On the corner of Pennington and Scott Avenue, mosey along the side of Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink’s two-story building, make a turn once you see the beer garden’s outdoor seating, and at the bottom of the stairwell, you’ll discover a very dim basement.
Down there, a land of decorative lightbulbs hanging from wires, a row of barstools, cozy benches, and most importantly, cocktails. All of this is awaiting your arrival at the Tough Luck Club. Oh, and it wouldn’t be a party without a can of Coors and a shot of whiskey, too, right?
Earlier this week, Tough Luck Club, Tucson’s popular downtown basement bar, launched a brand new cocktail menu and is hosting a “launch weekend” party on Friday, July 8 – Sunday, July 10. To help ring in the new spirits, TLC is serving up discounted drinks and handing out giveaways of the bar’s newest merch.
Those familiar with the bar know that half of the fun of going down there is flipping through the printed menu (sometimes using the glow of your phone to get a better look). The new menu features cover art from illustrator Scott Agustin and includes a total of 21 cocktails curated by beverage director Karl Goranowski and the rest of the Tough Luck Club bar staff.
Here’s a snippet from the menu’s first page:
A long, hot desert road. Sun, sand, wind, cacti.
Stare down into another world.
Dark, cool, glasses, cans, shots.
Under the streets of the Old Pueblo and the pink-orange
glow of the sunset, you will find us here.
In the basement bar of a dream,
the TOUGH LUCK CLUB.
A variety of concoctions are being thrown into the shaker, including eight cocktails from the TLC bar team, eight classic cocktails, which are always available for only $8 each, and five cocktails from friends of the bar, which $1 per drink will go to charity.
For instance, just in the last six months, TLC raised more than $2,500 for children’s charities and is planning to give even more back to the Tucson community through “Friends and Family Cocktail” donations.
On to the menu, we go. Sit down, keep scrolling, and peruse the new additions, which will be available until New Year’s Eve.
Tough Luck Club’s new cocktail menu
Tough Luck Cocktails
- Flying To Their Sabbats – sour cherry gin, London dry gin, saffron liqueur, lime juice, honey, sparkling wine, and aromatic bitters ($14)
- Huckle Bearer – mezcal de oaxaca, tequila, creme de cacao, amaro medio, orange bitters, and cinnamon cola bitters ($15)
- ¯_(:/)_/¯ (Who knows, I just work here) – Haitian clairin, overproof rum, chile brine, lime juice, and demerara syrup ($14)
- The Ring I Never Won – white tea-infused vodka, watermelon liqueur, Italian aperitif, lime juice, honey, and sparkling water ($13)
- Doctors Do It Cleaner – American brandy, rye whiskey, orange bitters, lemon juice, Aqua de Jamaica Grenadine ($13)
- The Apostles’ Price – Douglas Fir gin, Spanish gin, Emilian Amaro, Americato Aromatized wine, Yuzu liqueur ($14)
- What A Minute Said To An Hour – pisco, banana liqueur, Milanese amaro, lime juice, strawberry syrup, and pink bitters ($14)
- Only Fools Prefer The Past – single malt scotch, ruby port, American red aperitif, Adriatic fernet, and aromatic bitters ($15)
Friends and Family Cocktails ($11 each)
$1 per drink donated to organizations working to protect women’s rights and end gun violence
- The Black Pearl Of San Pablo Bay – vodka, saffron liqueur, lime juice, pineapple syrup, and aromatic bitters
- I Beg Your Pardon – Reposado tequila, aloe liqueur, basil syrup, lemon juice, sparkling water, and red wine float
- Super Delicious Celery Paloma – tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and celery soda
- Mount Apo Cooler – London dry gin, pear liqueur, lemon juice, cucumber syrup, and sparkling water
- Beware The Chupacabra – mezcal, schochu, lemon juice, and ginger syrup
Essential Cocktails ($8 each)
- Old Fashioned – bourbon whiskey, demerara sugar, and house bitters
- Moscow Mule – vodka, lime juice, ginger syrup, and sparkling water
- Mexican Firing Squad – tequila, lime juice, Agua de Jamaica Grenadine, sparkling water, and aromatic bitters
- Pineapple Daiquiri – white rum, lime juice, and piña syrup
- Bee’s Knees – London dry gin, lemon juice, and honey
- Horse Thief – London dry gin, dry vermouth, and absinthe
- Bizzy Izzy Highball – rye whiskey, dry sherry, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sparkling water
- Black Russian – vodka, coffee liqueur, and cola (by request)
The bar is open from 6 p.m. – midnight on Tuesday – Thursday, 6 p.m. – 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m. – midnight on Sunday. If you’re having trouble finding your way, or the side gate on Scott Avenue is closed, enter through Reilly’s front door.
Tough Luck Club is located at 101 E. Pennington St (down in the basement). For more information, follow Tough Luck Club on Instagram or visit reillypizza.com.
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