HighWire Lounge

It’s all about the patio for me. I love the ambiance of the back alley entrance away from Congress Street. Landing on the patio with comfortable chairs surrounded by industrial brick work, it is tremendously easy to have a nice quiet conversation something to drink and even a nibble. The staff is accommodating but not overbearing.

Great ambiance with plenty of seating. They have beers on tap, wine and a really interesting cocktail menu. We waited for a dinner reservation here and definitely will be back. Was here around 8 on a Saturday and they had an eclectic mix of customers, everyone fits in.

Came here on a Friday at 8:15pm, primarily because it’s not as busy as places close by. Ordered The Snob and my husband ordered a different cocktail. Took 10 minutes for the bartender to make the drinks after ordering. I have mixology drinks all over the country. These are the worst drinks I’ve ever had! Will never return.
Got a response from the owner. Hope you all read it. It makes everything I said all the more perfect and valuable to you all in saving your money by not spending it here.

One of very few places in the country who does molecular mixology! With that they mix science and bartending to create an alcoholic master piece that you can eat or drink!
For example the molecular shots. Or oyster shots! Delectable deliciousness that they put in a little shooter with flavors that explode in your mouth, and bam, no dreadful shot of whatever’s on well, that’s forced on you by your friends. A tasty and delicious shot that is in an edible bubble, surrounded by a purée and topped with pop rocks. So fun!
They also have margaritas that are amazing, with the same edible bubbles, OF TEQUILA!
The contortionist where they put cotton candy in the drink, was my friends favorite. All in all, this hole in the wall is a must try, it’s unique in its own and very eclectic, just what Tucson needs to spice things up.

The ambiance is very relaxing and inviting, I LOVE the courtyard and the fireplace out front, and the bar window is so fun! They’ve really made something of the limited space offered which is impressive.
We had the contortionist shot which while I give a 5 for presentation, taste is a 2. I was glad it wasn’t overly sweet but as I’m not a vodka drinker I would have liked something MORE as there wasn’t much flavor at all but I did like the fizzles from the Pop Rocks. Just fun!
As well we had a pearl shot, forget the flavor, that was simply scrumptious. Again presentation was so great and this time the taste was also spot on.
These guys are so fun and fresh! Great addition to the downtown night life

We had a round of peach pearl shots and they were so good. I could drink those all night! I want to try the oyster shots, which is what they’re known for and why we went. We got distracted by the other selections so we didnt get to try them, but def will soon!

Boyfriend and I tried to order drinks on a Sunday afternoon– The place had one bartender and about 10 patrons total. yet we had to wait over 35 minutes at the bar to put in our orders. They were out of each of our first selections, followed by being out of each of our 2^nd selections. and finally out of the last ones too. How do you not have a way to make 6 of the different drinks we ordered. No gin, no vanilla vodka, no rum, no St. Germain, no cucumbers to muddle, no pearl boba-​like spheres.
Basically, the pretty much told us that they had nothing except whiskey.

I absolutely love this bar. I love to introduce new people to this place. The bartenders are always fun and willing to explain their concept. You must absolutely come here!!!

Go here for one of a kind drinks that you will most likely never see or even hear of anywhere else! Why is that? Bartenders create the most unique beverages with gastronomy. Definitely go here for their flavored pearl shots because that is something you will not find anywhere else. In my opinion, it is too sweet for my palette, however all of my friends loved them. My favorite drink here is The Contortionist, which is a martini that consists of pop rocks and cotton candy. How, you ask? I will let you find out for yourself. You’re welcome!
Other than drinks, the ambience is great. I suggest sitting at the bar to interact with the bartenders, especially if you are curious about gastronomic mixology. They were very happy to answer any questions we had. My only gripe are drink prices, which are on the higher end in Tucson. However, you pay for the special technique and effort behind each drink. There is also a nice area to hangout indoors or outdoors where the courtyard is. Some areas outside even have fire pits. It’s a very cute little quaint area to hang out. You can also hop across the courtyard to checkout Independent, another great bar. A must visit!

So my friends and I were bar hopping for Valentine’s Day yesterday. Some of our friends had never been to HighWire so we brought them in. There were about 11 of us and Neil was bartending that day and he was amazing! He was super nice, friendly and made amazing drinks. Our friends from Phoenix really liked the molecular shots as well as the bar. Thanks Neil for showing us a great time and we can’t wait to come back again!

I totally dig this place. Nice craft cocktails, decent wine and beer list, and delicious snacks to boot. The space is cozy and cool. The bartender was super friendly. I’m excited to try more food in the cute patio space that opens to the Gibson Market and Independent. It’s a little pricey, but happy hour pricing makes for a great opportunity to drink through their main event cocktail list.

One of only 8 places IN THE COUNTRY doing spherical alcohol gastronomy. Yup, I’d say that makes them totally original in the Tucson mixology scene.
They’re also using things like pop rocks and cotton candy in their specialty drink, The Contortionist.
Their signature drink, the HIghwire, is their inventive take on a Manhattan.
They’re even doing a drink with fire… which I can never remember the name of; but they put coffee beans in with cognac and light the thing on fire. If you use a lot of hairspray or cologne, you probably don’t want to risk the pyrotechnics.
They make spherical shots of different liquors and combine them with things like peach purée or cranberry juice. The shots burst in your mouth, making for an interesting, um, oral experience.
They have a fairly limited food menu that comes from Johnny Gibson’s Market next door.
The courtyard they share with Johnny Gibsons and Independent Distillery looks like a great place to unwind and just hang out in nice weather.
You really have to be looking for this place to get there as you literally have to go down an alley to find it. If that’s a little too scary for you, you can enter through Johnny Gibson’s and go all the way through to get there too.
If you’re downtown and looking for friendly service, inventive takes on cocktails, an upscale atmosphere and beautiful courtyard, Highwire is a no-​brainer.

Love the place and they carry local. Great bartenders and very friendly. Please stop buy for local spirits.

I use to love this place… but it appears there has been a shift in management, and not the good kind. The cocktails once amazing, now taste like amateur fairy shit. There are some unmentionable concoctions, literally, Q what did I just drink? Not to mention the poor customer service, and the waitress who forgot about our party of 5 completely. It’s unfortunate to see a once thriving business take such a strange and downward turn. Looks like another Tucson lbar bites the dust. Might I suggest any other bar, seriously.

My husband and I were in the mood for a night on the town and our first stop was highwire. We ordered some specialty drinks and they were not the appealing the nachos was just chips and dip.

If you are looking for the most unique cocktails you will ever find, not just in Tucson, but in the world, then come to HighWire. Ask for Ayla. She makes MIND BLOWING creations! The drinks on the menu are great, but Ayla has some awesome magical drinks up her sleeve, so to speak. The vibe is chill and friendly. You may have to wait a while to get your drink if it is busy but it is definitely worth it!!! Cheers!

Such a neat atmosphere and a hidden treasure. The Moscow mules were great. A wonderful place to hang out on a weekend night. A little woodsy but modern. Has a couple of TVs. Bartenders were very nice.

A great looking bar, nice outside patio for Tucson’s great weather! They are the first molecular mixology bar in town and have come up with some amazing show drinks! Try the Contortionist which is adorned with Pop Rocks & Cotton Candy… yum! For a more Classic cocktail try Bearded Lady which is their take on a rye Old Fashioned. I would’ve given them 5 stars if they had more drinks on the menu, but if you come with a large group (10 or so), have them make you a «Taste the Rainbow»!

I was really excited to try this place out, but it did not live up to my expectations. The drinks tasted just meh and the service wasn’t so great either.

Amazing drinks! Ask for the fresh face! My favorite :) love the atmosphere and music and just general feel of this place :) great for friends to hang out and try something new you wouldn’t expect :)

This is a new favorite of mine, my husband and I stopped for a drink before a movie last night, and had the el bulli prickly pear margarita topped with tequila caviar drops. We liked the drink, but expected it to a bit sweeter and pinker like the color of prickly pear — still extremely enjoyable. The customer service is so fabulous — that because the drink wasn’t exactly what we expected, we got them for free! Now that is top notch customer service! I plan make this a regular stop — I love the fact that you sit outside at the bar or in! Very urban look, and great, very cool drinks! Love the one with cotton and pop rocks, and the bearded lady! It just has a very relaxed and comfortable feel — highly recommend a stop here if you’re in the downtown area!

I was super excited to try this place. I brought my sisters while they were in town and we were very curious about the gastronomic mixology. The bartender was very happy to explain their process and even gave one of us a shot to try the texture of the peach sphere. I was personally not the biggest fan of the texture of the spheres in my prickly pear margarita, but that’s just me. The drinks themselves were pretty good and the location is a nice hidden backyard lounge off of Congress Street. I’ll be going back!

Tried this place for the first time this past week and I was really impressed. It’s small and cozy, great atmosphere and love the exposed brick walls. Their cocktails are extremely unique and my family all loved their drinks. Their cocktails are a work of art and taste like it too! I had the prickly pair margarita with tequila orbs which was super unique and tasted fresh and delicious. My fathers drink was extremely fresh it had basil and muddles strawberries in it. I was really impressed with this place and can’t wait to see what it’s like on the weekends– probably packed. Definitely going here again.

The atmosphere is awesome I think it’s perfectly tucked away, and cozy.
Unfortunately the cocktails that I tried were mediocre, but I understand that they just opened, and they’re working out kinks, and such.
The staff as we walked through the door didn’t really greet us, so we sat down on the couch area, where we waited for a bit, and still weren’t sure if someone was to greet us, and take our order or if we needed to order at the bar, so slight confusion there. Ended up ordering at the bar.
There was a man who was very friendly though, I think he was the bar manager, I believe he was helping rearranged things to get them all set. He helped my boyfriend decide on a cocktail.
Overall I’m giving the benefit of the doubt, and I’ll be back to try some more drinks.

Great place if you are ready to explore a new cocktail! Very small area with light snacks made from the new grocery store next door. I had the meat and cheese board and was very impressed! Not sure why they put pop-​rock dust on their drinks, but who cares after a few right? I’ll be coming back here. The staff was great!

Fun new bar that is still finalizing the details. The current drink menu is interesting. Lots of options from beer, mixed drinks, wine and a full bar otherwise. The prices were reasonable but some of the special drinks do come in a smaller tumbler size glass for $ 10 — $ 12. I had the Prickly Bubbles margarita which was sweet, tasty and unique with little bubbles full of tequila.
We sat outside as the inside was full at only 10:00 PM. The patio was hot in the Tucson summer even without the sun but what can you expect in Arizona? There was no food available yet as the little grocery opening up next door will be partnering with them. That should open soon.
Summary: I wish the cool inside area was larger. Nice variety of drinks. No food yet but coming soon.

WoW! AmAzing! bEsT downtown bar yet!!!
We met some friends there on a Friday night. We had not heard of this place but so glad they found it and led us there! This is a small intimate bar with a speakeasy feel. Jacob the owner is so nice and we enjoyed Sasha as our bartender. We liked it so much that we went again the next night!
It is located in an ‘alley’ called Arizona Ave and the new Johnny Gibson market will be next door. While the inside is small they have a large patio where they have music on certain nights.
On to the drinks…
The Le’ MASQUERADE is probably my favorite as I like vodka and sweet drinks. But I also tried THE CONTORTIONIST which was fun as they place this vodka martini in front of you, add pop rocks and cotton candy on a skewer is placed across the top of the glass. The cotton candy begins to spin and go into the drink — so fun and it tastes great too. They also had a peach vodka «sphere» in a peach purée shooter that was so darn good that I could have sat there all night shooting those! We also tried the ELBULLI BUBBLES PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA and the «bubbles» are like tequila bobas — amazing! We also tried the BEARDED LADY which was cognac with coffee bean and orange rind infused in front of you!
The drinks average $ 10 – 11 each which is a great price considering what you are getting — a well made drink!
I cannot wait to go back — next Friday night most likely!

It’s always great to welcome another cocktail hot spot to the local scene. The location rocks– the patio is huge and it’ll be extra awesome as soon as The Independent Distillery and Johnny Gibson Market open up. The interior seems unfinished… But perhaps that’s the theme? I didn’t quite catch the the vintage circus theme, but maybe that’s still
In the works. We say outside and enjoyed the expansive patio. Kudos for having servers lit in the patio! Otherwise it could get really packed inside.
I took Rich Ys Unilocal advice and tried out the El Bulli prickly pear tequila cocktail served with tequila bubbles! Pretty much like big boba made out of tequila. Certainly an interesting concoction. I think I might have enjoyed it more if the bubbles were served cold. But awesome none the less!
Their take on molecular gastronomy is interesting and a fun addition to downtown. Looking forward to returning soon!

Came here this past weekend for some drinks. The location is a bit hidden since it’s not off any major street, it’s in an alley between congress and Broadway. Really enjoyed the vibe and outdoor seating area. Hip little lounge in downtown that seems very attentive to their customers. I was disappointed with my drink choice as I misread it and didn’t realize it had some type of spicy liquor mixed into it (le masquerade). Overall nice vibe if you’re not into the club scene.

Yay for a new swanky spot downtown to grab drinks with a medley of draft beers ($ 4 – 6), cocktails (~$ 10), and wines. The outdoor patio has a great vibe underneath the Italian string lights, kept cool under the summer heat by a large fan.
Extra points from me for being dog-​friendly!
They just opened on June 13^th and currently only serve alcohol but when the adjacent market opens will also serve an assortment of appetizers. Very friendly service.

Gastronomy meets bartending meets an upscale lounge meets a circus theme meets me likely missing the day we learned about proper sentence creation in school.
As this is an early review, I’ll say this: try the tequila bubbles shot (El Bulli Bubbles Prickly Pear Margarita). Perfectly-​sized capsules of tequila goodness burst in your mouth as you work your way through the shot that acts more like a drink (or quite literally, an amuse bouche).
HighWire is an excellent addition to the downtown scene and I look forward to more famous concoctions coming out from them.
Rich’s recommendation: be prepared to wait a bit as the bar staff irons out their flow in the early days. The tequila bubbles shot is certainly worth the wait.