By no means an exaggeration, my assertion that Diamond Backs has the best cocktail bar in town is backed by two simple factors: their liquor quality is unparalleled, and their bartenders know how to make their drinks. I went in there recently for the happy hour specials and ordered El Martini, a familiar style of drink which gives the traditional gin martini a Mexican twist. I've seen this same scene repeated at bar after bar across the state, a bartender or bar-owner decides to offer a drink that combines the delicate balance of the martini with the raw sour shot to the face that is a typical margarita. The results are, predictably, somewhat akin to teaching a hippo to tapdance. Overcompensation for the bright flavors of the lime juice and the strength of the tequila means that the last few dregs of the hybrid drink are almost exclusively olive juice and Cuervo Gold.
Not so at Diamond Backs. The mexican martinis were delicious, and potent enough to make me start to think about the 25 year old Single Malt Scotch (in and of itself a sign of a great bar) batting its' eyes at me from the back row.
