• About
  • Los Angeles Cocktail Bars
  • Contact

BARS     EVENTS     OPENINGS     INTERVIEWS     REVIEWS     STORIES     ABOUT     CONTACT
Brian Butler

Blue Skies Ahead for Roy Choi’s Sunny Spot

By thirstyinla On December 9, 2011 · 5 Comments · In Reviews
Roy Choi has opened Sunny Spot in the former Beechwood space in Venice. Sunny Spot marks his third collaboration with bar owner and restaurateur David Reiss, and features cocktails by A-Frame's Brian Butler.
Read More »
B.S. Rita

Joe’s Restaurant Launches Market Driven Cocktail Menu

By thirstyinla On August 13, 2011 · Add Comment · In Uncategorized
Joe’s Restaurant has established a dedicated following over the years by staying true to Executive Chef Joe Miller’s farmers market driven California-French cuisine. Miller’s focus on locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients has been formally incorporated into the restaurant’s Market Driven Cocktail Menu, now available in the bar and dining room.
Read More »

What Would LA Bartenders Do with 24 Hours?

By thirstyinla On March 21, 2010 · Add Comment · In Uncategorized
“It was my understanding that there would be no math.” ~ Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford, from Presidential Debate (SNL, 1976) They take care of us whether we’re celebrating our triumphs or drowning our sorrows, but where do bartenders go and what do they do when they’re not behind the stick? Now that spring has sprung [...]
Read More »
 
  • Popular
  • Recent
  • Comments
  • Tags
  • Steve Schneider: Employees Only, "Hey Bartender" & BeyondSteve Schneider looks at his journey from a bar in [...]
  • Blogger Barhop 3: A Whale of a Night in Beverly HillsCaroline on Crack and Aidan Demarest outdid themselves with Blogger [...]
  • Alcove Café 10-Year Anniversary & Big Bar Summer MenuTo celebrate its 10-year anniversary Alcove Café presents “10 Days [...]
  • The Varnish Celebrates 4 Years, Harvard & Stone 2-Year Anniversary, Big Bar on FireFrom anniversary events at The Varnish and Harvard & Stone [...]
  • Booze and Vinyl 2022: Electric BoogalooRecord Store Day is back for its 15th anniversary on [...]
  • Booze and Vinyl: Don't Call It a ComebackWhat a difference a year makes. As this post goes [...]
  • "Liquid Love Letters" From LA's AAPI BartendersOrganized by bartender Alyson Iwamoto (Thunderbolt Death & Co) “Liquid [...]
  • A Few Things That Didn't Suck in 2020“After a year of pain and loss it’s time to [...]
aidan demarest Awards Bars classic cocktails cocktail recipes cocktails Competitions downtown LA eric alperin Fundraisers Happy Hours hollywood julian cox los angeles marcos tello naomi schimek punch Recipes Restaurants rum scotch Spirits tales of the cocktail tequila the edison the varnish Travel whiskey whisky Wine
  • SEARCH

  • RECENT POSTS

    • Booze and Vinyl 2022: Electric Boogaloo
    • Booze and Vinyl: Don’t Call It a Comeback
    • “Liquid Love Letters” From LA’s AAPI Bartenders
    • A Few Things That Didn’t Suck in 2020
    • A Tale of Two Zooms
  • INSTAGRAM

    The nonprofit @californialandmarkfoundation has na The nonprofit @californialandmarkfoundation has named @theblackcatla as the State of California's first and only LGBTQ+ Historical Landmark! The official plaque will be unveiled at the Silver Lake bar during a ceremony at 2pm on Sunday, October 1.

In 2008, the City of Los Angeles recognized The Black Cat as Historic Cultural Monument No. 939. A plaque mounted on the exterior of The Black Cat declares it as "the site of the first documented LGBT civil rights demonstration in the nation." The protest commemorated by the plaque stemmed from police raids that took place on New Year’s Eve 1967 at The Black Cat and other gay bars in the area.

October is LGBTQ+ History Month - learn about LA's integral role in the LGBTQ+ movement with our @discoverla guide, link in profile 🏳️‍🌈
#thirstyinla #discoverla #lgbtq
    Since last week’s @discoverla Global Team Meetin Since last week’s @discoverla Global Team Meeting was at @moxy_ac_losangeles I booked myself a Staycation - thanks @chase! 🏨
The Moxy is conveniently located off the @metrolosangeles E Line Pico Station, kitty-corner from @conventioncenterla, and a 10-minute walk to @thenovodtla, site of the 2023 Market Outlook Forum 👟

📍@damafashiondistrict
After checking in - DJ Alien D loved the hotel’s Area 51 theme 👽🛸 - headed to DAMA for a couple of faves:
🥃 Dama Old Fashioned - @santateresarum, bitters, sugar
🍸 Presidente - @havanaclub rum, vermouth, orange liqueur, grenadine
DAMA happened to be launching their brand new Happy Hour 😀
🍢 Potato croquettes and chicken skewers
Cheers @okrv 🙌

📍@baarbaarlosangeles
Meaning “again and again” in Hindi, Baar Baar is located in the former Faith & Flower space and it’s flat-out gorgeous 🤩
Paraphrasing @willmelgar, who described the menu from @chefsujans as traditional Indian cuisine with modern, locally-sourced flair
The cocktails are Bollywood-inspired riffs on classics:
🤡 Mera Naam Joker - ghee-washed bourbon, Angostura bitters, saffron syrup
🍹 Slumdog Millionaire - raw turmeric-infused gin, passion fruit, Green Chartreuse, tonic
Baar Baar is participating in the Fall edition of @dinela Restaurant Week, which starts on October 6!
🥑 The veg-friendly prix fixe dinner options include Avocado Bhel with edamame & green chickpea hummus, radish and puffed black rice

#thirstyinla #discoverla #dinela #staycation #dtla
    The 2023 Market Outlook Forum + Global Team Meetin The 2023 Market Outlook Forum + Global Team Meeting was amazing, much love to everyone at @discoverla 👏
The highlight of the week was not on the official agenda - it was an impromptu tour of @level8.dtla, the spectacular new dining and nightlife destination at @moxy_ac_losangeles from @houstonbrothershospitality 🤩
Moxy/AC GM Steve Choe took a few of us on a walkthrough of the sprawling 30,000 square-foot venue, which is centered on the global travels of the eccentric Mr. Wanderlust 🌎

🎠 @goldenhour.dtla is a Carnival-inspired poolside carousel bar with capoeira dancers and tropical drinks by @devdiggytheillest

Chef Hisae Stuck helms @luckymizu.dtla, a stunning shabu-shabu and seiro mushi experience with a wall of maneki-neko 🐱 cherry blossoms 🌸 Infinity Mirrors ♾ and a 40-foot Earth Harp that turns the entire dining room into an immersive musical instrument 🎶

Two acclaimed LA chefs have dining spaces at Level 8:
@chefraygarcia with live-fire South American cuisine at @quebarbaro.dtla 🔥 and @followthebrownsheep “authentically inauthentic” street food 🌮
@motherofpearl.dtla raw bar 🦪 and the French-Teppanyaki @maisonkasai.dtla from @niceyabjeff 🔥

It wouldn't be @houston_bros if there weren't secret entrances - there are several at Level 8, including the Sinners y Santos confessional and a bookcase that opens into @mrwanderlust.dtla, a piano and jazz lounge with a hidden stage 🎹
Loved seeing drinks from @carisunnie @schimekstudios @kingstonchanla on the menu 😍
Shout out to @everfgreen for the Old Fashioned riff with @rhums_neisson Organic and @distilleriasibona Grappa Riserva Botti di Rovere 🥃
Great to bump into Mark Houston @kenbaranda @juan_martiiinez 🙌

#thirstyinla #level8 #discoverla #dinela #dtla
    🙏 #repost @canonseattle You know someone’s ma 🙏
#repost @canonseattle You know someone’s made an impression when a decade later people still ask “when’s Murray working?”.

Murray Stenson was a legend. And a friend. Raise a glass in his honor tonight.
    Nothing better than comfort food at @kouraku_littl Nothing better than comfort food at @kouraku_littletokyo after an afternoon/evening of imbibing with @davestolte & @baotruong21 🍜
#thirstyinla #kouraku #dinela #discoverla #littletokyo #dtla #staycation
    [2/2] Edo-style omakase dinner at @qdtla continued [2/2] Edo-style omakase dinner at @qdtla continued 🍣

*📸 @bar_nish

Longtooth Grouper 
Striped Jack
Golden Eye Snapper
Blackthroat Seaperch 🤯
Toro
Spot Prawn
*Wild Salmon
Salmon Eggs
Sea Eel
*Tamagoyaki (60/40 🍤🥚 per Chef Hiroyuki Naruke)

#omakase #michelin #dinela #discoverla #dtla
    [1/2] When @bar_nish asks if you want to go @qdtla [1/2] When @bar_nish asks if you want to go @qdtla for a Michelin-starred omakase dinner, you… say… YES! So great to hang with Nish, @jayne_wilcox and @carisunnie 😍
Even though Nish was the birthday boy, *he* treated *us* to a sublime evening that started in @bar_jackalope, where we sipped the good stuff from his whisk(e)y locker 🥃
I’ve been to @sevengrandla countless times and had no idea Q Sushi was next door 🤯
@michelinguide notes in its one ⭐️ review: “From the moment you walk in to the rapid succession of courses that follow, everything in this dining room seems steeped in a sense of calm.” 🙏

*📸 by Nish because I was too busy chatting with Cari 😅
7G
*Kusshi Oyster
*Flounder
*Bluefin Tuna with miso vinaigrette
Hairy Crab
*Sashimi Set
*Hokkaido Uni
*Seared Toro with shishito paste
Chef Hiroyuki Naruke

#thirstyinla #sevengrand  #omakase #michelin #dinela #discoverla #dtla
    Love this activation for Season 2 of @officialloki Love this activation for Season 2 of @officialloki! 🤩

🍩 ⏰ Miss Minutes has taken over @randysdonuts in Inglewood - the iconic 32-foot donut sign is now a giant Miss Minutes, and special Miss Minutes donuts are available for a limited time at the OG 24-hour shop on Manchester.

⏱ The clock is ticking - Miss Minutes and her donuts will only be at Randy’s through next Sunday, September 17!
📺 Can’t wait for October 6 💥

📸 courtesy of 🐕 and a 🦆 
#discoverla #dinela #loki #randysdonuts #inglewood
    Follow @thirstyinla