The Varnish Celebrates 5 Years, Launches Bartender Reunion Series

Eric Alperin at The Varnish

Time flies when you’re having fun: The Varnish is celebrating its five-year anniversary on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014. For this special event, two of The Varnish partners, Eric Alperin and Sasha Petraske, will be mixing cocktails from 7pm to 11pm. As part of the festivities, The Varnish is serving a complimentary Anniversary Punch made with…

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Cinco de Derby, Kentucky de Mayo

It’s a cosmic confluence that was surely foretold by the Aztecs: Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby fall on the same day this year. In another case of synchronicity, Dave Stolte (Home Bar Basics) and Chris Bostick (The Varnish) made Margaritas and Mint Juleps (and a lot of other cocktails) at a recent gathering…

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So Long 2011, and Thanks for All the Fish!

Harvard & Stone NYE 2011

It’s time to start stretching those livers, Los Angeles! Craft cocktail destinations across the city are welcoming the new year with masquerade parties, multi-course dinners, and spirited trips around the world and back in time to the 1920s.

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LA in NY: The City of Angels at the 2011 Manhattan Cocktail Classic

It’s May 13th, and on this day last year I was in New York on the eve of the inaugural Manhattan Cocktail Classic to toast World Cocktail Day and celebrate my First Blogiversary with my blogger twin, The Dizzy Fizz. And even though I’ll be in L.A. this year and have to settle for vicariously drinking through everyone’s tweets and posts, I’ll be content in knowing that Los Angeles will be well-represented at MCC.

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The Art of the Blend: Cognac and Cocktails at The Varnish

Angelenos learned about cognac and its role in cocktail culture during a Cognac Cocktail Class at The Varnish, presented by Liquor.com and hosted by Varnish co-owner Eric Alperin and GM Chris Bostick. During the sold out two-hour session, attendees were educated about the luxury spirit, tasted expressions from the premium Pierre Ferrand line, and learned how to make four cognac cocktails.

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