Don vs. Vic at 320 Main: Everybody Wins!

Mai Tai

320 Main was the setting for a tiki showdown of epic proportions: Don vs. Vic, a head-to-head battle between the cocktails of Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic. The clash of tiki titans was the second edition of 320 Main’s Tiki Night series, taking place at the Seal Beach restaurant on the last Monday of every month.

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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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February 24: The Varnish Two Year Anniversary

Never one to announce itself, The Varnish is quietly celebrating its Two Year Anniversary on Thursday, February 24th. Eric Alperin and Marcos Tello will be behind the bar, and guests can start the celebration with a complimentary glass of punch.

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1886 Opens at The Raymond in Pasadena

Cocktail enthusiasts in Pasadena have a bar they can call their own, now that 1886 has soft-opened at the historic Raymond Restaurant. 1886 takes its name from the year that Walter Raymond first opened his eponymous hotel, before a devastating fire destroyed the property in 1895. He then opened an even grander Raymond Hotel that…

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Red Rover Throwback: A Seven Grand Reunion

Once upon a time, they were the opening crew at Seven Grand: Aidan Demarest, John Coltharp, Marcos Tello, Dave Whitton and Damian Windsor. As key figures in the rebirth of the thriving Los Angeles cocktail scene, they’re regarded as some of the most influential barmen in the country. Throughout the city, you’ll find their cocktails…

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Praise the Lard and Pass the Champagne at First & Hope

Discreetly located across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall in an unassuming strip mall, First & Hope supper club brings style, sophistication, and a welcome sense of fun to the downtown dining scene. Much of that playfulness comes from Executive Chef Shelley Cooper, a native of Memphis whose refined technique and love of American…

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