Down in the basement, just underneath Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink, the team behind Tough Luck Club (TLC) has concocted a brand-new menu of cocktails for you to sip on this summer.
The menu, Bad Rains, shares the same text font and flair of the late ’70s punk band Bad Brains. It’s an homage to the classic punk band while celebrating the city of Tucson and its beloved monsoon rainstorms.
Tough Luck Club, also referred to as Tucson’s Original Basement Bar, launched the new menu last week, and was thoughtfully curated by beverage director Karl Goranowski. There is a total of eight new cocktails including Bad Rains, Base of the Black Hill, and Go Home Delicious.
Bad Rains
A Manhattan Riff with amaro and sweet corn liqueur, Rinced with a Creosote infused Orange Bitter
Base of the Black Hill
A bitters-driven sour with Jamaica syrup and lime
Go Home Delicious
A rum and saffron cocktail in the French 75 style with just a hint of salt to tie flavors together
The reconstructed menu also includes a selection of eight $8 classic cocktails offered whenever the bar is open.
“The menu continues to include drinks from friends and family of the bar,” said Goranowski. “With drinks from bartenders from as far away as Philadephia and Hong Kong, a portion of these drinks still goes to charity. In fact, TLC has donated almost $10,000 to charity since reopening in 2021.”
The new Bad Rains menu is live now and will run until December 31, 2023.
The hours of operation are 6 p.m. – midnight on Tuesday – Thursday, 6 p.m. – 1 a.m. on Friday – Saturday, 6 p.m. – midnight on Sunday, and closed Monday.
Tough Luck Club is located in the basement of Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink, 101 E. Pennington St. For more information, follow Tough Luck Club on Instagram.
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Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
