SCOTTSDALE

THE MISSION

DRINKS AT THE MISSION DELIVER - MEGAN FINNERTY, AZCENTRAL.COM

03/12/2009 - The Mission is the kind of bar and restaurant I've been hoping for my whole life.
I don't think I've ever suggested to anyone to create a restaurant with backlit walls built of bricks of Himalayan salt and gothic chandeliers.

But even without my whispering into their ears about how a restaurant can never have too many candles, too many ornate crosses or about how all I've ever really wanted was a gorgeous place to eat guacamole, general manager and owner Brian Raab, owner Terry Ellisor and executive chef Matt Carter have given me pretty much everything my little heart desires.

The restaurant feels close, with room for about 100 guests at the bar and in the dining room, and the low lighting, plush fabrics and dark wall treatments add to the boudoir-level intimacy. Even the tiny front patio, dominated by a fireplace and surrounded by a low brick wall, feels romantic. So, so far we have awesome guacamole, romance and, according to Arizona Republic restaurant critic Howard Seftel, posole, steamed clams, scallops and several pork dishes worth rhapsodizing about.

I stopped by the other day to check out the cocktails. Because it's my job.

Nice liquor: The Mission offers pages and pages of tequila and related liquors, including all the fancy ones you can get at upscale Latin restaurants, and a few that are more esoteric, including Agavero and 1921 Tequila Crema. Raab will walk you through all of these, as he's a former bartender who loves chatting up his guests and introducing them to new and exciting ways to take the edge off a day or add something new to a night. Whether it's Honduran spices, hard-to-find tequilas or why they no longer offer a $100 margarita, Raab is an energetic storyteller.
Agavero is liqueur made from blue agave añejo and reposado tequilas with the essence of Damiana flower, grown in Jalisco, Mexico. It's a complex, warm drink softened with honey flavors. I'd never had it before and I loved it.

The tequila crema is a kind of Mexican Irish Cream, with cinnamon, cream and tequila. It tastes warm and rich and has none of the bite that comes with most Irish creams.

Mexican classics with a twist: The coconut margarita is a superrich mix of tequila, Grand Marnier, cream of coconut, pineapple juice and sweet and sour, served in a glass rimmed with toasted coconut. At $15, it's frankly a lot to pay for a drink, but it's also a take-your-breath-away delicious excuse to drink your dessert.

The Primarita is the bar's signature drink, made from Partida tequila, organic agave nectar and three pressed limes, $13. Remember learning about Platonic forms? Plato believed everything has an ideal version of itself and it's called a “form.” This is the Platonic ideal of margaritas.
Raab makes an ever-changing selection of frozen margaritas depending on what's in season or what's on his mind. (He's served chocolate.) I tried the frozen grapefruit, made with pink grapefruit sorbet, tequila, lime and sweet and sour, with a float of St Germain elderflower liqueur, $10. The St Germain adds both trendiness and an elegant floral sweetness to the bright cocktail.
The Ginger-Pineapple Mojito is another standout. Made of Oronoco rum, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, simple syrup, mint, lime and pineapple, it's a fresh take on a drink that sometimes seems over-done. The ginger adds a sophisticated bite to the sweet drink.

Raab is a bartending risk-taker, so the drink menu is dotted with a few beverages that are more style than substance. But I applaud experimentation, even if it means he's created a thick, creamy avocado margarita with chunks of the fruit in the mix, and a “Smokehouse Margarita” that tastes like sipping liquid smoke flavoring mixed with actual fire. It's made from mescal and a dash of ghost pepper sauce.

Lastly, the red sangria is lovely, a not-too-sweet version made with pinot noir and citrus that lets the wine come through as the dominant flavor rather than the juice.