Goodyear-raised mixologist scores with Cardinals cocktail

People are looking for kind of refreshing and brighter cocktails. That’s really what I was going for with this.”

Azalea Barr

The Arizona Cardinals have dropped three straight games, but Goodyear-raised mixologist Azalea Barr has already put one in the win column this season.

Barr created the Cardinals Gold, an Arizona-inspired cocktail made with ROXX Vodka, Fruitful papaya liqueur, lime juice and orange blossom honey syrup. Her recipe won a competition held by ROXX, the team’s official vodka partner, and is being served at State Farm Stadium this season.

Barr learned of the contest on social media. Entrants were asked to create an Arizona-inspired drink.

“I was super shocked and excited because I just started competing in cocktail competitions this year,” Barr said. “So it was my first cocktail competition win.”

The stadium recipe is unchanged from her submission. Barr spent a couple of days testing combinations, searching for flavors that were distinctive but approachable for a football crowd.

“People are looking for kind of refreshing and brighter cocktails,” she said. “That’s really what I was going for with this.”

Barr said each ingredient serves a purpose. Lime adds brightness, while Arizona orange blossom honey adds sweetness. Papaya gives the drink a less familiar flavor rooted in her childhood.

“Growing up, it was just one of our always-ready snacks that my mom had for us,” Barr said. “That was just kind of a core childhood memory of mine.”

Barr said her parents are from Mexico and papaya was often served alongside watermelon, mango and jicama in her family. She saw the cocktail as a chance to introduce the fruit to fans who may not have tried it.

Barr grew up in Goodyear before much of the city’s current development. She now lives in central Phoenix, works at Still & Barrel and runs Rolling Sips, a mobile bartending business, with her husband. The couple has served weddings, private events and fundraisers across the Valley.

Barr began bartending about eight years ago and credits her mentors with teaching her the craft.

“They were able to finally take me in and mentor me, and be super patient with me, and teach me everything they knew,” she said.

As the Cardinals try to turn their season around, Barr hopes fans will keep cheering — one papaya cocktail at a time.

Noah Flug
Reporter | Litchfield Park and Goodyear

nflug@iniusa.org

Community: Litchfield Park and Goodyear

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in Digital Audiences from Arizona State University

Random Fact: I only have one biological cousin.

Hobbies: Watching movies and TV, spending time with my friends, aspiring stoic.