money Ghost Donkey and Cham Pang Lanes bring serious spirits and party vibes to downtown Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix's Second Street is abuzz with activity. On most weekend nights, lines snake every which way as excited customers wait to enter three new concepts that recently opened in one long building.
The restaurant, bowling alley and bar offer extremely different experiences. Sure, they all serve cocktails, keep the music loud and draw a crowd of young, fashionably dressed patrons, but the atmosphere, focus and menus couldn't be more different.
I visited the two cocktail-focused options, Cham Pang Lanes and Ghost Donkey. One was bright, fun and full of party potential, while the other served up dark, moody vibes.
Both bring something new and exciting to the growing downtown Phoenix nightlife scene.
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What to expect at Cham Pang Lanes
As I entered Cham Pang Lanes and walked past the doorman and the hotel check-in style host stand, my eyes didn't know what to focus on first.
A large circular bar sparkled, reflections bouncing off an installation of disco balls overhead. Behind it, groups cheered as friends threw bowling balls down the mini-sized lanes. A few people played pool. Others ate sushi. Some sipped cocktails. A cowboy-hat clad bachelorette party in shiny jackets danced between tables.
It was a lot. But the DJ kept the hits playing and busy bartenders kept drinks in happy customers' hands. The chaos worked and I could easily see planning a birthday party for a friend at the high-energy spot.
Cham Pang Lanes is currently offering bowling on a first-come first-served basis. On my recent Saturday night visit, the wait time for a lane was two hours. So, be prepared to settle in for a while if you want to play.
One excellent way to enjoy passing the time is with an order of crispy popcorn chicken ($11). Dusted with curry powder and topped with Kewpie mayonnaise and jalapenos, the shareable dish is a delightful snack, made all the more fun when eaten with wooden chopsticks.
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What to drink at Cham Pang
As the name suggests, this bar celebrates all things sparkling wine. A neon sign spells it out: "Save water, drink Champagne."
Many of the cocktails feature Champagne or sparkling wine as a main ingredient. The Bling ($13), made with sparkling wine, gin, Chambord, raspberry and lime is a sweet, baby pink drink served in a Champagne flute. It tasted like cotton candy.
The bright orange Peach Fuzzy is made with vodka, sparkling cucumber-hibiscus sake, peach, lime and cranberry, garnished with a vibrant purple orchid ($11) and seemed to fly off the bar.
The drinks here are cute, photogenic and fun. A woman sitting next to me at the bar asked the bartender to recommend whatever would be the prettiest. She served her a Mai Thai, made with rum, Curaçao, orgeat and lime served inside a red Chinese takeout container ($13).
For those looking to lean in to the fun atmosphere, but still order a drink that tastes good, opt for the Attitude Adjuster ($13).
The menu explains the drink is made with top-shelf long island ice tea ingredients, which include vodka, rum, gin and tequila along with Portland Syrups ginger and Lambrusco. I know. But trust me on this one.
Or trust the guys over at Punch, who say the Long Island Iced Tea is having a moment. Either way.
The drink is served in a highball glass and is a yellowish green color at the bottom. At the top, the Lambrusco sparkling red wine float adds a dark red drama that trickles through the drink.
The dangerous blend of booze in the body of the cocktail tastes mostly of ginger which adds a heat to the cool, sparkling drink. The Lambrusco adds not only refreshing bubbles but also a depth to the cocktail with a slight tannic flavor that dampens any sourness. This drink is a winner for any fans of a New York sour.
For those looking for a slightly more low-key spot with craft cocktails that dial it up a notch, it's best to bypass the party scene and head next door to Ghost Donkey.
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What to expect at Ghost Donkey
This new Phoenix bar is the latest location of a concept that started in New York City. Now there are Ghost Donkey outposts in Las Vegas, Denver and Auckland, New Zealand.
In each location of the bar, including Phoenix, one instantly recognizable element is the ceiling. Hundreds of strings of twinkle lights slowly fade between red and purple, casting a deep glow over the bar.
Giant red flower signs, each fitted with glowing red lights of their own, hang on the walls. The space buzzes with a loud mix of hip-hop and upbeat reggaeton.
Customers line the bar in the main space and a small room to the right of the entrance offers booth seating, low tables and a slightly quieter spot to sit.
For those looking for a snack, Ghost Donkey offers five different varieties of nachos, chips and guacamole and shrimp ceviche.
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What to drink at Ghost Donkey
At Ghost Donkey, the focus is on agave spirits with a strong lean toward mezcal, tequila's trendy, smoky cousin. Two pages of the menu are dedicated to the stuff.
For the real agave nerds, Ghost Donkey also offers hard-to-find agave varieties served straight up, including sotol, bacanora and raicilla.
The main cocktail menu offers ten cocktails and two specials all made with tequila or mezcal.
A crowd pleaser, which many tables excitedly ordered during my visit, is the Mucho Take It Easy, made with Altos Reposado tequila, Becherovka bitters, cardamom, lemon, pomegranate and ginger ($29). The drink serves between two and four people and is presented in a giant version of the traditional Mexican clay cups called cantaritos or jarritos de barro.
For those looking for a spirit-forward sipper, try the Mole Negroni ($15). Served in a rocks glass, it is made with Koch Espadin mezcal, cynar Italian bitter apéritif, Cocchi Torino vermouth, Rabarbaro Zucca amaro, mole spices and bitters.
If you like a traditional negroni that's heavy on the Campari, this drink is for you. The overwhelming flavor is bitterness with a hint of mole spices at the end, which makes it a nice nightcap.
But the drink not to miss at Ghost Donkey is one that many customers shy away from ordering, the bartender told me. The Mushroom Margarita ($15) may not sound very appetizing, but it's the most interesting drink on the menu.
This dark and cloudy cocktail uses Montelobos Espadin mezcal infused with huitlacoche, a fungus that grows inside ears of corn and is considered a delicacy, sometimes referred to as Mexican truffles.
Its flavor is earthy, subtly sweet and smoky and it's often added to dishes like quesadillas and tacos. Although it is rarely found in drinks, it's a perfect complement to the flavors of mezcal.
Agave syrup and lime make this drink recognizable as a margarita, but Nixta also enters the mix. Defined as a "Licor de elote" this spirit is made from corn, the very host that huitlacoche needs to grow.
A salt and chile rim adds a savory kick to the surprisingly creamy drink. The liquid itself is sweet and earthy, without the sharp tang of alcohol. It encourages another sip.
For a moment, the complexity of the cocktail took me out of the loud, red atmosphere of the bar and made me focus on the flavor of what I was tasting. It's a cocktail unlike any I've had before and I'll definitely be back for another.
Details: Cham Pang Lanes, 903 N. Second Street, Phoenix. 602-922-2235, champanglanes.com.
Details: Ghost Donkey, 903 N. Second Street, Phoenix. ghostdonkeyphx.com.
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Reach the reporter at tirion.morris@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @tirionmorris, on Facebook at Tirion Rose and on Instagram at tirionrose.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A guide to Ghost Donkey bar and Cham Pang Lanes bowling in Phoenix
