Cinco de Mayo 2011: Bring On the Agave

Cinco de Mayo may have limited national significance in Mexico, but here in the U.S. and elsewhere, it’s a great day to celebrate Mexican culture by imbibing some of its finest exports. Bars and restaurants all over town will be hosting special events on the day that honors the Mexican Army’s victory over the occupying French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

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All the Booze That’s Fit to Print – March 2011

With a slew of bar openings and more on the way, there’s never been a better time to be a cocktail enthusiast in the City of Angels. In recent weeks media coverage of the L.A. cocktail scene has ramped up, which makes it as good a time as any to collect some highlights from the last few months.

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So Long 2010, and Thanks for All the Fish!

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.

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Oliver Jones Named Winner of the 2010 Jimmy Barela Award

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.

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

Jonathan Gold recently 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.

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