1st Friday

For those of you who are new to Arizona, the 1st Friday of every month is called 1st Friday (I know, it seems obvious). Phoenix hosts small businesses, musicians, artists, food trucks and much more in it's city center. Streets are blocked off so parking is non-existent if you come out after dark. Many take a trip on the light rail into the city and make a night of it. The festivities run along Roosevelt Row, as well as the Historic Grand Avenue.

The Garfield Phx is a relatively new establishment not too far off the main 1st Friday streets. They opened a few months back and this month hosted several local vendors, including The Nixer. The Nixer is a pop-up bar that is exclusively non-alcoholic. They have a variety of drinks, new ones rotating with each event. For 1st Friday, I decided to try 2 out of 3 off their menu. The first was called the Sangré, which included Kentucky 74 'bourbon' and had a sweet/tart cherry flavor, garnished with dried fruit. The second was a hemp-infused jalapeno margarita called the Margarito, rimmed with Tajin. It gives you a nice relaxed feeling about 30 min after you finish. Overall, excellent spectrum of flavors and will try a few more again next time I see them. They also attend 2nd Saturday, which is a vegan Brunch and Night Market.

The other location I tried out is called the Pemberton. It is a large enclosed area with vendors hidden in every corner. The grounds are built like a maze with the walkway lined with plants/bushes on both sides. There are a variety of art installations to check out, plenty of food and lots of drink options. I tried a stand called Wine Not? They had a few bottles of different flavors of botanical lemonade to try, which turned out to be very refreshing. I didn't want to miss the vendors set up along the art walk, so I didn't spend too much time at the Pemberton, but will definitely be back.

Let me know your favorite part of 1st Friday, if you've been. Where is your favorite location to visit?