Platform 18 in Phoenix has officially been named one of North America’s 50 Best Bars for 2023. The train-inspired craft cocktail bar is one of 28 U.S. bars to be named to the esteemed list this year, alongside award-winning bars from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean that each represent the best of the region’s drink industry and make North America a first-class cocktail destination.
Platform 18 ranks No. 48 on the 50 Best Bars in North America list and is joined by the likes of Double Chicken Please (No. 1) and Katana Kitten (No. 3) in New York, Jewel of the South (No. 5) in New Orleans, Pacific Cocktail Haven (No. 28) in San Francisco and Death & Co. (No. 30) in Los Angeles.
Created by the team at Barter & Shake Cocktail Entertainment, which is led by industry titans Jason Asher, Rich Furnari and Mat Snapp, Platform 18 resides within the walls of Century Grand—the building that’s also home to award-winning specialty cocktail bars UnderTow and Grey Hen Rx.
When guests arrive at Platform 18, they’re immediately transported onto an ultra-glamorous, 36-seat Presidential Pullman-inspired train car from the 20th century. While aboard, each traveler embarks on an immersive and unforgettable 90-minute journey that follows the concept’s fictitious hero, Hollis Cottley Pennington, a railroad tycoon and bootlegger, as he conducts business in the bayous of Louisiana.
With interactive elements, such as moving visuals depicting the bayou, vibrations, sound and lighting effects, guests are whisked away on an adventure back in time to the 1930s while imbibing a selection of over 45 exquisite cocktails.
Crafted by Jason Asher and Jax Donahue, Platform 18’s world-class bar program features a New Orleans-inspired cocktail list that offers historic, vintage and classic cocktails, as well as modern mixtures. Original drinks include the Single Track South cocktail (ojo de tigre mezcal, heirloom genepy, giffard creme de pamplemousse rose, Vedrenne coconut liqueur, poblano chili, lime, fennel salt, grapefruit oils) and the Aboard the Lurline cocktail (la favorite blanc agricole rhum, monkey 47 gin, Vicario Seville orange liqueur, mango, sea buckthorn berry, madras curry, absinthe, star anise).
Learn more and make your reservation aboard the Platform 18 experience here.
Photos courtesy Platform 18
