🏆 Amanda Gunderson and Travis Nass (pictured) are bringing home some serious cocktail hardware.
The co-founders of Another Round Another Rally were named Best U.S. Bar Mentor at Thursday night’s 20th annual Spirited Awards, the industry’s highest honors, presented at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.
Their Phoenix-based nonprofit provides hospitality workers with emergency aid, transformative scholarships, and reimbursement grants. Since launching in 2018, it has given out more than $3 million.
It’s the third time Tales of the Cocktail has honored Gunderson, who won its Pioneer Award in 2022 and has been inducted into the organization’s Dame Hall of Fame. Nass is a former president of the Phoenix Chapter of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild and an inductee in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame.
It wasn’t a clean sweep for the Valley, though. Highball‘s Libby Lingua, a Top 4 Finalist for U.S. Bartender of the Year, came up just short in her bid for one of the top awards.
See the full list of this year’s winners.
New restaurant openings
🌮 Tacos N Ganas: The Tennessee-based taco chain has made its Arizona debut in west Mesa, opening in the Safeway plaza on the northeast corner of Dobson Road and Main Street. The menu features street-style tacos, tortas, and other Mexican favorites rooted in the chain’s Southern roots.
🍛 Vilvas Indian Cuisine: The Indian restaurant has opened near the northwest corner of Alma School Road and Jomax Road in north Scottsdale. The menu features a range of curries, biryanis, and tandoori dishes spanning regional Indian cooking styles.
$18 tequila cocktail flight
It’s National Tequila Day, and The Guest House in Scottsdale is celebrating with an $18 tequila cocktail flight spotlighting three inventive pours:
- The GH Marg (tequila, lime, and coconut tea-infused agave with Caribbean orange liqueur)
- The Duchess (house-made verdita, chili pepper blend, agave, and lime)
- The Magic Mushroom (genepy, cucumber, sweet pepper, and ashwagandha-infused agave).
