In April of 2021, Baby Boy, a mobile bar housed in a 1970s Airstream trailer, opened at The Pemberton. The property is a collective of restaurants, bars, and retail shops surrounding the historic Sarah H. Pemberton home in downtown Phoenix. Baby Boy welcomes guests with an inviting patio surrounded by bougainvillea hedges and bamboo plants. The concept is an homage to the ‘80s and ‘90s, which saw a renaissance in tropical cocktails such as the Piña Colada and Blue Hawaiian. Walk up to the trailer’s service window to order your drink, and settle in on Adirondack chairs as colorful as the cocktails. In addition to the fun throwbacks, creative libations using unique spirits are also featured, including the Banana Dao made with artisanal Mexican rum or the rosé sangria with singani—a Bolivian brandy distilled from the Muscat of Alexandria grape.
Founded by Tyka Chheng, Colton Brock, and John Sagasta, Baby Boy brings together three industry pros with an impressive pedigree. Colton Brock, the 2020 Last Slinger Standing cocktail champion, is the former agave spirit expert at Ladera Taverna y Cocina and current Ilegal Mezcal ambassador. Chheng has spent time working in both the culinary and beverage industry, most recently at Gallo Blanco, UnderTow, Highball, and Jobot Coffee & Bar. John Sagasta is the owner of Jobot, a beloved Roosevelt Row gathering spot, where he collaborated with Chheng on a cocktail and food menu which resulted in a PHOENIX magazine 2021 win for Best Late-Night Dim Sum.
I had a chance to chat with Chheng as he shared the team’s vision for Baby Boy and their plans for the future.
Tell me how you started.
I worked for my parents, who had a business in the industry. That transitioned into me wanting to be a chef at a young age, so I started traveling and working for different chefs. I worked at Mozza in LA for about two years, and after I ended up in Phoenix. I worked with Jose Garces at Distrito at the Saguaro Hotel. Then I caught the cocktail bug and started working at bars.
What led you to open up Baby Boy?
I was bar managing at UnderTow and then COVID happened and, as you know, a lot of us ended up unemployed. That’s when I feel like people who were entrepreneurs started congregating and building ideas. John and Colton reached out to me about an idea for a restaurant, which we’re still working on. In the meantime, our silent business partner asked us if we wanted to jump into another project – a cocktail bar trailer – and we loved the idea. When we were able to go back to work, we decided instead of opening the restaurant to focus our energy on Baby Boy at The Pemberton. So that’s how it all came about and I’m happy how it happened. When opportunity comes knocking, you can’t say no.
You have a lot of fans, including myself.
Yeah, it’s going really well. Our industry friends and the community seem to love hanging out downtown and enjoying everything else that The Pemberton has to offer.
Where did the name come from?
I always loved the name Baby Boy and told myself if I ever opened a fun cocktail bar, that’s what I would call it. We couldn’t really come up with a better name, so we ended up running with that and now it’s sort of a local hit. When it rolls off the tongue, people know who we are and where we’re located, so it’s been fortunate.
How would you describe Baby Boy?
It’s a fun, easy cocktail bar. We want you to relive the ‘80s and ‘90s era with drinks like Blue Hawaiians, Miami Vices, and Piña Coladas – refreshing cocktails that complement our Arizona weather. If I had to put our cocktails into a random category, I’d say patio pounders. Our patio deck is kind of hidden away; you’re closed off from the rest of The Pemberton and immersed in a different world.
Tell me about your menu.
All our juices are freshly squeezed and we make our own grenadine with a hibiscus tea. We also make syrups and infusions to hit the right notes for the style of cocktails we’re doing. We have frozen cocktails, red, white, and rosé sangrias, and beer as well. We also have shots and a full back bar. If you want an Old Fashioned or a Negroni, our bartenders can make it.
What’s your best seller?
I would say the Blue Hawaiian, which is a 1990s craze cocktail that everybody remembers.
What’s in store for the future?
We’re opening up a brick-and-mortar. We have a restaurant on the way, but it’s a little further down the line, and we just acquired a bar that is more turnkey. I can’t talk too much about it just yet, but think Southeast Asian cocktails and an exploration of Southeast Asian food. We’re partnering up with a great team who are well known, so you’ll just have to wait and see!
Baby Boy is located inside The Pemberton at 1121 N. Second Street in downtown Phoenix. For more information, visit their website at http://drinkbbyboy.com/ or their @babyboyphx Instagram
Written by Christina Barrueta
Photography by Luke Irvin