Although it may be underground, Scottsdale’s most glamorous cocktail parlor is no secret. Now open, Tell Your Friends—a Gatsby-esq craft cocktail and live music lounge nestled under The Americano—is the talk of the town. Behind the bar’s velvet drapes therein lies a sultry space illuminated by Art Deco style lighting and outfitted with mirrored walls, polished gold ceilings and ample velvet and leather seating in sensuous shapes.

The space is the perfect backdrop to enjoy an equally captivating cocktail menu created by award-winning bartender Keifer Gilbert. Add one (or more) of acclaimed Arizona chef Beau MacMillan’s upscale small bites to the mix for the perfect drinking companion.

While you’ll have to stop in to try the establishment’s 20+ cocktails, the team at Tell Your Friends understands that friends don’t let friends gatekeep—which is they shared some of their favorite food and cocktail recipes with us.

Keifer Gilbert’s Cocktail Recipes

In the Mood for Love

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Tanqueray No. Ten
0.5 oz Dolin Génépy le Chamois
1 lime
0.75 oz red bell pepper syrup (see recipe below)
3 raspberries
For garnish: mint, raspberries and dehydrated blood orange.

Directions:

1. Muddle raspberries and combine all ingredients into tin.
2. Add ice and shake well.
3. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh cubes & top with garnish.

Red Bell Pepper Syrup (for In the Mood for Love)

Ingredients:

Red peppers (to taste—enough for 0.75 oz of syrup) & equal parts sugar

Directions:

1. Break down and de-seed and devein peppers, then run the remaining bell pepper chunks through a juicer.
2. Finely strain the red bell pepper juice.
3. Combine red bell pepper juice & equal parts sugar.
4. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
5. Set finished syrup aside to use for In the Mood for Love.

One Time Thing

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Remy Martin 1738 Cognac
0.5 oz Amaro Montenegro
0.5 oz Giffard Banane du Brésil
0.5 oz Oloroso Sherry
0.25 oz real banana syrup
For garnish: orange peel (discarded), banana chip

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a Yari mixing glass and stir.
2. Strain into polished Nick & Nora glass.
3. Top with garnish and enjoy!

Chef Beau MacMillan’s Small-Bite Recipes

TYF Korean Fried Chicken

Tell Your Friends’ signature Korean fried chicken with kimchi honey and smoked bacon ranch.

Ingredients – Korean Fried Chicken:

4 chicken tenders
Buttermilk
Gochujang
All-purpose flour
Corn starch
Dried potato pearls
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Kimchi powder

Ingredients – Kimchi Honey:

6 tbsp unsalted butter
9 tbsp kimchi paste
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Ingredients – Smoked Bacon Ranch:

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped cooked bacon
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped tarragon
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Brine chicken tenders in buttermilk and gochujang.
2. Drench in seasoned flour made with all-purpose flour, corn starch, dried potato pearls, garlic powder, onion powder and kimchi powder.
3. Prepare kimchi honey by melting butter then adding kimchi paste, honey and sesame seeds.
4. Prepare smoked bacon ranch by combining all ingredients.
5. Fry chicken until golden brown and crispy. Serve with kimchi honey and smoked bacon ranch.

Fire Roasted Oysters

An Asian-inspired take on fire roasted oysters served with Hijiki aioli.

Ingredients – Fire Roasted Oysters:

6 East Coast medium-sized oysters, freshly shucked
1/2 cup cooked spinach (seasoned with butter, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper to taste)
4 tbsp Hijiki aioli (see recipe below)
1 tbsp ground lop Chung (Chinese sausage)
1 charred lemon wedge

Ingredients – Hijiki Aioli:

1/4 cup dried Hijiki seaweed
Water
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tbsp jalapeño, diced
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups fresh ginger, minced
1⁄4 cup garlic, minced
5 oz rice wine vinegar
5 oz mirin
13.5 oz tamari or soy sauce
7.5 oz sesame oil
1 gallon mayonnaise

Directions – Hijiki Aioli:

1. Soak the hijiki in water for 30 minutes then drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet.
3. Once the skillet is heated, add jalapeno, shallot, ginger, garlic and sauté over medium heat. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl.
4. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and whisk until combined.
5. Set aside to use in oysters.

Directions – Fire Roasted Oysters:

1. Shuck oysters and stuff with sauteed spinach, Chinese sausage, and top with hijiki sauce.
2. Char broil until cooked through and bubbly, hot, and golden brown.
3. Serve over rock salt with a charred lemon wedge.

Tell Your Friends is open Thursday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to midnight. Located beneath The Americano, 17797 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Go to tellyourfriendsaz.com