Taste CHEERS
HOP ABOARD!
Woody’s Macayo boasts marvelous margarita flights
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH BARRY
In 1946, high school sweethearts Woody and Victoria Johnson founded a little Mexican joint in Phoenix called Woody’s El Nido. By 1952, the lovebirds opened their first Macayo’s in a massive 22,000-squarefoot building famously located on Central Avenue. Over the past 70-plus years, the Macayo’s brand became amongst the most popular family owned restaurant chains in the Valley. “In 2017, the original, massive Macayo’s closed its doors in order to move across the street and get back to its roots,” says Ashley Negron, director of marketing and brand management for the company. “Now open in a cozy spot in Central Phoenix just over 5,000-square-feet and named Woody’s Macayo in homage to its original founders, we are focused on serving up old favorites and offering some new twists to both our food and drink.” Among the brightest of Woody’s enhancements is its margarita flight ($9.99). Served on a custom-made wooden board, each flight features the choice of four signature margaritas, each served in a five-ounce glass that fits into the board. “On a research trip to Mexico, we came across several mimosa flights at local haunts and wanted to apply the concept to the margarita,” explains Negron, whose team came up with eight total flavor profiles once they put pen to paper. Each flavor mixture is made from fresh fruit and hand-crafted syrups then combined with a regularly revolving house tequila. “We offer apple, peach, mango, strawberry, raspberry, prickly pear margaritas as well as a wildberry option made from strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, and then – of course – our traditional,” Negron says. Woody’s Macayo, 3815 N. Central Ave., Phoenix; 602.264.6141; www.macayo.com.
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Uptown May '18