Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Ermanos, located at 220 N. Fourth Ave., will be serving up six courses specially paired with Sand-Reckoner wines beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Wilcox-based winemakers will be in attendance at the dinner to speak about their wares, as well as celebrate the release of their rosé. Each course offers up dishes like pierogis, rabbit ragu over pappardelle or bone marrow that is paired with fruits like raspberry, blackberry or orange to accentuate the accompanying wine's flavor. All six courses with wine at $75 plus gratuity. You can make your reservations by e-mailing [email protected].
Here's the full Ermanos menu:
1st Course: 2013 “W”
Watermelon vinaigrette, compressed watermelon, watermelon seeds, served over frisée with herbed chevre
2nd Course: 2014 Rosé
Honeydew melon, raspberry foam, garnishes, candied flowers
3rd Course: 2012 “5”
Raspberry-poached fennel pierogi, brown-butter emulsion
4th Course: 2012 “3”
Ragu of rabbit confit, pickled blackberry, smoked Sonoran wheat pappardelle
5th Course: 2012 “7”
Bone marrow, pickled fruit, raw orange, batard
6th Course: 2011 “11”
Bleu cheese ice cream, caramelized pineapple, almond cake, almond cocoa nib
However, if fruit and wine isn't your bag, you'll likely prefer to head to Union Public House that night at 6:30 p.m. for a bacon and whiskey dinner. In honor of Arizona Bacon Fest, the restaurant, located at 4340 N. Campbell Ave. will feature the first place winning BLT Slider from this year's event. The five pork-centric dishes come paired with different whiskeys, with bourbon being the main feature. The dinner is $75 including tax and gratuity and you can make your reservation for the event by calling 329-8575 or e-mailing [email protected].
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Tags: emanos , union public house , tasting dinners , bacon , wine , whiskey , sand-reckoner , tucson , restaurants , events
Friday, May 29, 2015
America's best food dude and overall badass Anthony Bourdain once aptly described the Negroni as a "satanic delicious hell broth," alluding to its bitterness and boozy punch. As he is right about pho and French fries being the best foods in the world, know that the Negroni, which was allegedly invented by an Italian count named Negroni who wanted his Americano cocktail with a little more bite (he did do time as a rough and tumble cowboy in the U.S., after all), is a cocktail you should be drinking.
Kicking off Negroni Week in Tucson on Monday, June 1, bartender Niklas Morris of Tough Luck Club will be attempting to make a Guinness World Record-setting gigantic Negroni. With the current record set unofficially at three liters, Morris seeks to smash that record over 55 times over with a 45 gallon Negroni that will be served in Tough Luck Club and made in the beer garden upstairs starting at 7 p.m.
Then, from June 1 until June 7 you can order up a Negroni at participating bars and they will donate a portion of their Negroni sales to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. So, basically, you get a delicious Negroni and the museum in charge of preserving the integrity of our beautiful surroundings, including its heritage flora, gets money for it. Win-win, right?
This year's line-up of participating bars in Tucson include North, Casino Del Sol, Playground, Reilly Craft Pizza, Mr. Heads, The Flycatcher and Sidecar.
In anticipation of one of the best weeks in the whole year, which will include a 45 gallon Negroni, you can watch this video of Anthony Bourdain making the cocktail (in an expectedly haphazard way) because they are great and so is he:
Tags: tough luck club , negroni week , niklas morris , cocktail , biggest , record , arizona sonoran desert museum , casino del so , the flycatcher , north , Video
Friday, May 22, 2015
Although summer signifies a time for many Tucsonans when it's time to start looking for ways to get out of town, summer cocktail menus have begun popping up around popular local bars meaning that now is the perfect opportunity to explore the lighter, brighter flavors bartenders can play with.
No place is this more evident than Agustin Kitchen, where bar manager Ciaran Wiese uses infusions and interesting techniques to mix up a range of flavors on his newest cocktail menu. Done as a collaborative effort between Wiese and bartenders David Scharf and Leah Majalca, the menu is, as in previous iterations, separated into three sections based on drinkability.
The first section—Easy Drinkin'—runs at $9 (or just $5 during happy hour) per drink and focuses on more approachable flavors and typically less spirit-forward drinks, the Sonoran Old Fashioned being an exception there. The Wildflower Sour, like many drinks on the new menu, is sunny and citrusy with a fortified Cocchi Americano wine and features a wildflower-infused gin.
You'll also find the Bartender's Whim—a weekly rotating special—on the Easy Drinkin' menu. I had assumed, wrongly, that one recent special, which included mint whiskey, was just some bottle of distillery-made mint whiskey a distributor rep dropped off at the bar and the bar staff then figured out some way to use it up. Actually, even the rotating specials get the Agustin treatment and this particular drink utilized Rittenhouse rye infused with fresh, herbaceous mint leaves.
If you're beginning to notice a theme of infused spirits here, you're right on track. Weise's bar, regardless of season, seems to have a focus on developing flavors through infusions, though this summer menu errs on the side of light, floral and herbal for a more delicate palette.
Tags: agustin kitchen , cocktail , menu , summer , tucson , craft , ciaran wiese , Image
Thursday, May 21, 2015
On the precipice of Tap & Bottle's two-year anniversary, Rebecca and Scott Safford have decided to make some changes. While the wife-and-husband duo has been running operations largely on their own at their beer and wine bar and bottle shop off of Sixth Avenue since it opened in June 2013, they have now decided to enlist some help by hiring Connor Mansager as their bar manager.
"He's our first manager so this is a big step for us," owner Rebecca Safford says. "I think it's going to bring us to the next level."
She says that one of the main reasons Mansager was brought on board is that the bar is planning to open a second location, though that is still in its very early stages and no details on where it will be are currently available.
Tucson barflies likely know Mansager's name already as a Scott & Co. and later Agustin Kitchen bartender. Although he's primarily known for his gifts in the cocktail and spirit world, Mansager says hospitality is his main specialty.
"I'm all about the hospitality business," he says. "I like to see people come into the space where I work and have a good time whether it's a beer bar or a dive bar or wherever else."
"What makes Tap and Bottle special is what Connor already does well—it's talking to customers," Safford adds. "We really are a neighborhood bar."
Safford says that while Mansager's new position will mostly be a "continuation of what we've been doing," she hasn't ruled out incorporating his expertise in the cocktail world over at Tap & Bottle in the way of an increased and more consistent beer and wine cocktail offering.
"We were excited to bring Connor on because he has a true appreciation for drink and what it means to be craft," she says.
Mansager says his overall experience will contribute to the environment regardless.
"My past experience in fine dining and fancy cocktails won't be lost here," he says. "My end goal has always been the person sitting in front of me."
You can catch Mansager at Tap & Bottle, located at 403 N. Sixth Avenue #135, this weekend at the shop's second annual Sour Beer Fest, which will feature 15 taps of different sour brews as well as special bottle tastings. We'll keep you updated on news of that second Tap & Bottle location as it becomes available.
Tags: tap and bottle , connor mansager , second location , rebecca safford , beer bar , bottle shop , craft , wine , Image
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Good news, everyone! You don't have to drive an hour and a half to get some Beast Brewing beer anymore. That's because the brewery to the southwest of the Old Pueblo is now selling their first bottled brew.
Starting Thursday, May 21, all of the Whole Foods Market locations in Arizona will be carrying 12-ounce bottles of Beast Brewing's first packaged beer: the Sexy Beast Coffee Stout. The beer is brewed with Old Bisbee Roasters' organic Nicaraguan coffee, making it a good pick-me-up kind of drink. According to the brewery, the Sexy Beast name comes from the drink's unique body.
It has a smooth, sexy texture, is medium bodied and perfect for the Arizona climate. It has a chocolate malt & coffee backbone with hints of nuttiness.
The Baja Arizona brewery, which opened a little over a year ago, will also be releasing their flagship strong pale ale in bottles within the next few weeks.
In a statement, Beast Brewing owner Amanda Gibson said that while the bottles will help keep up with demand, she also hopes it will increase the brewery's steadily growing fan base.
“Bringing bottles to Beast Brewing means we can reach that many more fans," Gibson said. "Bottles allow us to break into more accounts and give our fans the chance to bring our beer home to enjoy and share with friends, making us more of a household name. “
You can find bottles of Beast Brewing's Sexy Beast coffee stout beginning Thursday at the three Tucson Whole Foods Market locations: 3360 E. Speedway Blvd., 5555 E. River Road and 7133 N. Oracle Road.
Tags: beast brewing co. , bisbee , bottled beer , tucson , amanda gibson , sexy beast , coffee stout , release
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Eastside dwellers are about to get their very own craft beer and wine bar called Arizona Beer House. Ran by longtime friends Brian McBride and Alvin Kuenster, the bar and bottle shop seeks to breathe some new life in the area of Kolb Road and Broadway Boulevard.
"With all of the attention on downtown right now, we're just trying to bring something to the east side that has that downtown feel," McBride says.
The duo, along with Kuenster's wife and McBride's brother, are looking to open by the end of June at 150 S. Kolb Road if everything goes as planned. McBride says he's been looking to open the bar for a while, actually, but just finally took the plunge.
"I've been talking about it for years and years and I finally said to my brother, 'I'm done talking. Let's start looking for a building,'" he says.
Starting out, the bar will offer 30 craft brews on tap with a focus on local breweries, though McBride says they're also likely feature west coast breweries as well. Bottles of Arizona wine and draft craft soda will also be available.
Although the pair doesn't have plans to serve food, they are looking to team up with neighboring restaurants and bring in food trucks to satiate hungry imbibers.
In terms of the general aesthetic, it seems Arizona Beer House is looking to emulate other popular downtown bars. McBride says the bar won't have TVs but will have a variety of "old pub games" like darts. They have also been speaking with Scott and Rebecca Safford of Tap & Bottle for advice and inspiration.
"They've been so supportive of us. Everyone has been really welcoming," McBride says. "Tucson has a great craft beer community."
That community includes, of course, the brewers who McBride says are excited to see their beer featured elsewhere in Tucson. To stay up to date with Arizona Beer House's progression, you can follow the bar on Facebook.
Tags: arizona beer house , craft beer , tucson , bar , wine , local , Image
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
The Living Streets Alliance is celebrating another successful month of Bike Fest in Tucson this Thursday with an event at Borderlands Brewing Co.
The brewery will be serving up a range of their craft drafts, including the Agua Bendita barleywine, Citrana gose and Betty's Beard sour stout. Food will be available by the Blacktop Grill food truck as well as cake and more snacks courtesy of Whole Foods. Local band Hey, Bucko! will be performing at the event as well.
You can join in on the last of this month's Bike Fest festivities by heading to Borderlands, located at 119 E. Toole Ave., on Thursday, April 30. The event starts at 5 p.m. and is free to attend. If you bike there, and you should, you can valet your ride courtesy of Transit Cycles.
Tags: bike fest , tucson , bicycles , living streets alliance , borderlands brewing co , craft beer , blacktop grill , food truck , hey bucko , transit cycles , Image
Monday, April 27, 2015
To me, the easiest way to explain the relationship of tequila and mezcal is that old thing your high school geometry teacher used to say about quadrilaterals and squares: all tequilas are mezcals but not all mezcals are tequilas. Actually there's bacanora, sotol, raicilla and the more common mezcal de Oaxaca too. So, what's the difference?
To boil it down, it's all a matter of where and from what agave species (or succulent in the case of sotol) the liquor is made. However, if you're interested in tasting the difference, Agave Fest at Hotel Congress is the event for you—and trust me, even beginners in the spirits tasting game can taste the variety in the wide world of mezcal.
Tags: hotel congress , agave fest , tequila , mezcal , bacanora , sotol , janos wilder
Friday, April 24, 2015
It's no secret that Penca's Bryan Eichhorst has a passion for agave distillates. Recently, he created a full menu for the downtown restaurant listing all of their mezcals—there are 32—in categories with notes on how it's made and from where it originates.
With a few new spring cocktails and old favorites like the housemade tepache, Penca's cocktail menu is modest, but ranges from bold and spirit forward to sipable and tart with just a few drinks.
One of the menu's stand-out new drinks is the Jicaro—a cocktail that shows both Eichhorst's knowledge of the history of agave spirits and his penchant for making them into balanced cocktails.
The four ingredient cocktail uses infusions to give the simple drink an extra edge. Eichhorst infuses Del Maguey Vida mezcal with elote (you know, corn). He also infuses, er, macerates aguamiel with chiltepin chiles.
Tags: penca , jicaro , craft cocktails , mezcal , aguamiel , elote , chiltepin , tucson , bryan eichhorst , agave , Image
Monday, April 20, 2015
Friday night marked the release of Tough Luck Club's new cocktail menu. Like the last, it's a four page zine-style booklet complete with cocktail recipes. However, according to bartender Niklas Morris, what sets this new menu apart is the bar coming into its own.
"The bar is finding its identity," he says. "First menus are usually about equal parts status quo and shock and awe, with the second you can begin shaping the bar."
Morris compares this process to a comedian workshopping jokes, and, like the first menu, this new one is not short in humor. The This Is Heartbreak, for instance, is a drink named to reference the fact that the bar has a no Morrissey/The Smiths rule. While the name might be a little silly, the drink itself is a seriously tasty blend of genever, sweet vermouth, Bonal and Creme de Noyaux.
However, the menu isn't all that's new at TLC. Morris says the bar plans to roll out two new programs: the Acid Cat Spirit Guide and the Culinary Experience.
The Acid Cat Spirit Guide will launch next Friday, April 24 and will be "like an inverse bartenders choice." The bartenders will each have their own special secret drink. You don't get to know what's in it, it will "actively change" in terms of flavor as you drink it and it will look nothing like what it tastes like.
"Buy the ticket, take the ride," Morris says.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Culinary Experience is poking fun at the cocktail world's penchant for embracing "convoluted trendy culinary technique behind the bar." To take all of that one step further, you can expect classic cocktails with a snack food twist. Using techniques like immersion circulation, vacuum chambers or rotovap essential oils, the TLC team will mix up pizza daiquiris, ranch dressing gin sours, chips and salsa margaritas and whiskey and pho sodas in bottles.
Overall, even asking what the menu is conceptually yields a somewhat cheeky response:
"Spring obviously, but we try to match the greater Midwestern seventies basement feel. A dash of Italian influence, like a father who is half Italian, but insists on talking about the old country he's not from. I did notice when I was compiling our menu that we really only make tiki drinks anymore. Not tropical per se, but fun and really conceptual," Morris explains.
You can try out all 24 of the new drinks (hopefully not in one sitting) while the spring menu runs for the next few months. Morris says TLC's menu will change quarterly.
Tags: tough luck club , spring , cocktail , menu , tucson , craft , spirits , niklas morris , Image
