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Barter & Shake launches Experimental To-Go Cocktail Series

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#spirits #cocktails #saloon #alcohol
Published
07/23/2020 by

Century Grand, Top 10 National Nominee of Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards "Best New American Cocktail Bar," is launching an Experimental Cocktail Series to promote the metamorphosis of its Grey Hen Saloon into a Prohibition-Era Apothecary.

Opened October 2019, Century Grand is Phoenix-based Barter & Shake Creative Hospitality's newest cocktail bar concept. A three-in-one space, Century Grand offers a progressive and immersive guest experience. Like all Barter & Shake concepts, Century Grand is deeply influenced by historical moments, people, and places. Guests experience a fictional historical narrative through cocktail menus and the immersive environment.  Century Grand's narrative is inspired by the transcontinental railroad's impact on the expansion of the United States, the 18th Amendment prohibiting the sale of alcohol, and Art-Deco.

Like many bars and restaurants, Century Grand temporarily closed in mid-March due to COVID-19. The Grey Hen Saloon, one of three related concept bars located inside Century Grand, primarily operated as a whiskey-centric tasting room and bottle shop.  Following Century Grand's historical narrative, the space was to be transformed into a pharmacy, one of the primary Prohibition-era outlets to obtain alcohol, to mark 2020's centennial of the beginning of Prohibition.  Rich Furnari, one of Barter & Shake's founding partners, explains, "The story has to come first. To create an immersive guest experience, every detail must be considered." Furnari continues, "It was difficult to transform the space in season while we were open and busy seven days a week, but transforming the Grey Hen was always part of our plan."

Both Century Grand and UnderTow, Barter & Shake's award-winning tiki concept, have remained closed for in-person experiences since March.  Instead, the team has launched an online store and a weekly Virtual Happy Hour Cocktail Series, including promoting the purchase of ingredients for customers to make and enjoy selected cocktails at home. Jason Asher, Furnari's partner and Director of Beverage for Barter & Shake, states, "Our customers always ask how we come up with our cocktail recipes. As we convert The Grey Hen Saloon into The Grey Hen Rx, what better time to allow everyone to join us in the journey of our cocktail development process?  Our 'Experimental Cocktail Series' will be precisely that: a look into how Barter & Shake develops cocktails for our menus."

The conversion of The Grey Hen from saloon to apothecary builds on the fictional narrative of its sister bar, Platform 18, also located within Century Grand. "The Grey Hen's narrative revolves around another character in our story, Dr. Cottley, a compound pharmacist who creates Cure-Alls and Elixirs," says Furnari. "In addition, the physical transformation of this space is inspired by New Orleans and the popular apothecaries and coffee shops of the late 19th century. New Orleans was the first city in the country to license a pharmacist, create cocktail bitters, and is home to the first-known cocktail, The Sazerac."

Century Grand is located in Phoenix, Arizona, on East Indian School Road and 36th Street and is currently expecting to begin accepting reservations in August 2020, pending local government guidance and approval due to COVID-19.

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