Swanky underground speakeasy Tell Your Friends opens in Scottsdale

Located underneath the dark dining rooms of The Americano, another world awaits. 

Traverse down a carpeted staircase, pass underneath glowing neon martinis and step through a red-mirrored entryway and you'll find Tell Your Friends, a new speakeasy-style lounge.

Four giant disco balls spin overhead, framing the centerpiece: a golden fixture that wraps around the bar, up and over the ceiling, and cascades down behind the stage. Behind the bar, expert bartenders mix unique drinks, and the stage will house live music every night.

And Tell Your Friends has some important friends of its own. The bar is a collaboration between Creation Hospitality which owns The Americano and Mora Italian, and Clive Collective which owns Cala. Chef Beau MacMillan leads the small bites menu, and cocktail pro Keifer Gilbert took a step back into an industry he'd left to create the cocktail menu.

“When Beau calls, you answer,” Gilbert said in a news release. “I have no plans to get back into the cocktail industry, so the opportunity to work alongside Beau at Tell Your Friends informally and casually lends itself to a fun passion project where we can collaborate as longtime friends."

Bartender, manager and cocktail expert Ashley Cibor, formerly of UnderTow and Century Grand, is the bar's beverage director. 

All that talent translates into an exciting cocktail menu. There are 20 cocktails which are inspired by the classics, but take leaps when it comes to flavor combinations.

Try the I'm in the Mood For Love, a gin-based tipple made with red bell pepper syrup and raspberries, for a sweet and vegetal journey. A beeswax-cured old fashioned is bottled and finished tableside. And the tequila-based More Hops to the Mix incorporates a syrup made from citra hops, an ingredient most commonly found in beer.

Food options are equally opulent. Try the Korean fried chicken with kimchi honey and smoked bacon ranch for $25. For an additional $75, customers can add a premium caviar bump to the chicken tenders. There are also fire-roasted oysters, a salmon and potato pizza, chips and dip and a $220 caviar plate served with vodka shots.

“At Tell Your Friends, we're blending simple, snackable dishes with luxurious, memorable touches," MacMillan said in a release. "Imagine enjoying a great martini with an amazing onion dip on homemade chips or indulging in fried chicken topped with caviar – there’s nothing better."

The cocktails slide across a black marbled bar which is lined with gold accents and plush, burgundy and floral-patterned stools. Rich wine-colored velvet is used throughout the space, from the booths to curtains that hug the walls.

With its "Great Gatsby"-esque design, standout cocktails and well-heeled clientele, Tell Your Friends is sure to be a scene.

The bar opens to the public on Thursday and going forward, it will be open Thursdays through Sundays. Reservations can be made online and are recommended. 

Tell Your Friends

Opens May 23
17797 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale