Cocktail hour is full of surprises at this Gilbert bar
You’ve heard of dinner and a show, but how about cocktails and a show? That’s just what you’ll get at Sotol Modern Cocktail Kitchen, perched high above historic downtown Gilbert.
Offering views of Main Street, the iconic water tower and beautiful Arizona sunsets, the rooftop bar opened on New Year’s Eve weekend and started 2021 with a name change. Originally known as Ile.gal Modern Cocktail Kitchen, owner Erika Rode, who also owns Bitters Cocktail Bar in Scottsdale, merged her two companies and renamed the bar Sotol after a type of agave spirit produced in Mexico.
Bar stools along the open air deck’s edge maximize the view, but the show doesn’t stop with the sunset. Many of the cocktails at Sotol include an element of entertainment from cinnamon sparks to a flavor changing “button”.
Here’s what to expect and what to try first at this Gilbert cocktail destination.
Visiting Sotol starts with a game of hide and seek
It would be easy to walk up and down Gilbert Road’s dining district and never find Sotol, as it takes a little seeking out. The rooftop bar is located above Da’Bayou Creole Kitchen and is accessed via a narrow doorway to the left of the restaurant’s front entrance.
Once through the door, get ready for a hike. Three flights of stairs later, you might need to catch your breath before chatting with the hostess. An elevator is also available around the back of the building, accessible from the parking lot. Look for the door between Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row and Da’Bayou.
Once upstairs, light wooden benches and hanging plants give the space a slightly beachy feel while white bubble lights, an exposed brick wall and grey concrete floor complete the chic modern look.
Pick a seat indoors in a comfortable booth, snag a stool around the large square bar or opt for a perch outdoors for optimal views
How to navigate a menu of twists and turns
Currently, the menus for Sotol’s cocktails and food can be found via a QR code at each table. The food menu focuses on sharable starters such as queso fundido, steak tacos and calamari. Larger options include burgers and fry bread.
Sotol’s cocktail menu is so long and it would be easy to get lost in all the options.
Many of the drinks resemble classic cocktails with an added local twist. The Desert Daiquiri puts a prickly pear spin on the rum drink, while The Mesquite Old Fashioned uses Del Bac mesquite whiskey distilled in Tucson.
Some of the more unusual cocktail creations are true spectacles.
One drink, called Don’t Push the Button ($16) is made with rum, vanilla, passion fruit, citrus, coconut, cream and chocolate bitters. The yellow-hued concoction is served with a “buzz button,” commonly known as a miracle berry. Bartenders encourage the customer to sip the drink first, then slowly eat the berry and take another taste.
Flavor changing properties in the fruit turn sour into sweet and allow different elements of the cocktail to come through. As the berry’s effect wears off, the original flavors of the cocktail return.
Another show stopping cocktail at Sotol is the On Lake Time ($18). The colorful cocktail comes in a round glass filled with bright blue liquid topped with a swampy dark green float. The concoction is made with vodka, blue curacao, pineapple amaro, passion fruit, coconut, lime juice and Goslings dark rum.
When the layered creation arrives at the table, it’s topped with an inside-out lime skin made into a little cup filled with absinthe, which is lit on fire. Ground cinnamon is sprinkled over the flame, causing a flurry of sparks to fly.
The drink has an herbal, sour flavor and foamy texture and the taste of absinthe, cinnamon and lime from the garnish shine through. When mixed, the colorful layers merge to a fishbowl
green that honors the name and looks like it might have been plucked right from a lake. The fresh lime flavors, however, are much more appetizing.
After the show, order the Forbidden Dance with Mango
The flashy cocktails on Sotol’s menu are a lot of fun. And if you’re going to order multiple rounds, I highly suggest starting your experience with one of these entertaining drinks. But my favorite sip of the night was an understated mango tipple served in a simple glass mug.
The Forbidden Dance with Mango ($17) is made with tequila, yellow chartreuse, luxardo maraschino liqueur, lime, mango sour shrub and egg white.
The egg white provides a frothy, creamy texture, mellowing any sharpness from the fruit. It is a drink that celebrates mango in the way a smoothie or milkshake might, highlighting the fruit’s sweetness and softness.
A little kick of tequila and an herbal aftertaste from the Chartreuse round out the wellbalanced drink.
This bright orange mixture comes served in a little glass mug more commonly used for mulled wine or hot apple cider. It was small, subtle and, for me, really stole the show.
Details: 313 N. Gilbert Road #301, Gilbert. 480-550-6300, sotolmck.com.
Open 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 4 p.m. - 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are not accepted for groups smaller than 10.