Barter & Shake Creative Hospitality, the owner and manager of cocktail bar concepts Century Grand and UnderTow, supports diversity and equality through their take-out cocktail program to celebrate the Centennial of Women’s Right to Vote
Women's Equality Day, designated as August 26 by the U.S. Congress in 1971, commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This year marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment ratification. To celebrate, Barter & Shake, the owner and manager of cocktail bar concepts Century Grand and UnderTow, recently announced their "All Women Take-Out Cocktail Initiative." Launching mid-September, this program will highlight seven local Arizona female bartenders and their signature cocktails. The pre-made bottled cocktails will be released weekly and will be available for purchase on greyhenrx.com.
Each local female bartender will work with a nationally-awarded and accoladed female Mixologist as their mentor. This month-long mentorship program was designed to educate, inspire, and excite the local community of female bartenders and hospitality professionals, while also promoting gender equality awareness. Iesha Farrington, one of the participating local bartenders, exclaims, "This is an exciting program empowering women by other women. After not working for the past five months, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to begin to create drinks again, and having a strong, experienced woman in the industry help guide me."
Fifty limited-time offering bottled cocktail kits will be released at $25 each week. Barter & Shake will donate 100% of profits to Another Round, Another Rally, a non-profit organization that is a financial resource for the hospitality industry. These profits will seed a new professional development fund that is intended to benefit women & femmes in the hospitality industry by offering reimbursement for courses and accreditations, such as The Court of Master Sommeliers and WSET, Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Barter & Shake's owners have been active members of the Arizona food and beverage community for over ten years, and have regularly supported non-profit initiatives. Jason Asher, co-owner and Director of Bars, explains, "Pre-COVID-19, it was easy for us to support an Initiative or respond to a crisis our profits from a designated day of operation. But now, after being closed for over five months, things are a bit trickier. We've had to get more creative, but that's ok. We must continue staying true to who we are and support our community as we've always done."
Century Grand, Barter & Shake’s newest concept, was recently announced as a Top Four Finalist for Tales of the Cocktail Foundation's Spirited Awards. Opened in October 2019, Century Grand offers an immersive, cocktail-centric experience inspired by the transcontinental railroad, which includes a 90-minute "ride" through the Rocky Mountains turn-of-the-century replica, luxury Pullman train car.
Century Grand is located in Phoenix, Arizona, on East Indian School Road and 36th Street. It is currently closed due to COVID-19, pending local government guidance and approval to re-open and begin accepting reservations. For more information, please visit https://centurygrandphx.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.