Bitter & Twisted Put Phoenix Cocktails on the Map
Bitter & Twisted
Do you like cocktails? If so, Bitter & Twisted basically put Phoenix on the cocktail map. It’s got everything—classic drinks, tiki drinks, serious drinks, in-house creations. And there’s a photobooth you’re obligated to get a picture from before you go. My recommendation—this might be pretty wild—is to get a room at the Palomar across the street so you can get that third (or fourth?) drink you’ve got your eye on. And sit at the bar. There’s something magical about seeing the poor bartenders carefully placing single drops of exotic ingredients into drinks just to push them a wee bit over the top.
Downtown - 1 W Jefferson St
Awards + Accolades
50 Best
2022: North America's 50 Best Bars, #44
The Pinnacle Guide
2024: 2 Pins
Spirited Awards
2024: World’s Best Cocktail Menu - Top 10
2023: World’s Best Cocktail Menu - Top 10
2023: Best U.S. Cocktail Bar - Top 10
2022: Best U.S. Cocktail Bar - Top 10
2020: Best US High Volume Cocktail Bar - Top 10
2019: World’s Best Cocktail Menu - Top 10
2019: Best US High Volume Cocktail Bar - Top 10
2018: World’s Best Cocktail Menu - Top 10
2018: Best US High Volume Cocktail Bar - Top 10
2017: World’s Best Cocktail Menu - Top 10
2017: Best US High Volume Cocktail Bar - Top 10
2016: Best US High Volume Cocktail Bar - Top 10
AZ Central
2024: 25 Best Bars
Eater
2024: 14 Vital Phoenix Bars
Foodist Awards
2019: Best Beverage Program - Winner
2019: Top Mixologist | Ross Simon - Finalist
2018: Best Cocktail | Ship Load of Rum - Winner
2018: Best Beverage Program - Finalist
2017: Best Cocktail - Winner
2015: Outstanding Bar Program - Winner
Phoenix Magazine
2022: Best Negronis
2020: Best Cocktail Bar
2020: Best Cocktails
2020: Best Sharable Cocktail
2019: Top 100 Restaurants
2019: Best Cocktails
2019: Best Sharable Cocktail
2018: Best Cocktail Bar
2016: Best Cocktail Program
2015: Best Cocktail Menu
Phoenix New Times
2024: Top 100 Bars
2023: Top 100 Bars
2019: Best Bar to Take Your Parents To
2018: Best Cocktails
2017: Best Martinis, Negronis, and Punch
2016: 10 Best Cocktail Bars
2016: Best Cocktail Using Sotol | Sotol Tale
2016: Best Nontraditional Burger
2016: Best Place for After-Dinner Drinks
2015: Best New School Cocktails
Reviews
The Valley's cocktail lounge culture has been booming for years. And right now, its hippest, highest expression may well be at Bitter & Twisted.
- Howard Seftel, AZ Central
A pair of massive, framed bulletin boards at the end of the bar list daily drink and dining specials, as well as a review by the “Yelper of the Week.” Bitter and Twisted, perhaps in an attempt to live up to its name, last week posted a negative Yelp review from someone named Michael W. I can’t improve on Mr. W’s rundown of this high-end bar that offers sometimes middling food, so I’ll close with it, instead: “Was OK but nothing spectacular. Expected a lot more. Food was decent but nothing original. Same with drinks.”
- Robrt L. Pela, Phoenix New Times
What to Get
Dragon Dumpling Burger
Is it a burger? A dumpling? A pot sticker? The “Dragon” at B&T is all three, a trinity of terrific textures and tastes. A plump, perfectly seasoned beef and pork patty enlivened with Asian spices sits with Sichuan pickles on a firm and springy English muffin, topped with jalapeño mayo, white cheese and dumpling sauce. The genre-bending ramen burger at B&T gets a lot of love – and deservedly so – but chef Bob Tam managed to outdo himself with this one. Consummate.
- Niki D’Andrea, Phoenix Magazine
Her Name Is Rio
With the caipirinha as his base, Simon called on classic mojito mint, borrowed the bitters from a Queen’s Park Swizzle, and, inspired by a more contemporary classic, The Bramble, he threw in some blackberry-flavored créme de mure. The result is a completely new drink, and though it pays homage to its influences, Simon added a new element all his own. “We've actually made a blackberry compote to go on top, which is quite delicious on toast as well.”
- Cara Strickland, Phoenix New Times
Hurricane Popcorn
In any case, you should order Tam's Hurrricane Popcorn. It's the best version I've had anywhere outside of Hawaii (where the Asian-inspired creation is a popular snack), and starts with a giant bowl of hot, buttery popcorn. On top of that Tam throws in garlic, seasame, and shichimi togarashi (a Japanese spice), as well as spicy rice crackers and piece of seaweed. It's salty, fatty, and full of umami — the perfect pairing for whatever liquid concoction you might choose.
- Lauren Saria, Phoenix New Times
Jefferson Milk Punch
On Bitter & Twisted’s action-packed menu, in the punch section — right below the big Duck Bath Punch, which is filled with cucumber bubbles and served in a sizable miniature bathtub — sits a single-serving, milk-clarified punch served in a tea cup. Good things come in small packages, and this good thing is a drink that should not be missed. Elegant as the Queen’s tea, the “soft and creamy” cocktail invites good cheer. Even more exciting is that its flavors change seasonally on bar proprietor Ross Simon’s whim. I order it nearly every time I’m in.
- Shelby Moore, Phoenix New Times
Le Chocolat Sazerac
We could extoll its wonderfully balanced flavor, or how its rye bite and herbal bitterness are beautifully offset by hints of anise, cinnamon, cherry, chocolate and vanilla. Or we could just quote Dr. John and promise medicine to “cure all y’all’s ills.”
- Nikki Buchanan, Phoenix Magazine
Lemongrass Collins
Simon’s signature Lemongrass Collins (vodka, lemongrass, vanilla, lemon juice, ginger beer) is a favourite among regulars, but the 25-page tome of a menu offers plenty of other options. Each drink is complex, invoking the bar’s famed multilayer flavours requires intricate preparations – even the five varieties of ice are nano-filtered.
- 50 Best
Porn Star Martini
Bitter & Twisted’s best selling cocktail is the Porn Star Martini, created in the UK by the late Douglas Ankrah. The team consider the bar the spiritual home of the drink in America, and abide by its original recipe, using house-infused vanilla Grey Goose vodka with fresh passion fruit and Passoã passion fruit liqueur, shaken and served up and over the top with a sidekick of bubbles.
- The Pinnacle Guide
Sotol Tale
In 2016, Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour bartender Brian Downing swapped the traditional Old Tom-style aged gin for sotol, an emerging agave spirit from Chihuahua. And voilà. The Martinez morphed again into the eloquent Sotol Tale.
- Shelby Moore, Phoenix Magazine
