Mill Avenue, Tempe’s number one spot for drinks, dining, dancing, and all around good times, will be adding one more spot to quench your thirst this summer. Opening in early July, World of Beer will make Mill its first AZ location.

Actually this popular east coast bar will make Tempe its first west coast location and with over 50 craft and major beers on tap, we can barely hide our excitement. If any of you have been to Mill recently, then you surely remember the old bank/former American Apparel retailer on 6th street. That old bank will become the newest franchise of WOB. And they’re doing some pretty cool things to it. For instance, the bar is utilizing the bank’s vault and turning it into a safe room, complete with TVs and seating for up to 15 people. World of Beer is also working to restore the building’s old, red brick to its former glory.

Perfect for all of you ASU students on summer vacation, WOB will be looking for more than 30 new employees to work at the new Tempe location.  Information on a job fair in June will soon be available and interested candidates can sign-up online to be notified in advance.

We’ll see you at the Grand Opening in July!

World of Beer | 526 Mill Avenue | Tempe, Arizona 85281

Ladies, Wednesdays are about to become less boring. At 9 p.m every Wednesday starting March 7, The Mint in Scottsdale will present “Soiree de la Femme,” a monthly affair of elegance and indulgence for  all of the girls in your life. Get the VIP girl’s night out treatment with mini-manicures and free hair styling by Primp N’ Blow – not to mention sweet treats, a champagne bar and half-price cosmopolitans till 11 p.m. Along with half-off beer, champagne, cocktails and wine starting at 10 p.m., female DJ’s will rock the evenings away till 2 a.m., starting with San Diego’s Tara Brooks, who has played the Winter Music Conference in Miami and at various Las Vegas and Hollywood hotspots. Girls who attend will also receive gift bags filled that items that we love, such as gift cards, coupons and beauty supplies.

For more information, click here.

Whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur or just a lover of libations, Arizona Cocktail Week has been a blast, but it is far from over. Keep the celebrations in tow with a Cocktail Dinner at Distrito or a Clase Azul Tequila Dinner at La Hacienda February 23, and top off the week’s festivities with St. Germains at Culinary Dropout.

From 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, February 23, Distrito Chef Pete Balodimas, Ambassador for Milagro tequila Gaston Martinez and master mixologist Jason Asher will host a special “imbibe and dine” evening, where each guest will be given their own mixology kit and will learn to make Milagro cocktails, the Mercadito, Veracruzana and Carpe Dia. Guests will also pair their creations with three courses featuring luscious dishes like Tuna Ceviche with cucumber salsa, lime sorbet, pickled jalapeno and compressed cucumber and Roasted Suckling Pig with blackberry mojo and garbanzo-sage cassoulet. Followed by tequila flights and churros for dessert, cost is $40 per guest. To make reservations, call 480.970.4444.

That same evening, La Hacienda will provide a four-course dinner menu featuring Clase Azul Anejo tequila, accompanied by specialty cocktails, tequila flights and a sampling of the Clase Azul Extra Anejo, ‘Ultra.’ Clase Azul owner, John Hanson, will ride along for the evening, along with Chef Forest Hamrick and “Tequila Goddess” Danielle Griffin. Limited seating available. Cost is $85 per person. To reserve a spot, call 480.585.4848 ex. 7320.

Cap off Cocktail Week at St. Germains Bottoms Up Event at 11 a.m. February 25 at Culinary Dropout. Co-hosted by Young’s Market Co., the event is complimentary for conference attendees and will feature live music, food and of course, specialty cocktails until midnight. Guests will be able to discuss what they learned this week, speak with industry experts and perhaps mix up some new concoctions.

Culinary Dropout | 7135 East Camelback Road # 125, Scottsdale, AZ | 85251

Who said you have to go all the way to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras? No one! Instead, start the festivities on Saturday, February 18 with the Downtown Phoenix Mardi Gras Parade, Festival & Pub Crawl. Beginning with the parade on Madison between 1^st Street and Central, mardi-goers will then head on over to the Festival at CityScape, which will feature bands like Bad Cactus Marching Band, food vendors, artists and fortune tellers. If they haven’t partied enough to last till next year, participants can then cap off the evening with the Mardi Crawl, a pub crawl that will run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and will stop at Seamus McCaffrey’s, Rose & Crown, Bar Smith, Coach & Willie’s, Ghost Lounge, Tilted Kilt, Copper Blues, and Lucky Strike. Followed by after-hours pizza at Downtown Pizza Lounge, tickets are $8 in advance and $10 the day of the event; trolleys will take teams to each bar. For tickets, click here. 

If you enjoy tasting and learning about different wines, sip with us at The Mint tonight Thursday, February 16, to sample their wine list. The night will offer five tastes of exceptional wines for $5. Along with that a $5 sampler of signature Asian delicacies, courtesy of Chef Johnny Chu, will be available. Have some Sugar Cane Pork, Edamame with White Truffle Butter, and Goat Cheese Wontons paired with a nice Chardonnay or Merlot.

If you want to learn more about wines and vineyards, The Mint will also feature an on-site sommelier. The night is completed with live entertainment by Lea Cappelli.

So drink up winos, we’ll see you tonight.

The Mint | 7373 East Camelback Road | Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

If you’re like us, the back-to-work grind has you reaching for a stiff drink. Don’t worry; there’s no need to let go of vacation fever just yet. Ditch the vodka-on-the-rocks this weekend and head to Scottsdale’s Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar for our fruity and refreshing drink of the weekend pick, the Hibiscus Key Lime Cocktail. Infused with sweet pineapple and tangy key lime juice, this pretty-in-pink elixir may transport you straight to Hawaii…or at least get you in the mood for the next holiday.

Ingredients
1.5 parts vodka
.5 pars Cointreau
1 part hibiscus syrup
1 part pineapple juice
1 part hand pressed key lime juice
5 cubes muddled fresh pineapple

Preparation
Mix all ingredients together and strain into a tall Collins glass, garnish with 3 floating key lime wheels.

Image via Naples Illustrated

Don’t put away those sexy Mrs. Claus costumes from last weekend just yet. Santarchy 2011 is back this weekend on Saturday, December 17 for another bar-hopping parade Santa and Mrs. Claus. This year, lucky winner will receive prizes for Best in Show Santa, That’s Just Wrong Santa, Most Musical Santa, Female Sexy Santa, Male Sexy Santa and Santa of the Bridge. Meet at Dos Gringos in Old Town at 5:00 p.m. to join in the holiday fun.

Dos Gringos | 4209 N Craftsman C0urt | Scottsdale, AZ 85251 | (480) 423-3800

Image via 944

You’ll feel like you got the first buck of the season with this Weekender winner from Casablanca Lounge in Scottsdale. The “Seasonal Buck” is seasonally spiced just right. Not in the mood to make at home, join The Casablanca Lounge Sunday for the 78th Anniversary of Repeal Day. The Repeal Day Party starts Sunday, December 4^th, at 8:00 p.m. and will feature pre-prohibition cocktails and punch in the main bar area, using their selection of 360 spirits. The private “Speakeasy” style bar will be transformed into a Tiki Wonderland, featuring handcrafted tiki cocktail classics.

Ingredients:

2oz Stoli Gala apple
1oz Apple shrub*
1/2oz Lime juice
2oz Ginger beer

Preparation:

Shake first three ingredients then top with Ginger Beer. Strain over hand crushed ice in a copper mug and garnish with a Mint sprig and a mist of All-Spice Dram.

Making apple shrub: Bring 1 cup apples (assorted), 1 cup sugar, 1 cup cider vinegar, 2 star anise, 4 clove, 1 cinnamon stick to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes then let cool. Remove spices and blend then strain.

Watch the video of how to make the cocktail:

Old Town Scottsdale has yet another high-end hotspot opening tonight. DOLLHOUSE is the newest addition to the Scottsdale ultra lounge scene and they are putting an emphasis on customer service and making every guest feel special (We thought everyone in Scottsdale already was special?) with a “catered-to” experience.

The lounge plans to feature European-style house music and already has a number of nationally-known DJs booked over the next couple months.

DOLLHOUSE’s signature cocktail offerings will include beverages made from local, organic and sustainable fruit and will put you back $10, though Happy Hour daily will bring half-off all cocktails until 10 p.m. daily.

High rollers and $30K millionaires can opt for the DOLLHOUSE VIP Table experience which will include complimentary transportation and hotel, cell-phone charging banks, custom lock boxes for personal belongings in the booths and direct communication with waitress via SMS. Yes, jet-setting text-aholics, you can text message your waitress.

DOLLHOUSE  | 7419 East Indian Plaza Drive, Suite B | Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Whether you’re half of a cuddly couple, single and swingin’ or just looking for a night out with the girls, there’s a night of the week for you at The Casablanca Lounge.

For the happy twosomes, Thursday evenings from 4:00 pm to close are Date Night at the lounge, where couples can enjoy one dinner dish for sharing, one bottle of wine, a specialty dessert martini and live entertainment for $49.99.

Wednesday nights belong to the ladies at Casablanca. On Ladies Night, female guests can enjoy a selection of half-priced wine by the glass, $2 off bottled beer and half-priced specialty cocktails whipped up by their resident mixologists starting at 4:00 p.m.

The Casablanca Lounge | 7134 E. Stetson Drive, Third Floor | Scottsdale, AZ 85251 | 480.970.7888

Here’s the latest from Andrew From AZ. (This might shock you, but that’s not his real name.) Plucked from the obscurity that is our comments board, Andrew is snarky and a bit of a (reluctant) scenester, and he’s back documenting where to be and be seen in AZ.

They don’t look like much, hanging from the ceiling. When they’re blasting the fullest, clearest sound you’ve heard in Phoenix, it’s hard not to be impressed. The Crescent Ballroom’s four Electro-Voice speakers fill every corner of the space with a full sound that you can feel in your chest cavity. If you sit in the wooden bleachers in the back of the room, you can feel the sound in your a$$ and through your feet. “Everyone here is smiling,” a friend screamed in my ear during an intense guitar solo. We were standing about ten feet from the three-foot-tall stage, surrounded by a couple hundred hipster music lovers, plastic cups in hand, enraptured.

»READ MORE

Party in pink Thursday with The Mint’s “Paint It Pink” Party, October 6th at 7:00 p.m. at their swanky Old Town Scottsdale location. The party benefitting Susan G. Komen for the Cure is hosted by Erika Williams, the former newscaster and wife of Matt Williams, with a pink fashion show and live music. And of course, party in pink with two specialty pink cocktails for the evening: Pink On the Rocks or the Life Savings.

Express yourself on the larger-than-life blank canvas with the help of local artist Banding Hendrix. The final product of all pink-goers will be auctioned off Thursday, October 27th.

The Mint | 7373 E. Camelback Road | Scottsdale, AZ 85251 | 480-947-6468

With high temperatures forecasted to hit 117 degrees in the Valley this week, the nighttime is the right time for hitting the town.

Acclaimed chef Robert McGrath and his staff at Renegade Canteen are doing their best to keep us all cool with Renegade After Dark, every Saturday from 8:30 – 11:30 p.m. When the lights go down, the canteen is filled with live jazz and the aromas of Chef McGrath’s specialty gourmet snacks including chicken and mushroom crepes with a mustard demi-glaze and smoked shrimp cocktail with apple tartar sauce.

Seating is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis, so get to Renegade early and don’t be left out in the heat.

9343 East Shea Boulevard – Scottsdale

As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

We couldn’t help but smile chuckle laugh hysterically after reading that Scottsdale’s “Dirtiest” duo was going to star in their own reality show revolving around the city’s social hierarchy. The show, entitled “Hot Desert Nights”, will follow around “The Dirty” pot stirrer, Nik Richie and his new wife, former reality star Shayne Lamas-Richie as they do… whatever it is they do. Interested? Well, they are looking for some of the city’s finest to join the controversial pair in what is sure to be an eye-opening look at the scandalous lives of Scottsdale’s self-proclaimed “elite”. Read all about what what it takes to make the cut after the jump.  »READ MORE

We give props to The Campus Socialite for this how-to guide on bumming a cigarette. A must-read for all you moochers out there.

We couldn’t help but smile chuckle laugh hysterically after reading that Scottsdale’s “Dirtiest” duo was going to star in their own reality show revolving around the city’s social hierarchy. The show, entitled “Hot Desert Nights”, will follow around “The Dirty” pot stirrer, Nik Richie and his new wife, former reality star Shayne Lamas-Richie as they do… whatever it is they do. Interested? Well, they are looking for some of the city’s finest to join the controversial pair in what is sure to be an eye-opening look at the scandalous lives of Scottsdale’s self-proclaimed “elite”. Read all about what what it takes to make the cut after the jump.  »READ MORE

As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

Thanks to a little detective work by our readers (high fives all around) we’ve discovered the name of the nightclub at 4405 Saddlebag (click here for our original story). Joining the newly revitalized strip in Old Town Scottsdale that houses El Jefe, Majerle’s and The Mint will be Wild Knight, a medieval themed members only night club that will be opening in the next few weeks. We’ve heard there will be no list, no menus and no cameras, so debauchery is sure to ensue. Given that every citizen of Scottsdale assumes they’re royalty, may we be the first to say the name is extremely fitting. So, now you know.

Thanks to a little detective work by our readers (high fives all around) we’ve discovered the name of the nightclub at 4405 Saddlebag (click here for our original story). Joining the newly revitalized strip in Old Town Scottsdale that houses El Jefe, Majerle’s and The Mint will be Wild Knight, a medieval themed members only night club that will be opening in the next few weeks. We’ve heard there will be no list, no menus and no cameras, so debauchery is sure to ensue. Given that every citizen of Scottsdale assumes they’re royalty, may we be the first to say the name is extremely fitting. So, now you know.

It’s a rich man’s world, and Scottsdale is seeing dollar signs. Depositing itself onto the nightlife scene is The Mint; a self described restaurant and “ultra-lounge.” Opening publicly tonight, if you’ve got the looks and someone else has the money, this is bound to be a new favorite.

Although you may not (yet) be familiar with The Mint, chances are you’re familiar with the brains behind the ‘branch’ or at least sipped some libations at one of Valley restauranteur Dean Slover’s properties. Seeing recent successes with the wildly popular RnR and multiple locations of Sandbar, we’re putting money on the fact that The Mint will be no exception. The property, which used to house a bank, remains true to it’s roots with classic decor (think dark wood and marble), a centerpiece of the original bank vault and martinis dirtier than mob money. The menu which includes dishes such as Loganberry Shrimp, Green Papaya Spring Rolls and Japanese Green Tea Cheesecake will taste perfect on the gynormous patio, complete with fireplaces and cabanas.

Want to open an account? This evening’s celebration starts at 9pm with dining, drinks and dime-pieces. So grab your gold diggers friends and head on over to the new spot that’s sure to be worth it’s weight in gold.

Bankable
7373 E. Camelback Road Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.TheMintAZ.com

Curiouser and curiouser. With this elusive sign as the only form of identification, and this sterile website, we can’t help but be a little curious as to what’s opening here. Have any info? Email us and fill us in. Don’t you know how much we love gossip?

They say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Yes, we’ve partnered with the crazy-popular ratings and reviews site, Yelp, to make sure you’re always kept (even more) in-the-know on the latest and greatest across the Valley. Here’s the a special Cinco de Mayo Fiestas list, handcrafted by those five-star folks at Yelp Phoenix.

Cinco de Mayo is this Thursday which means just one thing: our favorite Mexican restaurants and bars will be hosting fabulous fiestas that will go from sunrise to sunset. Whether you’re looking for a casual meal of tortillas and frijoles or you’re ready to sport a sombrero and partake in tequila waterfalls, this Yelp Top Ten will lead you to the muy caliente spots fitting for a Cinco de Yelpo celebration! Yelper’s top picks after the jump. »READ MORE

So who’s ready to drink? In case you didn’t find something to tickle your fancy in our earlier St. Paddy’s Day party guide, here are two more quick-hit can’t-misses. Celebrate Chicago-style in the heart of North Scottsdale at West Addison’s St. Patrick’s Day Block Party. Housed inside Market Street in DC Ranch (who knew there were still places open up there) watch all the March Madness inside, or spill out onto the outdoor plaza filled with festive green fountains, live music and traditional Irish foods.

Meanwhile, over in Tempe, Robbie Fox’s Public House started pouring Guinness out of 6 beer trucks at 6 am this morning. Meanwhile, AZ rockers The Brazen Heads and The Celtic Cowboys take the stage starting at 6 pm. Oh, and the bar is located on Mill Avenue at 6th Street. We’re sensing a theme here.

Good luck and be safe out there everybody.

While we were sad to see the Tiki-tastic Drift Lounge close in Scottsdale, we have to admit this new party pool looks pretty cool. Check out this new pic from Spanish Fly, the new Mexican Beach Resort coming to Old Town (only without the whole resort part).

Click here to learn more, and until then, keep your shirt on.