🍸 Arizona in the Glass: Local Spirits I Use and Breweries I’m a Fan Of

Kendall Bartelheim

Oct 12

4 min read

Sunset over the Sonoran Desert at Saguaro National Park, Arizona, with cholla and saguaro cacti.

A few of my favorites from behind the bar, plus some Arizona beers worth getting to know.

Gin, amaro, whiskey, orange brandy. And yes, there’s room for a good beer in this conversation, too.

As lead mixologist at Melinda’s Alley in downtown Phoenix, I spend a lot of time working with spirits and developing cocktails. Some of the bottles I love working with have an Arizona connection, and I wanted to give those brands a little space here.

So this is a personal list: local spirits I use and like, along with breweries I’m a fan of. If you’re looking for a new bottle for your home bar or an Arizona beer to try, here are a few places to start.

🌵 SUNCLIFFE: Gin and Amaro

Suncliffe is one of my local favorites, and both the gin and amaro deserve a mention.

I love amaro. Give me something herbal, bitter, and interesting to work into a cocktail, and you have my attention. Having a local option makes this one especially worth talking about.

Suncliffe’s Arizona Botanical Gin uses three types of Arizona juniper, along with botanicals including pine bark, manzanita, and elderflower. Its Cultivaro Amaro brings together ingredients such as dates, bitter orange, roasted pecans, pine bark, and nopales. That’s a pretty interesting pair of bottles to have in the conversation.

A different bottle can give a familiar recipe a completely different personality.

Whiskey Del Bac’s Tucson tasting room. Official distillery photography.

🥃 WHISKEY DEL BAC: A Tucson Favorite Behind Our Bar

Whiskey Del Bac has a place on this list because of what we actually have behind the bar at Melinda’s Alley, and Dust Cutter our Hotel Lobby Bar.

I love our private-label barrel, and we also have their white dog.

Those are two different ways to get to know a whiskey producer. A barrel-aged whiskey shows the influence of its time in wood, while an unaged spirit gives you a different starting point for understanding what’s underneath.

For anyone curious about Tucson’s spirits scene, Whiskey Del Bac is a name worth knowing. If you’re looking for a particular release, check directly with the distillery; a private barrel and the bottles available to the public aren’t necessarily the same thing.

🥃 CAREFREE BOURBON: Our Old Fashioned at Dust Cutter

Carefree Bourbon is another local name I use behind the bar. We use it in our Old Fashioned at Dust Cutter at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

An Old Fashioned puts the whiskey right out front, so the base matters. If you’re curious about a bottle, this classic is a useful way to get to know it in a cocktail.

Carefree Spirits blends and bottles its spirits here in Arizona.

🏙️ ARIZONA DISTILLING CO.: Vodka, Gin, and Copper City Bourbon

If you know the name Copper City, the distillery behind it is Arizona Distilling Co. in Mesa.

The bottles I want to highlight are Mission Vodka, Commerce Gin, and Copper City Bourbon. These are part of the local lineup I use and like behind the bar.

That gives you three very different starting points for a cocktail. Try one in a recipe you already know before changing everything else. It’s much easier to understand what the spirit contributes when you aren’t also testing a new syrup, a new juice, and three new bitters.

Flying Leap’s Elgin distillery tasting room. Official distillery photography.

🍊 FLYING LEAP: An Orange Brandy Worth Talking About

Flying Leap’s orange brandy is another one I like.

Flying Leap’s Orange Brandy is a sweet brandy liqueur infused with sweet Spanish orange peel.

Orange is a familiar flavor behind the bar, but that doesn’t make every orange bottle interchangeable. A brandy-based product can take a drink in a different direction from the orange liqueur you usually reach for.

Sweetness and the character of the base both affect how much belongs in the glass.

🍺 A Few Arizona Brewery Favorites

I’m not a huge beer drinker, but there are definitely local breweries and beers I like. These are a few that deserve a mention alongside the spirits.

🌋 Catalyst Crafted Ales

Catalyst’s Italian pilsner, Vesuvio, is one I like. Catalyst describes it as dry and clean, with a light dry hop using Hallertau Blanc and Saphir.

☁️ Hazing Arizona

Hazing Arizona is another favorite of mine. You may know it through Walter Station Brewery, now Turnout Beverage Co.

This is the hazy IPA on my list, so if that’s your lane, put it on your radar.

🍻 Four Peaks

Kilt Lifter is another beer I like. It’s Four Peaks’ Scottish-style amber ale, with a malt-forward profile, caramel character, and a toasted side.

I also like blonde-style beers. For another option to explore, Turnout’s Baja Girl Blonde is worth a look.

💀 Bone Haus Brewing

Bone Haus has a direct connection to Melinda’s Alley through Red Light Melinda, the red ale collaboration introduced in 2024. The collaboration features the same beer as Bone Haus’ Legend of the Red Ghost red ale.

That connection makes it a natural inclusion here. There’s a local brewery, a downtown Phoenix speakeasy, and a little shared history in the glass.

🚲 Pedal Haus Brewery

Pedal Haus also belongs on the list. For a beer to check out, I’d point you toward their German-Style Pilsner.

The brewery describes it as crisp and dry, making it a sensible starting point if you like a lighter, refreshing style.

🥃 Saints & Spirits Takeaway

Start with a style you already enjoy, then try an Arizona producer’s version of it.

Pick one bottle or one beer, learn a little about who makes it, and see what you think. Ask questions when you visit a tasting room or brewery. These are a few of the names I’m happy to put on your radar.