted before opening Little Rituals a block away with Aaron DeFeo. The new digs officially came into their own in 2025 with an award as the country’s top hotel bar. Credit goes to the obsessive and precise craftwork — and the primo views of downtown — that make Little Rituals a boozy garden of delight. i i i BEST NEW BAR TROPIC THUNDER 1014 N. SECOND ST. 480-264-3065 INSTAGRAM.COM/TROPICTHUNDERPHX This disorientingly sexy, photogenic-AF bar engulfs you in an ethanol-forward tiki version of some “Rick and Morty”-ass pocket dimension. Arguably the most cinematic single room in the Valley is Tropic Thunder’s windowless, TV-less main space: moody music, gently shifting lights and a massive Kong skull, set below glass fishing balls and tackle netting that hang from the already- low ceiling create a nautical-flavored sense of intimacy. Once word of this place got around, the bar began filling up on weekend nights and even late on weeknights. So arrive early, settle in slow and watch as the mood bends from conspiratorial to boisterous. The drinks are varied, rum-bold, spice-promis- cuous, delicious and served occasionally in, like, idol heads; you’ll be on your fourth before you realize that going past two was a mistake. Eventually you’ll stumble out onto the corner of Roosevelt and Second streets wondering what continent you just returned from. BEST COCKTAIL GENIUS JUSTIN CHARD COURSE RESTAURANT 7366 E. SHEA BLVD., #106, SCOTTSDALE 480-687-0491 COURSERESTAURANTAZ.COM On “Mad Men,” Peggy Olson once said: “You need three ingredients for a cocktail. Vodka and Mountain Dew is an emergency.” At Course in Scottsdale, three ingredients is often just the beginning of the journey. Justin Chard heads the bar program, which gives guests rotating cocktail menus inspired by some of Chard’s favorite movies and TV programs. The most recent drinks were based on “True Detective,” and the Wanna Make Flowers was a gin-based masterpiece with a list of ingredients so long, we’d blow past our 200-word limit if we detailed them. Other menus have been based on “Tropic Thunder” and “Space- balls,” yielding cocktails that have a sense of humor and a sense of adventure, blending flavor profiles in unique ways to make drinks as unforgettable as a Mel Brooks gag. We’re not the only ones impressed by Chard’s imagination. Course made this year’s Pinnacle Guide, a Michelin-style roundup of the world’s best cocktail bars. i i i BEST IMMERSIVE DRINKING EXPERIENCE CARRY ON 2 N. CENTRAL AVE., #101 602-562-3510 CARRYONPHX.COM Phoenix has a borderline baffling number of experiential bars that aim to entertain while serving drinks. Some feel gimmicky — truly, how much narrative arc does a buzz require? — but Pretty Decent Concepts nails the premise with Carry On. You book a 90-minute cocktail session that simulates a jaunt across the sky in a 1970s luxury airliner, replete with beverage service. Somehow, amid the cheeky, hip vibe, the focus stays on the cocktails. The bar varies the offerings per “flight season,” crafting them to complement the city of destination. The menu for the Tokyo flight, for instance, included a phenomenal sipper known as the Bamboo: sake, vermouth, dry sherry, herbal liqueur, a duo of bitters and a bamboo leaf. Carry On also offers a collection of slightly reimagined classic cocktails, and a build-your-own martini cart from which a server stirs up a stiff coda tableside before you disembark. Strip away the boarding passes and rumbling seats, and Carry On would still be among the city’s most in-demand bar reservations.