Intoxicology

🥃 La Ristra New Mexican Kitchen will host a tequila tasting – featuring silvers, reposados, and anejos from three companies – from noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at its downtown Chandler location.

The tequilas: Lobos 1707  (whose investors include NBA players LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Draymond Green), CaliRosa (Adam Levine), and Cantera Negra.

Tickets: $45 (available here), which gets you a ‘‘passport’’ to try all nine tequilas. An ambassador for each company will explain the history of the brand.

Other perks: All ticket holders will enjoy happy hour prices. There also will be promotions, raffle prizes, and live music from Raul Burruel.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🥃🍫 A Whiskey & Chocolate Tasting Experience – featuring five different craft chocolates paired with five different whiskies – will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at Hundred Mile Brewing in Tempe to benefit R.O.S.E., a non-profit that protects older adults from financial scams.

The host: Mark Svejda, founder of Chocolate Savant.

Tickets: $145, which includes a buffet dinner after the tasting.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🧺🍸 Liberty Station American Tavern & Smokehouse is looking for bartenders to compete in the 86’ed Cocktail Competition, a ‘‘Chopped’’-style mixology competition it will host Tuesday, Aug. 29, at its DC Ranch location in north Scottsdale.

The format: Four contestants will be provided a mystery basket for each of three rounds (aperitif, entrée, and dessert) featuring ingredients they can use to make creative cocktails in just six minutes.

The prize: The winner will receive a gift basket and a $100 gift card to the soon-to-open Poppy’s Office next to Liberty Station. He or she also will be automatically entered into a future 86’ed Cocktail Competition.

How to enter: Candidates can apply by sending an original recipe cocktail, description of the drink, a photo of themselves and the drink, and their current place of employment to Adam Downey at adam@keelerhospitalitygroup.com.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🍹Today is National Tequila Day, and drink specials abound, including:

La Ristra New Mexican Kitchen: Specials include $5 house margaritas and 20% off tequila shots. From 5-8 p.m., Ian Eric performs at the Gilbert location (normally closed on Mondays) while Raul Burruel plays at the downtown Chandler location.

Taqueria Factory: Take advantage of a buy-one-get-one-free deal on palomas (a cocktail made with tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda, $8.99), five flavors of margaritas (pictured above, $8.99), and tequila shots.

Twin Peaks: Specials include $6 house margaritas, $20 Cincoro Hall of Fame margaritas, $6 Corazon Tequila Sunrises, and a $12 Casamigos Anejo Old Fashioneds.

Macayo’s Mexican Food: Get a flight of four mini margaritas for just $7 (normally $9.99). Choose from apple, blackberry, black cherry, guava, mango, passion fruit, peach, pineapple, prickly pear, raspberry, strawberry, and wildberry.

Someburros: Frozen margaritas, whether dine-in and to-go, are half price (normally $6 for 12 ounces to $16 for 32 ounces) with the promo code “CHEERS,” which can be used in person or through their app.

Check with your favorite Mexican restaurant for more deals.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🍹 Century Grand (pictured) is one of four finalists for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar and Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott is a finalist for Best U.S. Hotel Bar in Tales of the Cocktail’s annual Spirited Awards, the Oscars of the bar industry.

Two other Phoenix bars that were among 10 semifinalists in their respective categories – Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour in Best U.S. Cocktail Bar and Khla in Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – failed to advance.

Century Grand and Bitter & Twisted also were semifinalists in a second category – Best U.S. Bar Team and World’s Best Cocktail Menu, respectively.

Winners will be announced July 27.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🍹 Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour and Century Grand are among 10 nominees for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar in Tales of the Cocktail’s annual Spirited Awards, the Oscars of the bar industry.

Both bars also were nominated in a second category – Bitter & Twisted in World’s Best Cocktail Menu and Century Grand (pictured) in Best U.S. Bar Team.

Two other Phoenix bars also received nominations – Khla in Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar and Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott in Best U.S. Hotel Bar.

The semifinalists will be trimmed to four finalists June 21 with winners announced July 27.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🥃 SanTan Brewing & Distilling in Chandler will host a tasting and bottle-filling for its new Sacred Stave whiskey, American Single Malt, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Fill your own bottle straight from the barrel while enjoying complimentary food pairings.

Tickets are $110 for one attendee and one bottle or $165 for two attendees and one bottle.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🏆 Congratulations to Delena Humble, a bartender at Sin Muerte in downtown Phoenix, who won Arizona Cocktail Weekend’s annual Last Slinger Standing competition at the Republic National Distributing Company headquarters in Phoenix.

Humble defeated Mitch Lyons of Highball Cocktail Bar in Phoenix in the final.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

🍹 The 11th annual Arizona Cocktail Weekend runs today through Monday with dozens of events.

The three signature events are the Cocktail Carnival at Walter Where?House in Phoenix at 9 p.m. Saturday, Top Bars at The Croft Downtown in Phoenix at 8 p.m. Sunday, and Last Slinger Standing at the Republic National Distributing Company headquarters in Phoenix at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

📩 Don't want to miss out on the latest Valley food and drink news? Click here to subscribe to MXSW's free daily email newsletter.

z-library zlibrary project