Thirsty in LA » cole’s

December 4: Cole’s 103rd Anniversary and Repeal Day Celebration

thirstyinla — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:51:31 +0000

Cole’s Red Car Bar is celebrating its 103rd Anniversary and hosting a Repeal Day celebration on Sunday, December 4th. Created in 2006 by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Repeal Day is celebrated by imbibers around the country to honor the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment and the end of thirteen years of Prohibition.

Free French Dips: get 'em while you can.

Cole’s is joining in the festivities with a New Year’s Eve-style bash counting down to midnight that includes:

Free French Dip sandwiches for the first 200 guests in honor of Cole’s anniversary.
Free Bathtub Gin Punch by Plymouth Gin, served from a bathtub ice sculpture from 9pm to midnight (or until it runs out).
Midnight champagne toast to start Repeal Day.

2010 Jimmy Barela Award winner Oliver Jones makes his Myrtle Berry Flip.

Jimmy Barela Award
Before the stroke of midnight, two of LA’s top bartenders will go head-to-head and vie for the Jimmy Barela Award, which honors the legendary bartender who held court at the Red Car Bar for 65 years, from 1918 to 1983. In 2009, the inaugural award went to Julian Cox (for his G.T. Foam Home) and last year’s winner was Oliver Jones with his Myrtle Berry Flip. Both barmen had their winning cocktails featured on the Red Car bar menu.

This year’s finalists will be selected from a pool of eight bartenders competing earlier on Sunday at The Varnish, in an invitation-only tournament hosted by Eric Alperin and judged by industry peers. The 2011 Jimmy Barela Award winner will be announced at midnight, and the victor will have the honor of pouring the champagne down the pyramid of glasses set up for the occasion.

For more Repeal Day specials and recipes, be sure to check out Caroline on Crack’s LA Weekly round up.

Click to view.

Cole’s 103rd Anniversary and Repeal Day Celebration
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Starting at 9pm
Featuring:

Free Cole’s French Dips for the first 200 guests
Free Bathtub Gin Punch (while it lasts)
Jimmy Barela Award competition
Midnight champagne toast
Live 3-piece jazz band
Prohibition-era attire encouraged

Cole’s
118 E. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-4090
www.colesfrenchdip.com

213 Nightlife and The Beer Chicks Present LA Craft Beer Crawl, Launch 8th Street Bottle Shop

thirstyinla — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:34:53 +0000

On Saturday, August 13th, 213 Nightlife and The Beer Chicks (Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune) are teaming up once again to present the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Craft Beer Crawl in downtown Los Angeles. For the price of one ticket, Crawlers will get unlimited samples of over 60 craft beers, including Allagash, Brouwerij West, Craftsman Brewing Company, Eagle Rock Brewery, Lost Coast, Maui Brewing Co, Brewery Ommegang, Stone, Telegraph, and dozens more. The Crawl will be hosted at 213 bars Broadway Bar, Caña Rum Bar, Casey’s Irish Pub, Cole’s French Dip, Golden Gopher, Las Perlas and Seven Grand. The beer selection is curated by Perozzi and Beaune, authors of The Naked Pint: An Unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer.

Tickets are only available online at Eventbrite and are on sale now. General Admission tickets cost $49.00 and include a 6-ounce tasting glass and wristband, which gives access to all the participating 213 bars and unlimited beer tastings from 3pm to 8pm.

Limited VIP Tickets are available for $69.00, which gives Crawlers early entry into the festival at 1pm, a full two hours before General Admission. Besides the extra sampling time, VIP ticketholders will also get to try exclusive pours from the brewers, as well as enjoy beer cocktails from 213’s mixologists.

To help soak up the suds, Evan Kleiman (host of KCRW’s Good Food) has invited some of LA’s favorite gourmet food trucks to take care of Crawlers along the route. Cole’s and Casey’s will also be offering food at their respective locations.

2nd Annual LA Craft Beer Crawl
Saturday, August 13, 2011
1pm-8pm
Featuring:

Unlimited samples of 60+ craft beers
Food trucks curated by Evan Kleiman

Participating bars:

Broadway Bar
Caña Rum Bar
Casey’s Irish Pub
Cole’s
Golden Gopher
Las Perlas
Seven Grand

General Admission tickets: $49 (3pm entry)
VIP tickets: $69 (1pm entry)
lacraftbeercrawl.com

Visit the event’s Facebook page and follow its Twitter feed for updated info and participating breweries.

A portion of the proceeds will go to Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to making Southern California coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe, healthy and clean.

L to R: Victor Novak, Christina Perozzi, Hallie Beaune, Cedd Moses, Evan Weinberg, Jeremy Raub, Mark Jilg.

8th Street Bottle Shop
Earlier this week, 213 Proprietor Cedd Moses, Perozzi and Beaune hosted a sneak preview of the LA Craft Beer Crawl at Golden Gopher, featuring a meet and greet with the founders of four acclaimed local breweries participating in the Crawl: Mark Jilg (Craftsman Brewing), Victor Novak (TAPS Fish House & Brewery), Jeremy Raub (Eagle Rock Brewery) and Evan Weinberg of Cismontane Brewing Company. (Check out a video clip of Jilg speaking over at Drink Eat Travel.)

During the preview, Moses and The Beer Chicks announced that they are building on their LA Craft Beer Crawl partnership to open the 8th Street Bottle Shop, a craft beer specialty store located just inside the entrance to the Golden Gopher. The 8th Street Bottle Shop will be housed in the space where guests could previously buy spirits to go, thanks to the Gopher’s 1903-era liquor license, which provides for on-site and packaged liquor sales.

Going forward, The Beer Chicks will curate the beer lists at all of 213’s bars, as well as consult on management and staff training. “We recently revamped Golden Gopher’s craft beer menu and are adding taps and bottles across the 213 bars,” noted Perozzi. “We wanted downtown dwellers and bar patrons to take home the same great beer experience 213 bars provide in the way of personalized service and craft selections.”

Among other services, the Bottle Shop’s staff will offer special tastes and advise on flavor profiles and food pairings. The Beer Chicks will rate and review the beers, and patrons will be able to peruse the store’s “beer bible” for descriptions.

The 8th Street Bottle Shop officially debuts on August 13th, during the LA Craft Beer Crawl.

8th Street Bottle Shop
Golden Gopher
417 W. 8th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 614-8001
213nightlife.com/goldengopher

So Long 2010, and Thanks for All the Fish!

thirstyinla — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:49:54 +0000

As 2010 draws to a close, many of L.A.’s favorite cocktail destinations are preparing to send the year off in style, with champagne-soaked events that include a downtown L.A. bar crawl, prix fixe dinners, and a black tie party set in Havana from a century ago. Stay tuned for updates as more events are announced.

Wherever you go on New Year’s Eve, please celebrate responsibly: Metro is offering free fares on all Metro Buses and Metro Rail Lines on Dec. 31st, and Y Drive or a taxi is just a phone call away.

Cheers to a fantastic 2011!

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2010: Friday, Dec. 31, 2010 to Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011

Click to view

213 Nightlife – New Year’s Eve Downtown LA

8pm-2am
General Admission ticket: $119
VIP ticket: $250
Tickets and info: www.nyedowntownla.com

213 Nightlife is going all-out with a New Year’s Eve Downtown LA crawl that takes place at eight of its bars. (See below for what’s happening at The Varnish.) For $119 General Admission, New Year’s Eve revelers can enjoy a plethora of unlimited drink offerings, midnight champagne toasts, and live music at Broadway Bar, Caña, Casey’s, Cole’s, Golden Gopher, Las Perlas, Seven Grand and Tony’s Saloon.

213 is offering a special $99 early bird price to the first 200 guests to purchase tickets online.

Featuring:

Casey’s Irish Pub – Open bar well spirits, 11 craft beers and wine. Gram Rabbit live, Special Guest DJs.
Caña Rum Bar – Daiquiri Bar and fresh handcrafted cocktails served all night. The Icy Hot Club of California serves up “vintage gypsy jazz with a modern twist.”
Broadway Bar – Open bar on all wells, all night. DJs B-Mix and J-Cru spin 80′s, Disco and Funk.
Cole’s French Dip – Open Champagne Cocktail Bar with house-made and branded bitters, plus Cole’s classic cocktails all night.
Golden Gopher – Open bar on wells, beer and wine all night. DJ Mike Turski spins rock ‘n’ roll til 2am.
Las Perlas – Open bar features the Las Perlas House Margarita, Spiced Daisy, El Jimador Tequila and cerveza. “Indie Big Sonic Heaven” with DJ Darren Revell and Kapsoul.
Seven Grand – Vieux Carre, Manhattan, and Bourbon Fix cocktails featuring Jim Beam Rye, Wild Turkey Rye, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon well spirits. Or call for Maker’s Mark. Music by Deacon Jones All-Star Blues Revue, with Artwalk Jamal and Special Guests.
Tony’s Saloon – Open well bar with select premium cocktails all night. “Rock and twang” with Paul Chesne and Guest DJs.

The General Admission ticket allows entry to the eight bars included in the event. However, the ticket does not guarantee entry; for obvious safety reasons each venue must observe its respective capacity limit. With that in mind, 213 Nightlife is also offering a limited number of $250 VIP tickets. These no-wait line passes guarantee entry and ups the ante to premium pours at all eight bars throughout the night. Needless to say, whichever ticket you buy, early arrival is strongly suggested.

The Varnish – Rare Groove New Year’s Eve Soul Revue

9pm-2am
$125 per person (gratuity included)
Unlimited craft cocktails
Bottomless Bols Genever punch
Midnight champagne toast
Countdown to 2010 by the Apple Sisters
Reservations: (213) 622-9999 or email thevarnish@varnishbar.com

The Varnish will be dancing to its own beat on New Year’s Eve, with an all-inclusive $125 ticket that features unlimited craft cocktails, bottomless punch, a “Served with a Twist” contest, and more.

Tables in the intimate venue are available for parties of two, four and six. Seating for New Year’s Eve is very limited; for reservations contact Varnish GM Chris Bostick at (213) 622-9999, or email thevarnish@varnishbar.com.

Click to view

1886 Bar / The Raymond – Good Old Days Are Back Again!
Nothing like a new year to start fresh, and with that in mind, Pasadena’s 1886 Bar and The Raymond welcome 2011 with the optimism and nostalgia of Good Old Days Are Back Again! For a $20 cover, guests at the recently-opened 1886 will enjoy entertainment, champagne toast and special bar menu.

The Raymond will offer guests two dinner seatings on New Year’s Eve. The early and late seatings will each have prix fixe menus that feature Chef Tim Guiltinan’s innovative, contemporary cuisine. Guests who opt for the late seating will also enjoy party favors, entertainment and a midnight toast.

Dinner reservations can be made at (626) 441-3136.

1886 Bar

9pm-2am
$20 Cover
Party Favors
Entertainment (TBA)
Champagne Toast at Midnight
Limited Bar Food Menu will be offered with special items

The Raymond – Early Seating

The Raymond – Late Seating*

7pm-9:30pm
6-Course Prix Fixe Menu
$105

*Also includes Party Favors, Entertainment & Champagne Toast at Midnight

Bar | Kitchen
Since taking over Bar | Kitchen in October, Alex Day and David Kaplan (Proprietors LLC) have revitalized the O Hotel’s restaurant and lounge with new menus and an understated interior that more closely matches the boutique hotel’s classy vibe. For New Year’s Eve, Bar | Kitchen offers its mix of high quality and affordability with two options: a Prix Fixe Dinner and Booze & Bites.

The Prix Fixe Dinner features a 3-course menu of seasonal American cuisine from Executive Chef Vahan Tokmadjian, which includes a glass of sparkling cava with dessert. (The chocolate pot du crème with whipped cream and fleur de sel is superb.)

The Booze & Bites Menu offers an open bar with specialty cocktails, beer and wine, plus a midnight toast. To go with the libations, passed trays of bites will be served until midnight, including bruschetta, flatbreads and chorizo skewers. Booze & Bites drinks will be served until last call.

Prix Fixe Dinner

6pm-11pm
$55
3-course menu (includes glass of sparkling cava with dessert)

Booze & Bites

8pm-2am
$35 plus tax & tip
Unlimited cocktails, beer and wine
Sparkling midnight toast
Passed bites

Reservations for the prix fixe dinner are required and can be made by calling the O Hotel at (213) 623-9904, or emailing Azzi Kashani at azzi@ohotelgroup.com.

Photo: Big Bar

Big Bar – NYE x 9

4pm to 12am
Different internationally-inspired cocktail every hour
Complimentary champagne toast at midnight
Open until 1am

Big Bar is living up to its name by celebrating New Year’s Eve nine times on Friday. Starting at 4pm, Big Bar will feature a different internationally-inspired cocktail every hour, so guests can welcome 2011 with friends around the globe. Add in a free champagne toast at midnight, and you’ve got the makings of a world-class New Year’s Eve.

4PM GMT (London, Lisbon, Reykjavik, Casablanca, Dublin)

Sugar Rose: vodka, orange bitters, rose water, sugar

5PM EGT (Scoresby Sund – Greenland)

Scoresby Sund Buck: spiced rum, apricot liqueur, lime, ginger

6PM BRST (Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo)

Carioca Velha: Sagatiba Velha Cachaça, lime, Angostura bitters, mint, sparkling wine

7PM ART (Buenos Aires, Santiago)

Pisco Sour: gran serape Pisco, lemon, egg white

8PM AST (Halifax, La Paz, San Juan)

El Cantante: Bacardi 8, lime, elderflower, rhubarb bitters

9PM EST (New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Havana, Lima)

Manhattan: Woodford Reserve Bourbon, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters

10PM CST (Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Mexico City)

Grito Suave: añejo tequila, amaretto, lime

11PM MST (Phoenix, Denver, El Paso, Edmonton)

Canadian Maple: Woodford Reserve Bourbon, maple syrup, Angostura bitters, lemon

12AM PST (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver)

Los Angeles Cocktail: Woodford Reserve Bourbon, vermouth, lemon, egg white, nutmeg

Copa d’Oro

$20 cover
Complimentary bottles of champagne and party favors for all reservations
Entertainment: Special Surprise Guest DJ & Expanded Dance Floor

Reservations

Available for parties of six or more
Phone: (310) 567-3030
Email: info@copadoro.com

Copa d’Oro is already jammed on weekends, so on New Year’s Eve expect the volume at the Santa Monica nightspot to go to 11. Head bartender Vincenzo Marianella is bringing in reinforcements for the big night: according to a Huffington Post Q&A, Zahra Bates (Providence) will be joining Marianella behind the bar on Friday.

The Edison

Doors 8pm
General Admission: $75
Premium Table Reservations: $300 per table and up
Entertainment by The Yard Dogs Road Show
Tickets: edisondowntown.com/tickets/index.php?eventid=744

Venues don’t get more stunning than The Edison, which is ringing in the new year with its mix of cocktails, champagne and music. General Admission Tickets ($75) include a champagne toast and passed desserts at midnight. Premium Table Reservations start at $300 per table and include a bottle of copper-clad Beau Joie Champagne and a dessert plate.

Entertainment will be provided by The Yard Dogs Road Show, a “hobo cabaret” that fuses Vaudeville with modern rock.

Click to view

First & Hope – A New York New Years

Prix Fixe Seatings starting at 4:30pm
Live Music in Fedora All Night
Party Favors & Giveaways
Best Cocktail Dress & Sharp Dressed Man Contest
Champagne Toast
East Coast and West Coast Countdowns at 9pm & 12am
Reservations: (213) 617-8555 or visit FirstAndHope.com

First & Hope is doing the bi-coastal thing with its New York New Years celebration, featuring East and West Coast countdowns, champagne toast, live music, and a Best Cocktail Dress & Sharp Dressed Man contest.

On New Year’s Eve, First & Hope is offering several prix fixe dinner seatings, with the earliest one beginning at 4:30pm.

Update 12/22: First & Hope has announced that Alain Giraud will be the guest chef on New Year’s Eve. Pricing and details for the prix fixe dinner options have also been revealed, with seating available in the main dining room or in Fedora, featuring Brenna Whitaker.

Pre-Theatre Seating (4:30 & 5pm)

$85: 3-course in main dining room
$110: 3-course in Fedora (live music)

Premiere Seating (7:30 & 8pm)

$120: 4-course in main dining room
$140: 4-course in Fedora (live music)

Late Seating (10:15pm)

$95: 3-course in main dining room
Fedora opens to everyone

First & Hope is giving away a New Year’s Eve prize package (valued at over $500) that includes a pair of tickets to see New Year’s Eve with Kristen Chenoweth at Walt Disney Concert Hall, plus dinner for two at First & Hope. Tickets are for the 7pm concert, and a gift card to First & Hope is for $200. The contest ends at noon on Dec. 29, and the winner will be notified that day. To enter, visit www.firstandhope.com/nye/.

Click to view

La Descarga – Havana 1909

9pm-2am
All-inclusive ticket: $150
Black Tie required
Premium Open Bar all night
Complimentary Hand Rolled Cigars
Midnight Toast
7 Courses of passed appetizers and desserts
8-Piece Band and dancing
Reservations: nye@ladescargala.com

For its first New Year’s Eve celebration, La Descarga is using the Wayback Machine to transport guests to an elegant black tie affair set in Havana, circa 1909. Included in the $150 ticket is an all-night open bar, champagne toast, multi-course apps and desserts, live music and dancing. And to ensure you have plenty of room to shake your money maker, attendance for Havana 1909 will be limited to 150 guests.

Photo: Rivera

Rivera

Prix Fixe Dinner – First Seating: $70
Prix Fixe Dinner – Second Seating: $100
Champagne toast (Second Seating)
Reservations: (213) 749-1460

Unlike the open bar frenzy of last year, Rivera mixologist Julian Cox will be mixing a couple of New Year’s Eve cocktails to pair with the Prix Fixe Dinner menus. The First Seating will be five courses for $70 per person, and the Second Seating will be seven courses for $100 (includes champagne toast).

Photo: The Tar Pit

The Tar Pit – A Revival, Happening.

Doors 8pm
$95 per person
10-course passed appetizers
2 specialty cocktails
Midnight champagne toast
Music by Vintage Trouble
Reservations: info@tarpitbar.com

For a swellegant New Year’s Eve, The Tar Pit is offering cocktails, champagne and passed apps for an all-inclusive $95 admission. Vintage Trouble performs “live-wired, straight-shootin, dirty-mouth’d pelvis-pushin’ juke music” starting at 10:30pm.

Oliver Jones Named Winner of the 2010 Jimmy Barela Award

thirstyinla — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 02:02:51 +0000

Oliver Jones mixes his winning cocktail, the Myrtle Berry Flip.

Oliver Jones has been named the winner of the 2010 Jimmy Barela Award, which honors the legendary bartender who held court at Cole’s Red Car Bar for 65 years. Jones, who can be found behind the stick at Las Perlas and Tengu (Westwood), bested eleven other competitors in a cocktail showdown that took place at The Varnish on Repeal Day.

Myrtle Berry Flip

A native of Oxford, England, Jones has explored cuisines and spirits around the world, thanks to a lifelong love of travel passed down from his parents. Whether he’s drinking genever in Holland or airag (fermented mare’s milk) in Mongolia, Jones is always on the hunt for new ingredients to use in his recipes. He constantly experiments with new types of infusions; “the weirder the better,” as he puts it.

Jones also seeks out forgotten herbs and spices and exotic spirits not yet popularized in the Western world. Case in point is his winning recipe for the Myrtle Berry Flip, which features Tremontis Mirto, a unique Sardinian liqueur made by macerating myrtle berries. Known throughout the Mediterranean since ancient times, the myrtle was used for everything from medicine to wedding rituals. In mythology, the myrtle was associated with Venus and other goddesses. Whether its supposed aphrodisiac properties had anything to do with Jones winning the competition, one can only guess.

To be considered for the competition, cocktail recipes had to use at least 1.5 ounces of Plymouth Gin and use no more than 5 ingredients (excluding garnish). At The Varnish, each competitor had to make four cocktails in 10 minutes: 3 were used for the blind judging, and 1 was for photo ops and guests to sample. The esteemed members of the judging panel were Varnish GM Chris Bostick, Erick Castro (West Coast Brand Ambassador, Plymouth and Beefeater Gins), Jessica Gelt (LA Times), and Jonathan Gold (LA Weekly).

During the three-hour event, an impressive variety of entries were sent out to the judges. While bars from 213 Nightlife were well represented (Bob Nickerson from Cole’s, Matt Wallace of Seven Grand), it was nice to see competitors from all over town (e.g. Buffalo Club’s Giovanni Martinez, Roger Room’s Jason Bran) in the mix.

Pablo Moix went all-out with his West Indies Winter Punch.

Some were familiar names from favorite bars, such as Pablo Moix (La Descarga), Devon Tarby (The Varnish), and Julian Wayser (Caña). Tricia Alley (Providence) and Jennifer Contraveos (SoHo House West Hollywood) were new to me and are on my radar after Sunday. Pablo went all-out with his West Indies Winter Punch, which was served to the judges in a ceramic punch bowl mounted atop a pedestal. Naomi Schimek (First & Hope) presented her Remembrance cocktails in vintage glassware and decorated the serving tray with a pear and rosemary to match her ingredients.

Naomi Schimek served her Remembrance cocktails in vintage glassware.

The competition winners were announced to the public at the Seven Grand Repeal Day Celebration later that night: Jones won $500 for first place, Naomi got a pair of Clippers tickets for placing second (sadly, it’s not a Lakers game), and Garrett McKechnie (1886) took home a Plymouth bar kit for third place. Congrats to the winners, many thanks to everyone who participated, and cheers to Eric Alperin for hosting the competition.

Garrett McKechnie puts the finishing touches on his Molly Pitcher Club Cocktail.

THE MYRTLE BERRY FLIP by Oliver Jones

2 oz. Plymouth Gin
¾ oz. lemon juice
1 egg white
¾ oz. Tremontis Mirto
3 bar spoons organic Blueberry jam
Shake and double-strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish with a sprig of myrtle.

Remembrance

REMEMBRANCE by Naomi Schimek

¾ oz. lemon juice
1 oz. rosemary syrup
¼ oz. bianco vermouth
1 oz. pear-infused sherry
1½ oz. Plymouth Gin
Shake and double-strain into a 5 oz. coupe glass.
Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

The Molly Pitcher Club Cocktail

THE MOLLY PITCHER CLUB COCKTAIL by Garrett McKechnie

Dash of Whiskey Barrel Bitters
¾ oz. homemade pineapple demerara syrup
¾ oz. lemon juice
2 oz. Plymouth Gin
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with star anise and fresh grated cinnamon.
Finish with a light absinthe spray.

Dec. 5: Jimmy Barela Award and Cocktail Competition, Seven Grand Repeal Day Celebration

thirstyinla — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:35:28 +0000

Expect a much livelier scene at Seven Grand on Dec. 5. | Photo: 213 Nightlife

Recipes are now being accepted for the 2nd Annual Jimmy Barela Award and Cocktail Competition, sponsored by Plymouth Gin. The competition, which takes place on Repeal Day (Sunday, December 5), is open to bartenders working in Los Angeles and Orange County. The award is named after Jimmy Barela, the legendary bartender who held court at Cole’s Red Car Bar for 65 years, from 1918 to 1983. Last year, the inaugural award went to Julian Cox (Rivera, Test Kitchen), who won the competition with his G.T. Foam Home cocktail.

Recipe Submission:

Recipes must be submitted by 12pm on Friday, Dec. 3rd by emailing Chris Bostick: bostick@213downtown.la.
10 recipes will be selected for the competition. Contestants will be notified by 6pm on Friday, Dec 3rd.
When submitting recipes please be as thorough as possible. Please list all ingredients and measurements, type of glass, garnish, etc. Also, please list the name of the bar(s) where you currently work.
NOTE: If you’re submitting a recipe, you must be able to attend the competition on Sunday (4-7pm at The Varnish) if you’re selected.

Competition Structure:

All cocktails must use at least 1.5 ounces of Plymouth Gin.
No more than 5 ingredients are to be used per cocktail (not including garnish).
Homemade ingredients and specialty items are allowed, but must be provided by the contestant. The same goes for off-the-wall spirits and modifiers. Once recipes are submitted and then selected, contestants will be informed if they need to bring their own spirits, modifying spirits or bitters.
Basic juices will be provided (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit).
Glassware and hand-cut ice will also be available.
Four cocktails are to be made within 10 minutes: 3 for judges, 1 for photo.
Judging will be conducted blind by a panel of esteemed members of the cocktail community.
Winners will be announced to the public at the Seven Grand Repeal Day Celebration later that evening (see below).

Prizes: 1st Place is $500 cash, 2nd & 3rd Place prizes TBA the day of the contest.

Click to view flyer.

Seven Grand Repeal Day Celebration
With all due respect to Jimmy Barela, his namesake award and cocktail competition are merely a preamble to the Repeal Day Celebration taking place later that night at Seven Grand. Plymouth Gin is also sponsoring this event, which will feature $6 Plymouth Gin cocktails (yes, you can have a gin cocktail at Seven Grand), “Craps” and “Blackjack” in the Jackalope Room, free Cole’s French Dips, and live entertainment by Big Willie’s Burlesque.

Repeal Day Celebration
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Doors at 8pm
Featuring:

$6 Plymouth Gin cocktails
“Gambling” for prizes
Live entertainment by Big Willie’s Burlesque
Free Cole’s French Dips, fedoras and boas (while supplies last)
1920s attire encouraged

Seven Grand
515 W. 7th St.
2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 614-0737
www.sevengrand.la

October 23: Bourbon Grand Tasting at Seven Grand

thirstyinla — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:10:08 +0000

With Los Angeles weather skipping fall and heading straight into rainy winter, what better way to keep warm than by spending an evening tasting some of the nation’s best bourbons? This Saturday, October 23rd, Liquor.com is hosting a Bourbon Grand Tasting, a gathering dedicated to drinking and learning about America’s Native Spirit. For the Grand Tasting, Liquor.com is taking over Seven Grand from 4pm to 7pm, featuring tastes of the following bourbons:

Bourbon Grand Tasting

Basil Hayden’s
Woodford Reserve
Knob Creek
Jim Beam Black
Maker’s 46
Elijah Craig
Wild Turkey
Evan Williams
Bernheim

As if the bourbon samples weren’t enough, the Seven Grand crew will be serving up bourbon cocktails, while Cole’s will help you soak up the brown stuff with French Dip sandwiches and bourbon pecan pie. Part of the proceeds from this event will support the Los Angeles Conservancy and its efforts to preserve and maintain the city’s architectural heritage.

The Bourbon Grand Tasting is only the beginning. Over the next 12 months, Liquor.com will be hosting premium spirits tastings at top Los Angeles venues. Each event will be a uniquely spirited experience, so stay tuned for details.

For more information about the Grand Tasting Series, visit the Liquor.com Event FAQ page.

$20 DISCOUNT
Online tickets to the Bourbon Grand Tasting are available now for $55, but Liquor.com is graciously offering a limited number of discounted tickets for Thirsty in LA readers! When you buy your ticket, enter the Promo Code THINLABB for a $20 discount off the ticket price.

NOTE: the Promo Code can be used multiple times, but only once per purchase. In other words, if you’re buying two or more tickets, you’ll get a $20 discount off the entire purchase.

Bourbon Grand Tasting
Presented by Liquor.com
Saturday, October 23, 2010
4pm-7pm
21 and over
Featuring:

Bourbon samples
Bourbon cocktails
French Dips and bourbon pecan pie from Cole’s
Partial proceeds benefit the L.A. Conservancy

$55 per person, all-inclusive ($35 with Promo Code)
Purchase tickets online: Bourbon Grand Tasting

Seven Grand
515 W. 7th St.
2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 614-0737
www.sevengrand.la

A Hot Time at Jonathan Gold’s Second Annual Union Station Cocktail Party

thirstyinla — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:25:37 +0000

Last Saturday, Jonathan Gold hosted his second annual Union Station Speakeasy Cocktail Party, featuring cocktails by the bars of 213 and gourmet bites from some of L.A.’s top restaurants. The event was a fundraiser for Zócalo Public Square, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides a nonpartisan forum to prominent thinkers and doers via lectures, panels, salons, screenings, webzine and annual conferences.

Joining me for the imbibing and dining was Laren of Sweet Blog o’ Mine, who was making her first visit to L.A. After a seemingly endless walk from the parking structure we arrived at Union Station’s beautiful Grand Ticket Concourse, a soaring space that’s normally closed off to the public. Despite the size of the room, a stifling heat lingered throughout the party. The sharply-dressed crowd handled it in stride and kept the bartenders and chefs busy right up to the end.

Cruzan Rum Ace of Spades

Our first stop was the Caña Rum Bar station, where GM Allan Katz, bartender Danielle Crouch and Celebrity Barback Ron Dollete (Lush Angeles) were serving up the Cruzan Rum Ace of Spades, featuring Cruzan 9 Spiced Rum and cacao-infused bitters. Easily my favorite cocktail of the night, a wonderful blend of flavors highlighted by vanilla and chocolate notes.

A sizable dance floor was created for guests to groove to DJ Garth Trinidad (KCRW), but with the heat it took a while before guests felt the need to get down. I think a period band would have made more sense for a “speakeasy” party, but maybe that’s just me. Though I appreciated the spacious event layout, we definitely could have used more two tops. With available tables at a premium, guests had to be a little creative with how they enjoyed their food and drink.

Mmm...Pikesville Classic Manhattan...

Luckily we found the Cool Kids Table, where e*star LA, L.A. & O.C. Foodventures and others were tasting the offerings, comparing notes and offering suggestions. Better yet, they had commandeered a table right by Cole’s Red Car Bar, which was stirring up the Pikesville Classic Manhattan: Pikesville Rye, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Angostura bitters and a Luxardo maraschino cherry. I loves me a Manhattan, especially with rye and particularly when the spicy and sweet notes are so well-balanced.

Guests snapped up the Plymouth Fitzgeralds as soon as Chris Bostick made them.

Cole’s was naturally set up back-to-back with The Varnish, where Eric Alperin and Chris Bostick were mixing the Plymouth Fitzgerald, a classic gin sour made with Plymouth Gin, fresh lemon juice and sugar, shaken and served up and with a drizzle of Angostura bitters. The bright, tart cocktails were quickly grabbed by thirsty guests as soon as they were mixed.

Rustic Canyon: black mission figs, roasted chestnuts, burrata, saba and toast.

Nearby, Rustic Canyon and Providence were set up next to each other, with very different, delectable tastings. First up was Rustic Canyon, with its healthy-sized serving of black mission figs, roasted chestnuts, burrata, saba and toast.

Providence: hamachi with nuoc cham and beef tendon.

Providence’s hamachi with nuoc cham and beef tendon was subtle and refined, a nice contrast to the hearty Rustic Canyon dish. Not so successful was First & Hope, whose butternut panna cotta was topped with a crab salad so oversalted I couldn’t finish it. Thankfully Neal Fraser (Grace) came to our rescue by serving us his melt-in-your-mouth braised pork and squash flan, with a smoked sage jus. Next to Grace was Lazy Ox Canteen and its bite-sized yellowtail crudo tacos with avocado, crème fraiche and white soy. I also tried Jar’s pork croissant with mustard sauce, but it had a tough act to follow after Grace and Lazy Ox.

Jonathan Gold

Then it was time for a few words from Jonathan Gold, who thanked everyone and encouraged the continued support of Zócalo.

(L to R) Zócalo founder Gregory Rodriguez and his staff: Laura Villalpando, Swati Pandey and Dulce Vasquez.

Gold introduced Zócalo founder Gregory Rodriguez and his staff: Laura Villalpando, Swati Pandey and Dulce Vasquez. By this time the energy (read: booze) had kicked in and the dance floor began to fill.

Rivera's Gazpacho Blanco

But there were still a few more stops to make and tastes to try, starting with Rivera’s Gazpacho Blanco, a shot of pre-Columbian white gazpacho that went down so nicely I had to grab another one to go.

Spiced PaQui Tequila Daisy

A few steps away was Las Perlas, continuing the Latin theme with a Spiced PaQui Tequila Daisy: PaQui Silver Tequila, fresh lime juice, organic agave nectar, fresh juiced jalapenos, basil, and cucumber. The bartender asked us how spicy we wanted them, and she wasn’t messing around when we asked for them to be hot, just how we like ‘em. Seven Grand was serving a selection of Chivas Regal 12-Year Scotch Highballs, but we passed.

Then it was back to where we began the night, and one last Ace of Spades. With the party winding down, we were all dressed up with nowhere to go. A trip to the real Varnish seemed to be in order, and despite being exhausted from jet lag, Laren was a trouper and we headed out into the night.

GQ’s 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America

thirstyinla — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:53:50 +0000

The Edison, the "largest and most impressive" bar on GQ's list. | Photo: The Edison

File this under Jobs We Really, Really Want: “We traveled 34,462 miles and sipped 400 gin fizzes, Manhattans, and Gibsons with one goal—to compile the first ranking of the nation’s best cocktail bars.” So writes Kevin Sintumuang in the October issue of GQ, describing what it took to create the magazine’s list of the 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America.

Sintumuang and the GQ team spent a year visiting 102 bars in twenty one cities, and after the last cocktail had been sipped, Seattle’s Zig Zag Café was named the Best Cocktail Bar in America. With Zig Zag’s “bartender superhero” Murray Stenson winning a Spirited Award for American Bartender of the Year, Seattleites are sure to see more cocktail enthusiasts make pilgrimages to the Emerald City than ever before.

Three Los Angeles bars (Tiki-Ti, Cole’s, The Edison) made the list, while a fourth (La Descarga) was named one of the country’s Best Spirit-Specific Cocktail Bars. Other sidebars in the article include Anatomy of a $15 Cocktail and Best Restaurant Cocktail Bars.

GQ’s 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America

Zig Zag Café – Seattle
Angel’s Share – New York
The Violet Hour – Chicago
Clover Club – Brooklyn
The Alembic – San Francisco
Death & Co – New York
PDT – New York
PX – Alexandria, VA
Comstock Saloon – San Francisco
Holeman & Finch – Atlanta
Tiki-Ti – Los Angeles
The Patterson House – Nashville
Eastern Standard – Boston
Rickhouse – San Francisco
Anvil – Houston
Arnaud’s French 75 – New Orleans
Elixir – San Francisco
Columbia Room – Washington, D.C.
Cole’s – Los Angeles
The Whistler – Chicago
Drink – Boston
Pegu Club – New York
The Edison – Los Angeles
The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. – Philadelphia
Needle and Thread (Tavern Law) – Seattle

Any “best of” list will inevitably inspire debate, and GQ’s list is no different. As much as I enjoy Cole’s, placing it at #19 and leaving The Varnish off the list is puzzling, especially if one of the reasons is because Cole’s has “small TV screens for Lakers games.” Grub Street San Francisco detects an anti-Sasha Petraske streak running through GQ’s list, which could explain the omission of The Varnish (which he co-owns), as well as Petraske’s seminal New York bars Milk & Honey and Little Branch. And speaking of omissions, how could the list not have one bar from Portland?

I had the pleasure of visiting Angels’ Share and Pegu Club on the same night a few months ago, but naming Angel’s Share as the second best bar in the country seems awfully generous. That said, props to the GQ team for even listing Angel’s Share, an often-overlooked bar considered by many to be the progenitor of New York’s current generation of craft cocktail bars.

I would love to see the spirit-specific sidebar expanded to a few lists that include more bars and spirits, even if that has to be featured online rather than in print. Agave dens like Las Perlas and Mayahuel could then be featured in the same tequila/mezcal bar list, rather than being lumped in with rum-centric venues like La Descarga and Smuggler’s Cove.

And any list of America’s great restaurant cocktail bars has to include Rivera. Mixologist Julian Cox has cut an unbeaten swath through cocktail competitions across the country, and his inventive drinks are among the city’s best, restaurant bar or otherwise.

The upside of GQ’s list is that it reminds me of bars around the country that I’ve been to and have yet to visit. I am really overdue for another trip to San Francisco, especially when Sintumuang mentions “our favorite whiskey drink in the country,” the Alembic’s Vasco de Gama: Buffalo Trace bourbon, masala-spiced apple syrup and Islay scotch.

Sintumuang puts it best in his introduction: “[Cocktails] are the great American invention. And there has never been a better time to drink them than now.” Cheers to all the bars in this year’s list, and here’s hoping that I’ll have a few more checked off by the time the 2011 edition is released!

The October issue of GQ is on newsstands now.

September 25: L.A. Craft Beer Crawl in Downtown Los Angeles

thirstyinla — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:16:01 +0000

The Beer Chicks will be signing books at Golden Gopher. | Photo: 213

Proving that his interests go beyond great cocktails and fine spirits, 213 Proprietor Cedd Moses is teaming up with The Beer Chicks (Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune) to present the inaugural L.A. Craft Beer Crawl, taking place in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, September 25th. For the price of one ticket, Crawlers will get unlimited samples of 50 craft beers, including Allagash, Brouwerij West, Craftsman, Dogfish Head, Eagle Rock, Jolly Pumpkin, Lost Coast, Stone, Telegraph, Unibroue and many more. The Crawl will be hosted at 213 bars Seven Grand, Cole’s, The Varnish, Las Perlas, Casey’s, Golden Gopher, Broadway Bar and Caña. The beer selection is curated by Perozzi and Beaune, authors of The Naked Pint: An Unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer.

The Crawl begins at Casey’s Irish Pub, where Crawlers will get a 6-ounce tasting glass, wristband and map (sure to come in handy after a few samples). Each 213 venue will offer its own distinct vibe and host different craft breweries: Seven Grand will pour barrel-aged beers with scotch and bourbon enhanced notes; The Beer Chicks will sign books at Golden Gopher; Pulitzer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold will host the VIP Room at the Varnish, where guests can enjoy Cole’s French Dip sandwiches paired with top German-style taps, as well as beer cocktails and a meet and greet with brewers.

To help Crawlers soak up the suds, Gold has selected some of L.A.’s top gourmet food trucks, including Grilled Cheese Truck, LudoTruck and Manila Machine.

The Jameson Stage at Casey's. | Photo: 213

Included in the ticket is admission to an afterparty at Casey’s, featuring live music and a dozen craft pints.

LA Craft Beer Crawl
Saturday, September 25, 2010
3pm-8pm
lacraftbeercrawl.com

Visit the event’s Facebook page and follow its Twitter feed for updated info and participating breweries.

Tickets are available online only, at lacraftbeercrawl.eventbrite.com.

Early Bird Special: $39
General Admission: $49
VIP: $89

Update 9/17: Early Bird tickets have sold out, General Admission and VIP tickets are still available.

Update 9/22: VIP tickets have sold out. General Admission tickets are still available.

Update 9/24: General Admission tickets have sold out.

All the Booze That’s Fit to Print – February 2010

thirstyinla — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:25:55 +0000

An occasional roundup of L.A. cocktail culture in various media.

Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, LA Times Magazine featured recipes for four classic tiki cocktails, “reimagined for a new generation.” Love the retro-style artwork, too.

On February 11, an LA Times Food article included a profile of Modern Spirits (TRU Vodka, found at some of LA’s best cocktail bars) and the ups and downs of being an artisan distillery.

Two articles in the much-discussed Los Angeles issue of Saveur (#127, Feb) focused on LA’s cocktail culture:

Drink City is a solid list of cocktail destinations that includes The Edison, Seven Grand, Rivera, Roger Room, and Copa d’Oro. The Varnish wasn’t listed, but was instead mentioned in a sidebar on the Cole’s-Philippe’s French Dip rivalry.

In Spirits of Polynesia, Jeff Berry takes a look at the wonderful Tiki-Ti, affectionately calling the owners “textbook examples of how not to succeed in the bar business.”

Also in the Saveur issue are cocktail recipes for Rivera’s Barbacoa and Tiki-Ti’s Cuba Kola and Puka Punch.

On Fat Tuesday, The Edison announced that Joe Brooke (named America’s Best Bartender and formerly at Copa d’Oro) would assume the role of Director of Spirits, a position formerly held by Aidan Demerest, now consulting for the cocktail program at the upcoming First & Hope.

The very next day, cocktail enthusiasts were a-Twitter over a Daily Dish post that said that Audrey Saunders had ended her Tar Pit partnership with Mark Peel. According to the LA Times, Peel said that Saunders “did all the training and designing for the original menu, and I think she did a great job. We just came to a parting of the ways.” It was announced that Marcos Tello would head the Tar Pit bar, until word came later that day that he was also leaving. Squid Ink followed up with a confirmation that Marcos had indeed resigned from the Tar Pit to return to The Varnish as well as consult on the aforementioned First & Hope.

Speaking of Squid Ink and First & Hope, Caroline on Crack posted a sneak preview of the forthcoming supper club, scheduled to open in mid-March. The preview also includes a recipe for the Champagne Julep, an upscale take on the classic mint julep.

A week after the dust had settled at the Tar Pit, the LA Times published a review by S. Irene Virbila. Tar Pit got two stars from Miss Irene, who gave it props for the cocktails but thought the kitchen was inconsistent.

On Thursday, February 25th, Alex Day worked his last shift at New York’s renowned Death & Company. What does this have to do with L.A. cocktail culture you ask? Well, according to his interview with the Village Voice, Alex is heading to Los Angeles to open a bar with Death & Co. owner David Kaplan. New York’s loss is L.A.’s gain; stay tuned, friends.

Last week, the LA Weekly published Jonathan Gold’s 99 Things to Eat in L.A. Before You Die, a list that covers everything from “fugu to foie gras, pizza to panuchos.” Best of all, you can also have a great cocktail when you check off a few of these must-eat dishes:

Rivera’s tortillas
Musso & Frank’s Welsh rarebit
Cole’s French Dip
Akasha’s quinoa with edamame
Comme Ca’s cheeseburger
Michael Cimarusti’s squid with piquillo peppers and pig’s ear
Hungry Cat’s lobster roll

Mezcal and tequila fans have been eagerly anticipating the debut of 213 Downtown’s Las Perlas, and according to blogdowntown, the opening could happen as early as today. The post describes the interior in detail, noting that Ricki Kline is especially happy with how his latest design for 213 turned out.