Surf’s up! The fourth installment of PHOENIX magazine’s Summer Cocktail Camp gets a gnarly twist this Sunday, July 13, at Revel Surf Bar & Grill at Cannon Beach. Bar manager Micah Wright calls it “a surf park for surfers and an exotic getaway for locals who want a little piece of that surf, sand and sun lifestyle of the ocean – in the middle of the desert.” We caught up with the well-traveled mixologist to chat about how bartending satisfies his wanderlust – and how he hangs loose between crowd-pleasing tropical cocktails and bold, boundary-pushing pours. Catch a wave at tickets.phoenixmag.com.
Tell us about Revel Surf and what kind of experience guests can expect.
Revel Surf is a one-of-a-kind surf/skate/swim park with a top-tier restaurant and bar… Our guests can expect a stunning setting to sip cocktails, eat food, play in the sand, jump off the cliff-diving platforms, catch some waves, skate in the skate park, get some sun – and shade – and watch surfers doing their surfer things… We get a large variety of visitors from all over the world, so we work to cater to the many varying lifestyles and individual needs of the people that come.
Tell us about you! How did you get your start in the service/hospitality industry and what keeps you in it?
I started my hospitality experience mostly in London where I lived after university. I finished my degrees in photography and journalism in California and then decided that England was where I would begin my professional life journey. I packed my bags and began what would be the start of many years traveling all over the world as my profession. In London, I would work an office job in the morning, bartend in the evenings and then spend the late hours of the night on the dark London streets working as a paparazzi… I carried on with photography, writing, bartending, serving, teaching surf lessons and travel-guiding as a way to live and explore various countries and cultures around the world. When I would return home between these epic journeys, I would bartend around various places in the Orange County, California area while preparing and saving up for my next adventure. Much of my formal bartending training came from the corporate world of P.F. Chang’s, where I feel like I received a lot of strong restaurant foundation in the craft of bartending. From there, it was a lot of incredible restaurant experiences plus the incessant drive to always learn, understand, explore and share. I was always researching what was new in the industries that I was involved in.
When I wasn’t traveling, I often felt that bartending has been the closest thing to my travel passion. There was always somebody new that walks in the door. You learn something new every day. There is always someone to have a laugh with or share a story. Bartending was enough to temporarily satisfy my lust for adventure and exploration. More importantly, I realized that I looked forward to work every day. While on the road, I was always in restaurants and bars learning new things and trying new things. I’d meet other bartenders and chefs from all over the world and there was always a new dish or drink or service style that we would all share with each other. We often discussed the different views, styles and philosophies of restaurant work around the world. I have notebooks of recipes, drink idea and service gimmicks that intrigued me from my journeys. When at home and those memories came back, I would try to incorporate those into whatever drink menu I was working on at the time.
The previous bar that I was at is a famous California fine dining restaurant and live jazz entertainment venue called Spaghettini. It was another very unique place which introduced me to the juggling act of trying to provide a 5-star fine dining food and drink experience for people that were happy to spend hours over the course of a long meal. At Revel, it is a lot of the same juggling act. We have a smaller restaurant and back-of-house at the moment, so we have to be very conscientious of the products that we carry, what we can store and what products we can provide at a large volume.
Tell us about the cocktail program at Revel Surf. What’s your favorite cocktail on the menu and why?
The cocktail program at Revel is a unique animal in itself since we cater to such a wide variety of people from all over. We are still very much brand-new and working out our identity, but generally our bar program at Revel has focused on tropical tiki, vacation-style beverages that fit the theme of the park. However, we have a lot of regulars who prefer more traditional cocktails and things that are a bit lighter, so we try to diversify and cater to those people as well.
I feel we are only beginning on the journey of what Revel will become and I think the park will continue to take on a life of its own. One of the great things about being a bartender in this situation is that I’m there on the front lines with our other bartenders, trying to get the pulse of our guests and listening to what they want and trying to mold the bar to fit those needs.
My favorite drink on the menu is probably the Revel Collins which is one of our signature items. It goes outside the box of our rum-heavy menu and instantly became a favorite for that reason. The Revel Collins is a blend of elderflower, vodka, fresh cucumber, fresh lime and soda. Realizing that this was what many of our guests were looking for, I stared looking for more ways to incorporate this style of beverage into our summer menu.
For us, being such a high-volume, adventure-style venue, much of this style cocktail can’t really apply to us necessarily, however we really try hard to provide an amazing cocktail in an expedient manner for a large amount of guests. I love to experiment behind the bar and create some of our own unique cocktails on a limited basis for monthly specials, special events, holidays or just for specific guests in particular.
How does Revel Surf’s location influence its menu?
I love our location a bit on the outskirts of town, in an area that is rapidly developing and growing. I’m newer to Phoenix so I love exploring. Everything is new to me. But in this area, we can see things develop around us and it’s fun to see it all take shape in real time. I feel that we are in a great position, where we can be an anchor venue to the area.
Our most popular cocktail at the moment is a prickly pear cactus water that draws from the unique cactus from the area. We are definitely a destination venue where people come from all over the world to experience what we have to offer… You have surfers running around in and out of the water, waxing up boards and getting ready for their upcoming session. You have servers skateboarding food and drinks around the park, lifeguards patrolling the beachfront, kids playfully screaming as they jump in the waves, skaters shredding the skate park, and just the hooting and hollering in joy as surfers throw up a shaka sign and high five each other after sharing an epic wave.
You can feel the vibe and it’s so easy to forget you are in the middle of the desert. I’ve been to countless beach resorts around the world, and I can honestly feel that I lose myself in the similarities every day. I could easily be on a Greek island resort or out in Hawaii.
What’s your desert island drink?
My desert island drink would probably be following along the lines of Captain Jack Sparrow, with either a bottle of rum or whiskey. I’m a huge fan of wine but I don’t think wine would survive too long on a desert island. Just a bottle of rum would do me and my mates just fine.
What do you have planned for Cocktail Camp?
For Cocktail Camp, I mainly want to share the vibe and the unique experience that we have, the feeling that people get when they come in and see the venue, hear the waves, hear the hooting and hollering from the surfers and skateboarders, and dance to the great tunes put out by DJs and live bands.
I plan on sharing about what it’s like operating a bar in such a difficult environment with the heat – being outdoors and with huge crowds throughout the week, all while trying to provide a great cocktail and an unforgettable experience.
We will have some frozen rum tiki drinks that have a long history with our park leaders and some lighter vodka- and tequila-based cocktails that will refresh during the hot afternoon, while we learn about the park and our bar program. And then we all jump off the high dive!
Definitely bring your bathing suits, skateboard, surfboard, volleyball and definitely bring some sunscreen and a hat. Come play and try some great beverages.
