Cocktails

Is The Varnish the Best Bar in the World? Spirited Bar Awards Finalists Announced

Hot on the heels of last year's Best American Cocktail Bar award at Tales of the Cocktail, The Varnish is this year a finalist for World's Best Cocktail Bar, along with 9 other finalists. Eric Alperin, who leads the crew at The Varnish, is also up for American Bartender of the Year. Other L.A. fin ... More >>

This Week's Restaurant Review, The Condensed Version: Corazon y Miel

Corazon y Miel is the subject of this week's restaurant review. You can read the full review over in the food section, or turn the page for the condensed version.

22 Mother's Day Food Drink Specials (Bottomless Mimosas! Cupcakes! Tiaras!!)

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday, and if you haven't gotten that one figured out yet, maybe it's time to start planning. Depending on your age and demographic, a crayoned card could work, or maybe your kid's card and a stiff drink. If you want something a bit more professional, turn the page for a ... More >>

A New Bar Director at Freddy Smalls A New Cocktail Menu

Freddy Smalls Bar Kitchen has a pared-down cocktail menu courtesy of its new director Johan Stein, who trained under Noah Ellis at Red Medicine and Julian Cox of Picca, Sotto, and Rivera, among others. The cocktails were soft-launched in mid-February. Stein came up with eight cockails to replace ... More >>

Cocktail Bars: What's In Your Well?

If you're out on the town and you've got a drink in your hand, chances are that it's been made with a spirit you didn't ask for by name. Instead, the booze likely was selected by the bar manager as the place's go-to spirit for its class -- part of a collection known as "the well" because it usually ... More >>

10 Best All-Day Happy Hours in Los Angeles

By Sarah Bennett and Erika Bolden When we went looking for all-day happy hours, geographic diversity was a priority. But striking patterns emerged -- namely, the bars most likely to discount booze beyond the typical late-afternoon hours were located mostly in 9-5 work destinations. In fact, from Sa ... More >>

Happy Hour: Yxta Cocina Mexicana in the Arts District

Place: Yxta Cocina Mexicana: 601 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 596-5579. Hours: Mon., 4 p.m.-9 p.m.; Tue.-Fri., 4 p.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Deals: $3.50 bottled beer; $4 draft beer; $5 margaritas; $5-$7 appetizers Vibe: Yxta Cocina Mexicana is located on the corner of a strip mall, i ... More >>

Tales of the Cocktail Nominees Announced: Congrats, Los Angeles

For ten years, Tales of the Cocktail has been doing for cocktail culture what the James Beard Foundation has been doing for food culture: advancing the craft of the drink through education, networking, promotion, as well as a bit of sanctioned mayhem. Each summer the organization throws a massive pa ... More >>

From Highland Park to Venice Beach, Our New Columnist Finds That the Cocktail Moment Has Become a Movement

Koi's Rockin' Cucumber Martini A Recipe

Koi's Rockin' Cucumber martini is the perfect spring cocktail. Somewhat reminiscent of a Pimm's Cup, it's made with vodka and sake in place of gin, with lime juice instead of lemonade. It also has a stronger fresh cucumber flavor, as the cucumbers are added before shaking and straining, rather than ... More >>

Planet Dailies and Mixology101 Opens Today A Recipe for the Spicy Fifty

You've shopped the Grove till your brain can't tell boots from a bra. You've pushed your way through the Original Farmers Market too. Let's face it. You need a drink. Starting today, you can get it at Planet Dailies and Mixology101. You'll climb a long flight of stairs (let's hope you don't have ... More >>

Red O's $100 Margarita is Cheap: If You Do the Math

Michael Clifford PhotographyRed O's $100 margarita​That $100 margarita they've come up with at Red O is a bargain -- really. Order a shot of just one of its components, Gran Patrón Burdeos añejo tequila, and you'll pay $75. Toss in another $25, and you'll get a whopping 16-ounce glass rim ... More >>

The Pepper Smash at The Three Clubs A Recipe

The Three Clubs​It's spicy, it's smashing and it very well could get you smashed. The Three Clubs in Hollywood, made famous by the movie Swingers, has rolled out some fancy new cocktails created by mixologist Joel Black. One of his most popular new drinks is the savory Pepper Smash ($12), whic ... More >>

Q&A With Eva's Gabriella Mlynarczyk, Part 2: Her Tea Liqueur 2 Bicoastal Cocktail Recipes

flickr user vintage roadtripWelcome To California​When we interviewed Gabriella Mlynarczyk at Eva, she was sharing her first impressions on the L.A. mixology scene after nearly 15 years in New York. ("But remember I haven't been here long," she reminds us, laughing). One of the differences is ... More >>

More Fun at The Misfit: $12 Bottomless Mimosas

Dan CoxYour mimosa awaits at The Misfit​ Like any great metropolis, L.A. is full of differing perspectives. First, there are the die-hard Angelenos for whom Los Angeles is the greatest city in America. Then there are those East Coast transplants who mope around town looking like refugees from ... More >>

10 Cinco de Mayo Alternatives to the Margarita 2 Cocktail Recipes

Espolón TequilaThe Varnish's Bebida de Puebla ​ Sometimes you just want a quiet place and a well-done cocktail to celebrate the Mexicans' victory over the French in the 1862 Battle of Puebla. Thankfully the cocktail-savvy need not fret, as the following L.A. bars have alternatives for those s ... More >>

The Cocktail Issue: Lukshon's Singapore Sling A Recipe

Anne FishbeinLukshon's Singapore Sling​This past week's cover story was the cocktail issue, or L.A.'s Best Cocktails, in which Jonathan Gold considers, as you can probably infer from the title, the best cocktails in Los Angeles. To celebrate the happy event, we're giving you a cocktail a day h ... More >>

Remembering Jose "Pepe" Rodriguez: La Serenata In Santa Monica And His Happy Hour

Yelp user Joan S. La Serenata Santa Monica, Never A Glass Wall​Most weeknights, the Santa Monica outpost of La Serenata, the "other" Mexican restaurant on 4th Street in Santa Monica, resonates with a post-tequila calm that pales next to the constant laugh track and cocktail shaker buzz at Bord ... More >>

Dan "The Imbiber" Dunn's Living Loaded 2 Cocktail Recipes

Crown Publishing GroupDan Dunn's Living Loaded: Tales of Sex, Salvation and the Pursuit of the Never-Ending Happy Hour​Playboy's nightlife and liquor columnist Dan "The Imbiber" Dunn's new book, Living Loaded: Tales of Sex, Salvation and the Pursuit of the Never-Ending Happy Hour, isn't just ... More >>

Happy Hour: El Chavito in Silver Lake

K. RobbinsGetting fuzzy at El Chavito​ The place: El Chavito, 4441 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (323-664-0871) The hours: daily, 5-9 PM The deals: $4 well drinks; $3 Tecates; cocktails between $4-7; $3 tacos What did we think? Turn the page to find out...

Drink This Now: Earl Grey Martinez at 320 Main in Seal Beach A Cocktail Recipe

Caroline on Crack320 Main's Earl Grey Martinez.​ Back in 2009, bartender Audrey Saunders introduced tea-infused cocktails to Los Angeles at Tar Pit on La Brea Avenue, where she partnered with Mark Peel (Campanile) on an extensive drinks menu. Saunders is long gone from Tar Pit, but tea-infused ... More >>

Waitiki: Cocktails & Ukuleles on New Year's Eve

Caroline on CrackDon the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach.​Tie on a Mai Tai and break out the ukulele. Starting tonight, Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach hosts Waitiki, a three-night festival of tiki music and cocktails. Tonight, the Waitiki quartet will play. The two following nights, ... More >>

The Wellesbourne: New English Bar With Old Cocktails

Caroline on CrackThat would be a Rob Roy getting shaken, not stirred.​ To step into The Wellesbourne, a new West L.A. bar which claims the 3,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Anna's Italian Restaurant, is to be transported to a pub on the English countryside. Yet rather than smellin ... More >>

The Raymond's 1886: Now Open in Pasadena

Acuna-HansenMarcos Tello and the 1886 bartenders from left to right: Danny Cymbal, Garret McKechnie, Brady Weise, Lacey Murillo, Greg Gretmenian and Laura Lindsay. At the end of the night, Los Angeles cocktail consultant Aidan Demarest climbed on top of the polished wood bar, careful not to upset a ... More >>

Cocktail Book Reviews: Absinthe, Times Three A Post Prop 19 Thanksgiving Cocktail Recipe

Flickr user jennhxTo Get Beyond The Absinthe Drip, We Highly Recommend A Cocktail Book​Here's something to be thankful for in the wake of Prop 19's smoldering remains -- absinthe is still legal after three years. Which means you can serve a Green Fairy cocktail to your cranky aunt on Thanksgiv ... More >>

Tribute Night: An Evening with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme

Best Flaming Margarita: El Compadre

C. LeVasserFlaming, blended, coconut margarita from El Compadre. Why? Why not?​There is a piece of advice that veteran bartenders will occasionally give to young ones: make someone a blue drink, and you'll be making blue drinks all night. The same, it turns out, is true of flaming margaritas. ... More >>

Meat in a Glass: The Carnivore Cocktail

Rivera The Donaji ​Lately, mixologists have taken to using protein as an ingredient, and we're not talking about the shrimp cocktail. Whether they're made with crickets, bacon-infused bourbon or pickled octopus, carnivore cocktails have been making the rounds in bars and restaurants across the ... More >>

Happy Hour: 8 1/2 Taverna

Erinn EichingerWine and Beer Cocktails at 8 1/2 Taverna​ The Place: 8 ½ Taverna: 11334 Moorpark St. Studio City; (818) 308-1100. The Hours: Monday-Saturday 3-6 p.m. The Deals: A small selection of appetizers ranging in price from $5-$8 along with a small menu of $6 beer and wine "co ... More >>

Ask Mr. Gold: Burrito On the Rocks, Salt

Anne FishbeinMr. Gold, with dim sum menu​Dear Mr. Gold: Great Mexican food and yummy, salty margaritas: I find, in L.A., it is very hard to reconcile these two seemingly well-matched priorities. Either the food stinks and the drinks rock, or vice versa. Tons of great Mexican restaurants conten ... More >>

Tales of the Cocktail 2010: Your Los Angeles Mixologist Contingent

If you're typically on the receiving end of the Saturday night cocktail shaker, you may not have heard of Tales of the Cocktail, the see-and-be-seen event for cocktail and spirits professionals in New Orleans every July. If you're a mixologist, you likely at one point considered giving a seminar on ... More >>

Morton's Puts a Laker Cocktail on the Menu The Recipe

Morton'sLaker cocktail​If you're the sort of person who will be watching the NBA finals out in a public venue, you may have your seat at ESPN Zone -- conveniently located a few blocks away from the Staples Center -- reserved and waiting. You may already be sitting at your favorite sports bar, ... More >>

Happy Hour: The Tar Pit in Mid-City West

Caroline on CrackThe Tar Pit's happy hour cocktail, Tennessee Trilogy.​ The Place: The Tar Pit, 609 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles. (323) 965-1300. The Hours: Daily 5-6:30pm The Deals: $6 cocktails and wine by the glass, $2.50-$5 snacks.

Happy Hour: Copa d'Oro in Santa Monica

Caroline on CrackCopa d'Oro's happy hour Manhattan.​ The Place: Copa d'Oro, 217 Broadway, Santa Monica, (310) 576-3030. The Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m., all night Mondays. The Deals: "Happy Depression" menu with $5 classic cocktails; beer and wine $5; panini $4-$6.

Top 10 Cocktails Inspired by Los Angeles A Mulholland Drive Cocktail Recipe

The Beachcomber CafeThe Beachcomber's Surfrider Cocktail​ New York has the Manhattan, Moscow the Moscow Mule. Even Long Island has a cocktail named after it. But what is Los Angeles' signature cocktail? Something to immortalize the City of Angels in drink? Fortunately, local bars, whether insp ... More >>

Stinkers Bar to Re-Open as Thirsty Crow A Look at Their Bourbon Menu

1933 GroupThirsty Crow's Scotch menu​By now you probably already know that Stinkers bar in Silver Lake will re-open on April 23 as Thirsty Crow, a thematic shift that moves the venue from Ironic Truck Stop Chic to Grampy's Neighborhood Bourbon Bar. Named after one of Aesop's Fables -- in whic ... More >>

"Japanese Cocktails" Book Review Begets A Publishing Industry Soliloquy An Aloe Margarita Recipe

​Japanese Cocktails by Kuri Kato is a curious new cocktail book that we sort of love, and like many "sponsored" books, sort of tire of quickly. There are certainly some intriguing recipes like the Aloe Margarita (recipe after the jump) that we can't wait to shake up on one of Santa Monica's dr ... More >>

It's All Fours at Checkers: $4 Margaritas This Week

A classic Partida margarita​You don't have to write anything in your date book. Just remember the number 4. Then you'll know that on the 4th day of the work week, Thursday, you go at 4 p.m. to FOUR at Hilton Checkers Los Angeles. From 4 until 8 (which is twice 4), you can buy drinks and small ... More >>

And the Morn Shall Be Filled with Cocktail: The Champagne Cocktail's Start 4 Cocktail Recipes

For some, winter signifies the anticipation of ski trips and memories of Asti Spumante commercials (what a jerk!) For others, it means hard-won-physique-covering-puffy-coats and rising for work in the dark/returning home in much of the same. Here are some things to be thankful for: 1. It doesn't sn ... More >>

Getty Outdoor Concert

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER GYRO

SAKE TO ME

New Bacony Brunch on the Horizon: Ray Garcia's Sunday Menu at Fig

Chef Ray Garcia expands the world of bacon.Restaurant customers, watch what you wish for.

"In The Drink" Contest: Submit Cocktail Recipes Based on Your Favorite Songs

Anne FishbeinNot Rachel Shaw, but a kick-ass bartender none the lessKick-ass bartender Rachel Shaw (Malo, Wurstkuche) has two obsessions: great cocktails and great live music. Having long felt frustrated these two seemingly symbiotic worlds weren't meeting - "My bartender friends have an appreciati ... More >>

Flaming Margaritas, Wrestling and Burlesque: Just Another Cinco de Mayo in Los Angeles

Try to catch some of Olvera Street's remaining Cinco de Mayo activities. There are also many other venues happy to help Angelenos celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Historical debates about the importance of the holiday aside, here are a few suggestions for enjoying one good margarita or five, and celebrating ... More >>

Soup Lines and 35-Cent Martinis: At the Edison Downtown, Where the Depression Is Still a Happy Hour

Hot tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with bargain cocktails

Best South Bay Pier Restaurant to Waste Away Your Saturday Morning: Patrick Molloy's

Best Mai Tais: Old Tony's Bar

Petaling Their Wares: Desert Rose Opens Up

Breakfast, lunch and dinner inside a giant glowing rose

Beyond Bubbly

The Style Council’s New Year’s Eve party mixes