Looking for a classy spot to get festive for New Year’s Eve? Just a touch away from the rowdy rabble of Whiskey Row? Your wish has been faithfully granted, in The Cortez, just a half block off the main Plaza, situated quietly right next to Century Lounge on, fittingly, Cortez Street. You will find an unusually-for-Prescott large selection of mid- and top-shelf spirits here (don’t worry, their whiskeys and rums also proudly boast some dirty delicious classics) but you can absolutely show up as your bottom shelf self, with cool casual blues and tans permeating the decor, a nod to to our dusty jeans and boots. The bar was impeccably clean (no sticky spots!) and there was local lighting across the bar top and bar tables, so that you can still read the menu despite the posh low-light ambiance.
The Hungry Javelina tried three unique, craft cocktails here. When they say “craft cocktails,” they mean someone with enough experience and palate actually sits down and masterminds pieces of art, for you to drink. I started with the Ranchero Rita, which is a Yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit) margarita, and was delighted to find I won’t need to order it “skinny” to avoid overpowering sweetness. That’s because the Yuzu liqueur they use gives the floral citrus flavor quintessential of Yuzu, without sweetening the ‘rita up like a Grand Marnier float might (no shade if that’s your thang, no shade).
Next up I tried the Gilded Grit. I admit I was partially wooed into trying this because of the name, which I identify with, as a multi-time overcomer and survivor with a penchant for dressing fancy; who am I if not Gilded Grit? I had to try it. This creative cocktail features mezcal, vermouth, passionfruit-puree-infused syrup, lime, and rosemary. Not just any vermouth, this brand has been hand-selected by the cocktail masters for its impressive balance between sweet and dry, as told to me by a bartender there. I picked up a mouthfeel and note of cinnamon in the straight vermouth they use, Carpano Bianco; very pleasant. The drink was a step above the Rita in complexity and I loved it. It came with a rosemary sprig so lush it looked like it was cut from your grandmother’s heirloom hedge, and also looked like it might keep growing if you put it in a Christmas tree stand with water and decorate it with ornaments, which it could surely withstand. If you tell me you’re going to put rosemary in my drink, this is what I hope you mean.
Last to try was the Mrs. Summers, featuring ghost-pepper-infused tequila, vanilla liqueur, almond orgeat, and fresh lime. For the folks who live for fresh palate experiences, I highly recommend this cocktail. The sweet, smooth vanilla liqueur and very round-on-the-palate almond orgeat juxtaposed with the prickling hot ghost pepper is a genius (and daring) opposites-attract balancing act, that gets punctuated—with exclamations—by the black salted rim. You may wonder about the appropriateness of the garnish cherry at first glance, but once you have a sip, it all comes into focus, like a flavor-viewing Nikon lens. Discerning patrons will come back for this cocktail, for this memorably peppery and still silky smooth drink experience.
Amidst my cocktail adventure I also dined on one of their food features; I was torn between their pretzel bites, which come with not one, not two, but three sauces (and one of them is orange Calabrian chili spread: hello unorthodox!), and a flatbread. In the end the BBQ short rib flatbread won, as the short rib meat came highly recommended by the same bartender who tipped me off about the smooth vermouth—clearly a consultant to heed. It was again delicious. By “flatbread” they mean you can bring your cousin here who spent that one week in Italy and will never shut up about how different (and better) the pizza is there, because the crust! I found the ingredient quantities to be well balanced across the pizza—no hefty piles of random meat off in the corner like a careless teenager at Domino’s throws (shade), and also delicious. I ate the entire thing, gladly.
This place should be your pre- or after-dinner cocktail stop when you want the moment to feel special. Or it should just be your dinner and cocktail stop period, when you know your bum from your head in what tastes good enough to justify “going out to eat” in this market. And if you don’t have New Year’s Eve plans, well, now you do. They’ll be open special hours just for the occasion, and I overheard a bartender explain to a worried visiting German couple that they’re aiming to have drinks out within 10 minutes of ordering, in case you’re in a rush for one or both (go you!) Boot Drops.
Another reason to patron this place? One of the several experienced bartenders, Chloe, confided that these are the best bosses she’s ever had—and she has worked in multiple states and industries, both in town and out. “They say thank you all the time”, she told me, surprised at her luck in finding some decent human beings to show up to work for. One reason Chloe likes this place for herself is because it’s something new and different. We agree, Chloe, we agree. The Cortez is daring to be decent, and daring to be dazzlingly delicious, so far quite successfully.
Address: 123 N Cortez St, Prescott, AZ 86301
Website: thecortezprescott.com
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