PHOENIX — From walk-ins to reservations, Quartz is the new cocktail bar near Van Buren and 3rd Avenue that'll have two different cocktail experiences: the front cocktail bar opening this April and 'The Cave' that’s opening soon.
Chuckie Duff, co-owner of Quartz, and Maxwell Berlin, in-house mixologist, give us a breakdown of the new business that’s ready to shake up the cocktail scene in Downtown Phoenix.
INSPIRATION
According to Duff, the name of the business essentially comes from growing up in the desert, looking for rocks, going to Quartzite with his parents, and going out to Tucson for the Gem & Jam. “The physical nature of the desert has always been a part of my life and I think it resonates with me,” said Duff to ABC15.
DRINKS
Much like the name Quartz, a great component showcases a variety of quartz in the business; from its interior design to its drinks- thus having a menu based on birthstones for every month of the year.
“We pulled inspiration from lots of different sources- so some of the drinks are inspired by the colors of the birthstones, some from where these stones are either really prevalent/are really valued [and] telling really unique and interesting stories from all over the world- bringing in a whole set of unique flavors to these drinks,” explained Berlin.
Here are some of Berlin’s favorite cocktails on the menu
- ‘Dripping Diamonds’: This is Berlin’s ode to citrus thus being inspired by the song Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds by the Beatles. “I was reading through the lyrics of the song and there’s all sorts of food ingredients including tangerine trees and marmalade skies,” recalled Berlin.
- ‘Rohang Ruby’: According to Berlin, this drink takes inspiration from a place in the far-off corners of Myanmar in Southeast Asia. “So we have this kind of fiery margarita with Burmese spices, Garam masala, and candied hibiscus- it’s delicious,” he said.
- ‘Ama Pearl Driver’: A thick and frosty drink that has Japanese run, Sudachi lime, Kabosu Orange, Miso honey and other ingredients and is even garnished with an oyster shell. Here’s what Berlin’s inspiration was- “it’s inspired by the Japanese Ama Pearl Divers which are these beautiful ladies that go pearl diving without oxygen- they free-dive- so they’re able to hold the breath under water for a long time.”
‘THE CAVE’
According to Duff, the business is set to open its second concept in the Quartz building within a couple of weeks, set to debut May 4, called The Cave.
“The Cave is in the back- there’s some private booths- it’s reservation only,” said Duff. “We have an exclusive menu for The Cave that has cocktails even more elevated than what we’re bringing in the front.”
According to Berlin, the business has spent time sourcing avant-garde ‘things to play around with’ for the cocktail menu but didn’t want to give “too much away.”
“I’m really excited, it’s going to be a really cool experience back there… I really wanted to take to heart something that I hear around town and that’s creating an interactive cocktail experience,” said Berlin. “So, the bar situated is here upfront, so in the back, it gives us a really great opportunity to be able to kind of join along to the cocktail experience with the tables [because] we have to there to both give drinks, prepare drinks at the table, allow people to choose garnish, all sorts of really fun stuff as we’re kind of interacting with them back and forth.”
Duff tells ABC15 that starting Thursday, April 20, guests will be able to make their reservation for this concept with the first reservation being available for May 4.
IF YOU GO
- Quartz opens Thursday, April 20.
- The Cave at Quartz opens May 4.
- Address: 341 W. Van Buren St. Ste. B
