Phoenix cocktail bar named one of North America's 50 best: 'A journey of sight and taste'
World's 50 Best Bars released its North America's 50 Best Bars list on May 5 and among the 28 U.S. bars to make the cut was one Arizona cocktail destination.
Located inside Century Grand in Phoenix, Platform 18 was honored alongside bars like New York's Double Chicken Please (a soda shop that serves libations representing meals in the back) and New Orleans' Jewel of the South, a bar that pays homage to NOLA's history by serving revived classic drinks.
50 Best launched North America's 50 Best Bars in 2022 to shine a light on the region as a world-class drinks destination. The list is comprised of bars from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, with a panel of 260 industry experts, including bartenders, bar owners, well-traveled cocktail connoisseurs and drinks media from the above-named countries who voted on bars between May 2021 and February 2023.
Though bars don't have to fit a particular criterion, the quality of drinks, the service, the surroundings, atmosphere and price level are taken into consideration.
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What set Platform 18 apart?
Platform 18 was created by Jason Asher, Rich Furnari and Mat Snapp of Barter & Shake Cocktail Entertainment, the bar aims to transport guests to a Louisiana train platform through a 90-minute, reservations-required experience. Guests enter a 36-seat Presidential Pullman-inspired train car and follow Hollis Cottley Pennington, a fictional railroad tycoon and bootlegger through Louisiana. The story is set in the late 1930s and the 40 cocktails on the menu reflect the period with drinks like The Aunt Emily, made with Fords gin, Laird's grey hen private barrel five-year apple brandy, Combier liqueur d'abricot, orange juice, pomegranate and orange oils.
The 50 Best Bar praised Platform 18 for its imaginative theme and " world-class bar programme," adding, "Connoisseurs looking to suspend their imagination for a journey of sight and taste will be delighted by this ticket."
How to visit Platform 18
Reservations are highly recommended and must be made using the online reservation system. Reservations require a pre-paid $20 deposit, which is applied to the final bill, plus a $3 non-refundable booking fee per person.
Details: 3626 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-739-1388, centurygrandphx.com/platform18-cocktail-bar.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix cocktail bar named one of 50 best in US. Here's why
