new in town
T
he Valley’s hottest new bar is just a staircase away. Hidden beneath Arcadia’s Sip Coffee & Beer Garage – and accessible from a nondescript staircase within – is UnderTow, the latest innovation from the minds of Barter & Shake, of Counter Intuitive fame. “This adaptable use project has been years in the making. It just took a team of us putting our minds together – and finding some amazing partners – to make the dream a reality,” says Barter & Shake co-founder Rich Furnari, who along with beverage consultant Jason Asher – a past GQ Magazine “Bartender of the Year” and Jade Bar “Most Inspired Bartender” recipient, respectively – has been traveling across the country researching the resurgence in tiki-themed bar concepts for the past several years. According to Furnari, while the concept of tiki bars and cocktails gained popularity in the post-Prohibition 1930s and as an escape from the, well, depression of the Great Depression, the seeds for the movement date back to the early 1900s. “Before the Panama Canal helped ease transportation across North America, clipper ships were the fastest way to move goods across the continent by water,” Furnari explains. “Our entire concept is
IT’S TIKI TIME!
UnderTow sets sail in Arcadia BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
UPTOWN |
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| SEPTEMBER 2016
based on the idea of these clipper ships actually sourcing and bringing the first ingredients that would inspire the tiki movement to the United States.” And that is an understatement. The 500-square-foot UnderTow space was once an oil change bay, and thanks to the imaginations of Wesley James of StarkJames and renowned tiki artist Danny Gallardo, Barter & Shake’s vision became a reality. Today, the space looks and feels as though you are on an authentic turn-ofthe-century clipper ship from your first step underground to your last sensational sip – portholes and all. And speaking of sips, there is something for everyone at UnderTow, including over a dozen classic tiki cocktails and 17 cocktails inspired by different elements of tiki culture. Food will be offered beginning in October, and will be made specifically to pair with the drink menu by Crudo’s own Cullen Campbell. The menu will be done in Dim Sum style, where guests can pick and choose small bites, mostly Asian-inspired, throughout the evening while still having a hand free for a cocktail. “At UnderTow, our ultimate goal is to give our guests an immersive experience and escape from the real world for a few hours, complete with sound, lighting, effects and a menu that plays on all five senses at once – and doing it all without the grass skirts,” Furnari says. UnderTow’s hours are WednesdayThursday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Friday-Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. UnderTow is located inside Sip Coffee & Beer Garage, 3620 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix; 602.753.6504; www.facebook.com/drinkundertow.