Liquor and Spirits

Where to Drink Now: The New Cocktailian's Guide

The New Cocktailians

The farmers market–loving, sleeve garter–wearing ladies and gentlemen of the bar taking over L.A.'s restaurants one glass at a time

Melancholy Baby

The Black Dahlia as cocktail

The Whiskey Sour: Pretty In Pink

IMDBPretty in Pink​Andie: So what do you want to drink? Duckie: Oh you know, beer, scotch, juice box... whatever. More than anyone, John Hughes mined the psyches of the high school teen. In honor of his passing, the following is a recipe for the whiskey sour, a drink that, unfortunately, shar ... More >>

The Hot Toddy: A Drink That Revives, Cures, and Kills

Deborah StollHot Toddies​The Hot Toddy is the most famous of wintry drinks, which means it is typically the most poorly made. That watery sort of lemony concoction with whiskey poured into a glass too hot to hold turns out to be not all that satisfying. But the hot toddy is actually a deliciou ... More >>

Milkshake Madness at BLD with Pastry Chef Mariah Swan 2 Recipes for Spiked Milkshakes

Mariah Swan, pastry chef at both of Neal Fraser's restaurants, BLD and Grace, had an epiphany last year. Why not take a childhood favorite, milkshakes, and make it more grown up by adding alcohol? Thus Milkshake Madness was born at BLD, held the last Sunday of every month. Swan transforms classic ... More >>

Sazerac Rye Gets Good With Liquor Gods in New Whiskey Bible

It was announced today that Sazerac 18 year-old rye whiskey (fall 2008 release) is the best whiskey in the world, as rated in the 2010 edition of the Whisky Bible by Jim Murray. (And no, that's not a misspelling; that's how Murray spells whiskey). Murray is an Englishman and his Bible is the best se ... More >>

Get The Chef A Drink: What 10 LA Chefs Pour When They Need a Stiff One

Two waiters didn't show up for their shift, the rookie line cook spilled vinegar on the $500 truffle, and Kogi just had to park a few feet from the valet stand. How do chefs cope when Saturday night's dinner service turns into a Kitchen Nightmares episode? Sometimes they pour themselves a stiff drin ... More >>

Booze AND Chocolate, Simultaneously: Valentine's Day Cocktails A Recipe for The Chocolate Covered Cherry Cocktail

Valentine's Day is Sunday, and if you're poised to woo or be wooed chances are you've got chocolate and booze on your mind. If you're looking to approach the sweet holiday from both angles at once, you might be interested in some cocktails that also satisfy your chocolate cravings. L. William-Ross ... More >>

Happy National Margarita Day Two Border Grill Margarita Recipes

Border GrillBorder Grill Añejo Margarita​Today is National Margarita Day. Of course it's a ridiculous and completely fabricated holiday, probably invented by the makers of some brand of tequila or powdered margarita mix. But if you like margaritas, you should ignore that crass reality and jus ... More >>

Las Perlas, Cedd Moses' Mezcal & Tequila Bar Opens in Downtown L.A.

For every bar there's a liquor and for every liquor there's a bar. Nightlife impresario Cedd Moses' latest venture, Las Perlas, soft-opened last night, aiming to become to mezcal and tequila what Seven Grand is to whiskey and La Descarga is to rum. The result is somewhere between an upscale cantina ... More >>

Put Hair On Your Chest: Have Dinner With Jack Daniel Tomorrow Night

JackDaniels.comThe man behind the alcohol​The real Jack Daniel died 99 years ago, not of alcohol poisoning, which would have been somewhat poetic, but rather, of blood poisoning. He forgot the combination to his safe, kicked it, then his toe got infected and he died. Clearly, if I'd lived back ... More >>

Duke Wins NCAA Title: We Need A Margarita A Mint Margarita Recipe

IU Student News BureauSomeone Really Should Make These Butler Students A Drink​Ya, Duke won the NCAA title. Barely. That Butler half court heave at the buzzer was about as close as you can get to popping the Champagne without a bottle opener. Thus, Squid Ink offers you a Barely Blue Devils/Alm ... 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 >>

Sneak Peek: Thirsty Crow, Silver Lake's New Bourbon Bar

Elina ShatkinThirsty Crow, Silver Lake.​ The skunk butts are long gone (rumor has it they'll decorate the dressing rooms at the Henry Fonda Theater). So is the collection of beer cans lining the walls. Few traces are left of Silver Lake's much maligned faux-trucker bar Stinkers, which closed o ... More >>

Do As the Romans Did: Turn Old Wine into a Cocktail

Supreme Council Of AntiquitiesShe'd Like Her Kir Extra Dry, Please​CNN reported this week that Egyptian archeologists have discovered a three-foot-tall female mummy dating to 300 B.C., the first Roman mummy found in the Bahariya Oasis (southwest of Cairo). Fashionistas would be pleased to lear ... More >>

Drink Me: Chartreuse

Ben CalderwoodThe Black Rock: Chartreuse, crémant champagne and crushed cacao nibs, created to toast the resolution of a certain six-season long mystery ​ The 2005 documentary feature Into Great Silence, depicting the the pious ebb of life at France's Grand Chartreuse monastery, tested the cr ... More >>

New Mr. Boston Summer Cocktails Book A Honey Cachaça Punch Recipe

​The summer solstice may officially mark the first day of summer, but Squid Ink prefers to go by the Memorial Day mantra. Translation: it is now unofficially time to pull out the recently released Mr. Boston Summer Cocktails book. Just what we need, one more strawberry daiquiri cocktail book ... More >>

Booze Face-Off: Combier vs. Cointreau Orange Liqueur

It's officially summer cocktail season, and that means margaritas. We've usually got a half-empty bottle or two of tequila lying around, but the orange liqueur tends to require a debit card commitment. On the street it's known as Triple Sec (translation = triple dry), or Curaçao (a variety of Carib ... More >>

Drink Me: Bourbon

Ben CalderwoodKentucky straight flush​ Bourbon is an American original, that rare beast in the liquor pantheon, and one of a handful of domestic foodstuffs subject to manufacture and labeling standards as rigorous as those for Bordeaux wine or aceto balsamico tradizionale. By law, bourbon must ... More >>

From the Alaskan Dept. of Occupational Hazards: Salmon Flavored Vodka

AP/Mark ThiessenAlaska Distillery's new salmon flavored vodka​We have Wasilla, Alaska, to thank for so many things. Now add smoked salmon flavored vodka to the list. Alaska Distillery, a locally owned and operated micro-distillery in Wasilla, has just released their latest flavor, reportedly t ... More >>

New Spirits Releases: White Dog, Absinthe, Grapevine and Root Beer Liqueurs

Art in the AgeRoot hot chocolate​In the spirits world, you can count on a new flavored Smirnoff vodka (mango and peach) and Bacardi rum ("torched cherry") every few Happy Hours. And then there's the new stuff you actually would like to taste. Tried any good new spirits lately? Leave us your ta ... More >>

Last Night: Dinner with Grant Achatz, Courses 1-8

Guzzle & NoshGrant Achatz lectures about his cooking techniques.​ Frozen and chewy. Hot and cold. Chef Grant Achatz is a master of surprise when it comes to the juxtaposition of unexpected flavors, textures and scents. At his acclaimed Chicago restaurant Alinea, it's nearly always omakase, 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 >>

Bar Toscana to Open in Brentwood

Offering modern spins on classic Italian cocktails, Bar Toscana, the brainchild of Italians William Perbellini and Francesco Lafranconi, is set to open in Brentwood on December 10th. In contrast to the dark, shoebox-sized, wood-paneled speakeasy vibe that's been the rage these last couple years, ... More >>

Top 10 Cookbook And Drink Gift Pairings: The Hard Alcohol Edition

J. GarbeeSaffron Makes So Many Things Better. Much Better.​Those crazy low Amazon prices are great if you're buying a new cookbook for yourself, but they quickly deflate that $50 $32 Noma perceived gift value. What better to pair with a cookbook than something to drink? Because those "blueberr ... More >>

Paris Hilton Absinthe Stolen Cake = Lamest PR Stunt of the Week

Paris Hilton's 2008 birhtday, not involving absinthe or stolen baked goods or lame PR press-releases​ Some PR creature just sent us the following statement. It's like staring at The Void right in the face, while The Void throws up pungent chunks right in your face: In response to the Lucid A ... More >>

Glass Distilled: Moonshine, Or Great Vodka? Don't Get Telluride's Brad MacKenzie Started

homedistiller.orgCopper Is Usually Your Top Of The Line Beauty These Days, Even At Home​In the distilling world, vodka makers like Telluride Vodka's Brad MacKenzie often prefer column stills. In a nutshell, column stills (exactly what they sound like -- tall rather than squat) tend to make you ... More >>

Someone Stole Paris Hilton's Birthday Cake

Paz's Facebook pageParis Hilton's birthday cake​ You may not have noticed it after all the drinks you downed from any and all of the six open bars at Paris Hilton's 30th birthday party (our invite must have gotten lost in the mail), but that cake you saw? Yeah, you didn't get a piece. In fact ... More >>

For Your Consideration: Beverly Hills Hotel's 10 Best Picture-Themed Cocktails A Recipe

Beverly Hills HotelFrom left to right: the Sleepyhead, Woody to the Rescue, Status Update.​ In honor of the films nominated for Best Picture Oscars, the Beverly Hills Hotel's Beverage Manager Anthony Santiago and Beverage Supervisor Robert Rouleau have created an Oscar-themed cocktail menu at ... More >>

L.A.'s Best Cocktails

Our 55 favorites and where to find them

High West: The Spirit Of The Rye, Rye West Their Newest Double Rye Release

J. GarbeeThe Regional Whiskey Face Off Continues ​If you follow the spirits circuit, specifically those of the barrel-aged corn and rye persuasion, High West Distillery in Park City, Utah, has probably been on your radar for a while. If not, you'll hear about this young craft distillery soon i ... More >>

Lina In L.A.

It's easy to be green on the club dance floor

8 Charlie Sheen Cocktail Recipes from L.A. Bartenders

Liza GershmanThe Bitter End cocktail.​The Charlie Sheen train wreck continues to disgust and fascinate us, inspiring Mad Libs, an online glossary, a gastronomic history and Twitter hashtags. But the oddest by-product of the Sheen meme has to be the cocktail recipes. You can thank the actor's t ... More >>

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Dana Farner On Whiskey Sectarianism, Why It's Okay to Drink Your Dinner [The Idiocy of] Green Beer

Anne FishbeinSommelier Dana Farner ​It is St. Patrick's Day, a time to remind ourselves while eating the traditional corned beef and cabbage (which will be popping up on every restaurant menu) that the All-American salt-cured brisket dish is as native to Ireland as fajitas is to Mexico or G ... More >>

New Spirit: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Liqueur Our Huckleberry Variation

J. GarbeeBlueberry Focaccia Homemade Ice Cream Whiskey-Honey Liqueur. Jealous?​The honey craze hit the whiskey and bourbon trail long ago, Drambuie (honey whisky liqueur) and Wild Turkey American Liqueur (bourbon-honey) among them. Jack Daniel's is now joining the game with the release of ... More >>

New Spirit: Is Tempus Fugit's Liqueur de Violettes As Sweet As It Smells?

JGarbeeInhale​Tempus Fugit Spirits, an absinthe and liqueur importer in Petaluma, has just released Liqueur de Violettes, a floral liqueur based on a 19th century recipe made from -- surprise! -- violets. Those purple petals also happen to be hand picked in the Côte d'Azur, a.k.a. the French ... 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 >>

Drink This Now: Cat Juggler at Caña The Recipe

The last time we got around to reviewing Caña's seasonal cocktail menu, it was about two weeks before the season ended. You can no longer order the Misti Dawn Swizzle, our favorite temporal libation unless, just maybe, you ask oh-so-sweetly or you happen to be porn star Misti Dawn. Since no one wil ... More >>

New Local Liqueur: Ventura Limoncello's Blood Orange Launches Today

JgarbeeBlood Oranges Actually Look A Lot Like Lemons In Pith-Only Form​ Limoncello. It's easy to make, right? Not if you are pith perfectionists, as James Carling and Manuela Zaretti-Carling, the husband-wife duo behind Ventura Limoncello happen to be. Add mother-in-law (mom to Rossana, photo ... More >>

Rum Report: The Summer Edition, Part One

JgarbeeThe Ron De Barrilito Rum Bottling Line In Puerto Rico​Rum always seems to get the raw end of the piña colada deal. Yes, the spirit has a "sweet" finish, but not in the sugary sense. It's more like a really big inhale of cinnamon and vanilla, with a few other spices in between. Or at le ... More >>

Ten Pound Opens at The Montage

Saunter into The Montage Beverly Hills past Scarpetta and head up the curved stairway to the second story, where Los Angeles' most recondite shoebox bar (and probably its most affluent) hides behind a carapace of dark wood and buttery leather. With only nine tables, Ten Pound (or £10, if you p ... More >>

Drink This Now: Eveleigh's Pisco Punch

With most of the city's top bartenders attending Tales of the Cocktail, this may be the worst weekend in Los Angeles to get a top-quality cocktail. So when they all get back, get thee to Eveleigh, which has, improbably, become a destination for great cocktails and good food amid one of the tackies ... More >>

Best Local Limoncello: Ventura Limoncello

JGarbeeRosanna Zaretti​It's not difficult to make your own limoncello, as Ventura Limoncello owners James Carling and his Rome-born wife Manuela Zaretti-Carling are quick to point out. But if you proclaim yours the best in SoCal (and please not Danny DeVito's namesake version), we will declar ... More >>

Top Five Worst Vodkas: Don't Drink These Now

flickr user mixedsoup​Full disclosure: We are not inherent vodka fans, though we have been swayed by the occasional lilting cocktail based on Hangar One's Buddha's Hand vodka. But we'll get straight to the sour apple martini point: Our Top Five Don't Drink These Now Vodkas. 5. Bakon Vodka Mu ... More >>

Rum Cannonball: The Life Aquatic's Mythical Drink on Bill Murray's Birthday

Bill Murray as explorer Steve Zissou in The Life Aquatic​1 hour and 26 minutes into Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, as he's about to lead a daring raid on the decrepit Hotel Citroën, Bill Murray pauses and tosses off the line (one of many throwaway lines in the film): "They ... More >>

What To Drink While Watching A PBS Doc About Prohibition: The Scofflaw

Eric Alperin​ In our recent conversation with Ken Burns, the award-winning filmmaker with the distinctive bowl-shaped haircut admitted that many who've watched his and Lynn Novick's 5 ½ hour documentary Prohibition end up with cocktail-cravings. Which got us thinking: What if we were to ask E ... More >>

Church and State:
 Still Stellar Under Jeremy Berlin

Anne Fishbeinthe absinthe wall at Church and State​ Everybody knows Church and State. It's that loud bistro, decorated year-round with strings of Christmas lights. Walter Manzke used to cook there. The drinks used to be good, too. Is it still there? That part of downtown was pretty cool before ... More >>

Mr. Boston's Official Bartender's Guide: How's The 75th Anniversary Edition? A Headless Horseman Halloween Cocktail Recipe

JGarbeeMr Boston's Then (Left) And Now​With more editions than we can guesstimate, the 75th anniversary edition of Mr. Boston's Official Bartender's Guide arrived on our desk with little fanfare (on our end, at least). After all, the book's signature minimalist layout and no-frills recipes are ... More >>

Rum Society: Connoisseurship Made Accessible

Guzzle & NoshJust a few of the rums available at Caña Rum Bar​ On the last Tuesday of every month, downtown's Caña Rum Bar hosts Rum Society, a members-only tasting event that features a rum expert, a rum company representative, and access to some of the finest small-batch rums in the world. ... More >>