Sushi Roku cocktails stay strong

Sushi Roku (Credit: Courtesy Sushi Roku)

It's time to go back to Sushi Roku for drinks.

Perhaps you've stayed away because the line was so long Thursdays through Saturdays when it first opened.

Maybe it was because you were overwhelmed by the Los Angeles-style shamelessness with which the early adopters dressed and drank.

Perhaps you just couldn't navigate the valet scene off Scottsdale Road any night after 7 p.m. without losing your mind.

Let all that stuff go.

Because now that the hype is over, and the plasticy gloss of newness has been buffed away slightly, what remains at the bar at Sushi Roku is a collection of world-class cocktails starting at about $9, as well as compelling, uncommon sakes and beers. These days, Tuesdays through Thursdays are popular without feeling too scene-y. And the daily 5 to 7 p.m. $5 happy hour boasts a mixed after-work crowd that mingles more than it poses.

The bar is anchored by a massive, $22,000 chunk of burled wood from Cambodia. There, bowls of fresh ingredients line the black-leather-tiled bar. It's not some kind of low-brow salad bar, but instead is meant to inspire people to ask about the kind of drinks made with the peppers and fruits, including the bar's best-selling Roku Fusion and its runner-up, the Pear Martini.

The Roku Fusion is made from a mix of raspberry and citrus Skyy vodkas and a colorful array of pineapple and various kinds of melons that have been marinating in an oversize jar on the bar. This orange-garnished drink is super-fresh and summery, with a candy-like kick that's perfect this time of year.

The cloudy, opaque Pear Martini is made with muddled pear chunks mixed with pear juice and Grey Goose la Poire. Interestingly, the drink is garnished with a slice of Parmesan cheese to give it an unexpected salty, savory tang. It's a thick, strong drink made super-complex by the addition of the cheese.

The highlight of my taste-testing was the Tsubaki Martini, a complex cocktail made from strawberries, lemon slices and basil muddled in a glass and topped with Belvedere vodka, St. Germain elderflower liquor and ginger soda. A basil leaf is draped over the side of the glass like a kind of jaunty herbal scarf. It is, admittedly, a little swampy looking, and it smells strongly of basil, but I was attracted to its bright, sharp flavors and the play of the sweetness of the fruit and liquor against the bite of the ginger soda.

Another guest favorite is the Pomegranate Ginger Margarita, made with grated ginger and lime and orange slices, all muddled and topped with pomegranate juice, tequila and simple syrup. This antioxidant-rich margarita is thick, filled with floating fruit, but still manages to be sweet and tart.

While the drink menu is thoughtfully designed, manager Dolh Chompupong notes that the bar is open to suggestions, having added Sweet Carolina Sweet Tea vodka and Three Olives flavored vodkas because the guests kept requesting them.

Now, you can get a kind of alcoholic Arnold Palmer made with the Sweet Carolina vodka, or a sort of alcoholic Fanta-like drink made with the Three Olives.