Best Of Tucson®

Best Cocktail Menu

Scott and Co./47 Scott

A couple of hours before Scott and Co.’s 6 p.m. opening time, the bartenders arrive at work to do two things: Set up their cocktail mise en place … and tinker. They mix and combine ingredients, ices and techniques—ever heard of a “pulled” cocktail?—to develop handcrafted drinks. And the results are amazing. We’re talking national-attention-getting amazing. The only downside is that a patron may grow attached to a drink on one quarterly menu that’s gone on the next. (The bartenders will try to satisfy, but they don’t always have the ingredients; you know, they don’t just keep special ingredients like pomegranate molasses sitting around.) On the current menu, we love the “Female Trouble,” which combines Banks Five Island Rum, rye whiskey, Campari, ginger syrup, fresh lime, orange juice and a hint of maraschino. Wow.

Runners up:

2. Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails

135 S. Sixth Ave.

623-7700

3. Hotel Congress

311 E. Congress St.

622-8848