The 34th Annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival began on Tuesday, and we chose to kick the weeklong celebration off the same way we would any soirée -- with a few drinks.
Not your simple liquor-plus-mixer drinks, mind you. There was a time when the cocktail was as essential to living as food, and was made with equal care. In its Culinary Festival debut, Shaken & Stirred worked to capture this bygone era of carefully crafted drinks.
Ably hosted by Scottsdale speakeasy Mabel's on Main, the event featured jazzy tunes, buffet-style edibles and a menu of four complicated cocktails. Like some cruel joke, the $40 entrance fee only got you three drink tickets, but the nearly 100 people packed into the shadowy space didn't seem to mind.
The drinks we tried:
The Crystal Musician (punch) Made with:
- Campari
- Skyy Ginger
- Oleo Sacchrum
- Lemon juice
- Maraschino liquer
- Candied charred lemon
You had me at maraschino liqueur. The balance of sweet cherry and bitter Campari is nice. It started sweet, then ebbed into bitterness. Super drinkable, as a good punch should be.
Uncle Tungsten Made with:
- Witches Brew-infused Wild Turkey Rye
- Vanilla simple syrup
- Angostura Orange bitters
A good orange aroma on this one. The rye, vanilla and orange bitters combine in a smooth, syrupy drink that reminds of a toothpaste I used to use -- orange with a bitter, minty, palate-cleansing kick. This isn't a bad thing.
St. Kitts Cooler Made with:
- Skyy Coconut
- Lime juice
- Lemon juice
- Velvet Falernum
- Allspice dram
- Angostura bitters
