Taste CHEERS
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE SHANGHAI A kitschy homage to The Porch’s former tenant
Nearly a year ago now, The Porch opened in Arcadia. “Before we reimaged the space, the building was actually home to Little Shanghai, a Chinese restaurant that shuttered as a result of the recession,” says Ty Goossen, The Porch’s general manager. According to Goossen, as his team dreamed up the cocktail program, they wanted to do a little something to recognize the former neighborhood mainstay while staying true to their vision of developing tasty drinks with Instagram-worthy elements. Big Trouble in Little Shanghai ($12) fits the bill to a tee. The cocktail starts with Ty Ku Soju, a vodka-like spirit but with half the calories. “While Ty Ku Soju isn’t widely used here, it is currently the top distilled spirit in the world,” says Goossen, whose wife is a native of Hong Kong and attested to its popularity overseas during drink development stages. The smooth spirit is combined with Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka, which is distilled 10 times and then blended with actual lemons to produce a tart zip with slight sweetness, in a shaker with ice. “After a healthy shake, we strain the mixture into a plastic Chinese food takeout container we had specially produced for the bar,” Goossen explains. The cocktail is topped with a healthy float of Red Bull Yellow Edition to provide a pop of taste as well as bubbles on the nose. It’s is finished with chopsticks and – as an added treat – a real fortune cookie. “It tastes like an effervescent, zesty punch that – given the vodka and Ty Ku Sojo – packs an actual punch,” Goossen says. The Porch, 4017 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix; 602.583.7938; www. porcharcadia.com.
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Uptown September '18
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ / PHOTO BY JENELLE BONIFIELD