LA Cocktails and Dreams … and Sunsets

Some cities are like good albums — you just have to grow into them. Such is my experience with LA. I’ve been there half-dozen times before and this time it started out in typical LA fashion: a hotel with a girl in a box, rubber walls, a trying-to-hard-to-see-and-be-seen scene. My Ginger-mint Margarita (just add Domain de Canton and a few mint leaves) was The Standard hotel’s only saving grace.

So it was off to Koi for some dinner and the possibility of star sightings. No celebs here, but I did enjoy the Berry Bliss (gin, raw agave, pomegranate juice, and fresh raspberries).

The following night, it was time to brave “the scene” once again at the new SLS Hotel, where the bartender served me a tangy Pisco Sour (grape brandy, lemon and lime juice, egg white, sugar, and swirls of bitters) – no celebs here either btw.

By the time I checked into the Hotel Palomar near Beverly Hills, LA was beginning to grow on me. I no longer needed Garmin Electra to get around West Hollywood, and I saw Marissa Tomei driving in the car next to me (score!). So I thought it was time to try out the freeway. I hopped on the 405 and headed down to Manhattan Beach.

When in LA, you have got to experience an LA Sunset. Mine came in the form of Absolut LA Vodka, pomegranate juice, blood orange juice, and pineapple juice — best cocktail in LA so far, being served up with a twist at Sashi Sushi. Backup. Absolut LA Vodka? Yep. The City of Angels has it’s own limited-edition flavor: a blend of acai, acerola, pomegranate, and blueberry (see below for a tasty cocktail from mixology master Dale DeGroff).

Finally, I wrapped the week up with drinks with LA cocktail blogger The Liquid Muse at BLVD 16, where I tried the bar’s signature sip: the BLVD 16 martini (tarragon-infused vodka, Domain de Canton, and citrus juices). Next time I’ll be sure to build in some time for a cocktail safari tour of the city.

Absolut La La Land
1 parts Absolut Los Angeles
1 part cranberry juice
1 part pomegranate juice
1 part lemon-lime soda
Build ingredients into a hi-ball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Movie Stars, Green Fairies, and more…

So I’m in LA for the weekend. Everyone who knows me knows I’m not a big fan, but maybe it’s because I just haven’t found the right cocktail bar — until last night. We went downtown to The Edison, a renovated power plant that looks like you’ve just stepped into Baz Lurhmann’s Moulin Rouge. I was waiting for Nicole Kidman to come down from the ceiling, but instead, we saw girls dressed up as green fairies wheeling around absinthe carts. I still haven’t tried Absinthe, the drink with the kryptonite glow. After writing about it’s hallucinegenic effects in Wine Spirits Quarterly, I’m a little bit of a scared-y cat, even though the new recipe has been tweaked to be less harmful. Still, I settled for the bar’s signature sip:

The Edison
Lavender-Honey infused Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Pear liqueur
Fresh pear juice

I have to say, with this drink, I think I’m over the whole pear craze. It’s become a little too sweet for me and its time for a new favorite flavor. Stay tuned…