244 Best of phoenix 2023 | WWW.bestofphoenix2023.c0m | septemBer 28, 2023 well, and the indoor and outdoor bars have everything you need to achieve a pleasant buzz. A wild lineup of colorful regulars? You can hardly avoid them (nor would you want to, for the most part). There’s a reason that generations of locals have called Casey Moore’s their home bar: It welcomes all through its doors for a meal, a drink or simply a moment of human connection. Best New Bar COABANA 1 E. Washington St. 602-529-2630 coabanaphx.com In today’s age of experiential and immersive cocktail experiences, bars and bartenders are being asked to do a lot more than mix a satisfying drink. And while those experiences can be captivating in their own right, there’s something to be said for subtlety. Downtown bar Coabana has that in spades. The details in the breezy blush-pink space — gold palm fronds shading the bar and painted tiles forming jungle murals above cozy booths — point to its inspiration from Cuba and Miami but aren’t distracting. The drink menu is easy to approach and celebrates the complexity of rum through cocktails that are familiar (craft your own mojito) or brand-new (try the tropical fruit-forward Angelina). The food options are minimal but welcome Cuban-inspired fare. The staff is knowl- edgeable and ready to share insights about the drinks or the spirits they use. It’s another knockout from the team that brought Valley drinkers Pigtails and Rough Rider — and there’s now more time to savor the experience at Coabana with the recent addition of lunch service. Best Bartender ASPEN BINGHAM Garden Bar PHX 822 N. Sixth Ave. 602-824-2385 gardenbarphx.com When visiting Garden Bar, one of downtown Phoenix’s most picturesque and pleasant spots to grab a cocktail, you’ll often find Aspen Bingham behind the bar. As she shakes and stirs drinks and chats to customers, her deep level of expertise could be easy to overlook. But a quiet confi- dence hints that she is quite comfortable at crafting complex cocktails. In February, she was a top 10 finalist for Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender competition, presented by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. The contest included 250 bartenders from the U.S. and Canada. For her entry, Bingham married her two passions, mixology and sustainability, to create a drink that represented the heat island effect that traps hot air in large cities like Phoenix. She also spoke on a panel at Tales of the Cocktail discussing food sover- eignty and has created cocktails for benefit events such as one that protects bees. Her level of thoughtfulness certainly affects her bartending, where she takes mixology from the art of drink-making to something that is intentional and pushes boundaries, inspiring people to think as they sip. Best Downtown Hangout THE PEMBERTON 1121 N. Second St. pembertonphx.com There’s something cool at The Pemberton around every corner. The historic home turned gathering place in Downtown Phoenix has a wealth of bars in trailers, shops in trailers and food stands scattered on the property, plus a few boutiques inside the house. You can shop for crystals at Black Amethyst, sip a cocktail from Baby Boy and grab a slice at Pie-Curious Pizza in one evening. There’s plenty of art to look at on the grounds and lots of places to sit. Whether it’s our destination for the night or just a good place to start, we always make time for The Pemberton. Best 1980s Basement Vibes THE LITTLE WOODY 4228 E. Indian School Road 602-955-0339 littlewoodyaz.com Growing up in the Midwest, we spent a fair amount of our childhood hanging out in someone’s basement. When the nostalgia hits too hard and we need to recapture the feeling of being up to no good in a subterranean rec room, we make a beeline for Arcadia’s The Little Woody. The main room of the bar is dark but fairly chic (we love the lit-up bar), but when you explore further, that’s when you go back in time. Wood paneling, beer mirrors, velvet paintings of sad clowns, trophies, the exact same floral-print armchair your grandparents had back in 1985 — it’s all at The Little Woody, plus games like billiards and Skee-Ball, tasty bar eats and a convivial atmosphere. Best Bar on a College Campus THE PUB AT THUNDERBIRD Thunderbird School of Global Management 401 N. First St., Fifth Floor thunderbird.asu.edu/about/thepub It may be the only full-service official bar on a higher education campus in the Valley, but The Pub at Thunderbird still has a lot going on to win this category. For starters, there’s no signage in the build- ing’s lobby nor in the elevator telling you to go to the fifth floor. And when the doors open, the sounds of enthusiastic mingling and laughter serve as the only directions to this downtown Phoenix watering hole. All of this gives off an unexpected speakeasy vibe. Inside, there’s something for everyone with a full bar that features libations from alumni, an impressive food menu that reflects international flair, shuffleboard and a bevy of flatscreens to catch every game. A rooftop bar flaunts the city skyline and the weekly Pub Night on Thursdays is where you can see students and professors hanging out over sips, bites and live music long after the sun goes down. The pub is closed on the weekends but is open to the public — a fact that flies under the radar beyond the boundaries of this campus and neigh- boring ASU Law School. Best Place to Take a Cocktail Geek POUR BASTARDS 504 E. Roosevelt St. thosepourbastards.com/pour-bastards Do you have a friend who won’t stop talking about everything they learned after watching the mixology competition show “Drink Masters” on Netflix? This is the bar for that friend. The cocktail’s sparse descriptions read almost like a grocery list. Cool Your Jets is a mix of cantaloupe, vanilla Greek yogurt, green tea, mint, agricole and Grey Goose. Yet, after being clarified, the arrestingly clear, golden-hued cocktail that arrives, with a single over- sized ice cube balancing a shard of vanilla meringue, is both maddeningly simple and complex. For all of the time and technique that goes into each sip, there’s a welcome lack of pretentiousness at Pour Bastards. The bar staff is as stoked to pour you a beer or help you pick a natural wine as they are to walk through their cocktail crafting process. There’s even a book you can peruse to see all that went into your tipple. Upon realizing the sheer work that goes into each drink, the bar’s name seems quite apropos, but we’re grateful the team invested the time. Best Rooftop Bar SKYSKILL ROOFTOP LOUNGE 11 E. Seventh St., Tempe 480-968-8885 skysillrooftop.com Metro Phoenix is home to some great views, and occasionally, some truly astounding sunsets. In our opinion, the bold hues of an evening sky are best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand, preferably at Skysill Rooftop Lounge, the bar atop The Westin Tempe near Mill Avenue. Skysill serves mostly elevated bar food (think a lobster corn dog and chicken-and-waffle sliders), plus fun cocktails along with a full bar. We recommend the Sky’s the Limit, a sweet, fruity mix of Hanson’s organic vodka, blue curacao, pineapple, guava and lime. Skysill hosts events like pool parties and DJ nights, but honestly, we like being there best on a quiet evening when the clink of glasses and the faint sounds of the city below are the only accompaniments of another perfect Arizona sunset. Best Basement Bar VALLEY BAR 130 N. Central Ave. 602-368-3121 valleybarphx.com Entering Valley Bar through a back alley and down a deep flight of stairs adds a sense of intrigue and excitement to every trip to this hotspot, whether to meet a friend for a well-crafted cocktail, catch a band, partake in a trivia match or see a Best After-Hours Dance Spot CHARLIE’S PHOENIX 727 W. Camelback Road 602-265-0224 charliesphoenix.com After most of the Valley’s bars and nightclubs close up shop and revelers head to bed or to their favorite post-bar diner, the music plays on at Charlie’s. The uptown Phoenix gay bar’s catchphrase, “There’s always a party at Charlie’s,” rings true. Sunday through Thursday nights, the fun calls it quits at 2 a.m., But on Fridays and Saturdays, you can strut your stuff on the dance floor until 4 a.m. If all that dancing works up an appetite, on-site food truck Charlie’s Tacos serves tacos until the doors close. So pick your spot and hang out on the patio with scantily clad dancers or head inside to make eyes at your crush across the dark space. Multiple bars keep the cocktails flowing and the dancing going until the wee hours when you can stumble home happily, exhausted by all the fun you’ve had.
