Smooth, Smoked Citrus

Tell Your Friends debuts Jazz Age Smolder as part of its first new menu reveal

By Alison Bailin Batz / Photo by TJ Perez

This past spring, Tell your Friends – a luxe underground cocktail and live music lounge with a bold 1920s art deco vibe – was named Bar of the Year at the 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo Industry Excellence Awards and as Arizona’s Iconic Speakeasy Experience at the Foodist Awards, solidifying its place as a standout among Scottsdale’s vibrant nightlife scene.

To celebrate, the speakeasy-style bar and lounge hidden under The Americano recently unveiled its first new cocktail menu since opening last year. “This menu reimagines classic flavors with innovative techniques and complex layered profiles,” says Ashley Cibor, beverage director of Tell Your Friends. “Balancing sophistication with creativity, we think this menu embodies Tell Your Friends’ ethos while celebrating seasonality.”

Among the most popular of the new offerings is the Jazz Age Smolder ($36).

“This is a riff on a black Manhattan, which typically uses whiskey, amaro, and bitters,” Cibor says. “We start by swapping out the whiskey for Aberfeldy 12-Year-Old Single Malt scotch, which has intoxicating notes of fruit, spices and ripe fruits.”

The scotch is paired with bittersweet Amaro Averna and Carpano Antica Formula, a sweet red vermouth that dates back to the 1700s and has notes of vanilla, spices, dried fruits, and citrus. Angostura orange bitters finish the build, which is shaken in a tin with ice before being strained into a large snifter glass and garnished with an orange peel. “When we bring the cocktail tableside, we smoke it in front of guests using a vape gun and sweet orange smoke,” Cibor says. “A bouquet of honeyed citrus envelops the senses, preparing the palate for the layers of baking spice, orange, and smooth vanilla to come.”

Tell Your Friends, 17797 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale; www.tellyourfriendsaz.com; 480.530.0045.