Los Angeles' New Single Spirit Bars
Molecular mixology, celebrity "barsmiths," seasonal cocktails... sometimes it feels like it's just gotten too complicated to order a drink these days in Los Angeles. There are just too many choices. And usually too many hipsters elbowing their way to the bar.
Providing a bright ray of hope (and simplification) is a cadre of single liquor-focused bars that have been popping up around Los Angeles. Just because they serve only one type or family of spirits doesn't mean these are one-hit wonders, though. We find, rather, that focusing on a sole liquor helps set these saloons apart both in terms of theme and in the playfulness and experimentation evident in their impressive cocktail lists.
Here are four of our favorites from around town, providing both serious and social drinkers with educational and fun experiences in singular settings.
Rum: La Descarga
If this bar couldn't have been in Havana, at least it's in Los Feliz, which means the happy...like the happy few that get to reserve tables at this Cubanified little bar in the heart of Hollywood. It's been drawing in the crowds with an exotic mix of rum-based cocktails, décor reminiscent of Hemingway's Cuba and live music to set the tone.
The journey (both through space and time) is worth it, however, since you can take succor in the cocktail list with over 60 rums represented. Our suggestion is the savory-sweet "Tapping the Admiral" cocktail with Zaya Trinidadian rum, Carpano Antico, cherry heering and bitters. Not that we're generalizing, but ladies might prefer the "Bad Spaniard" with Cruzan Black Strap rum, Amaro Averna, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolk and cinnamon.
Purists should venture on to the back bar down a candlelit hallway (think Caribbean boudoir) where the premium rums are only served neat or on the rocks. This is also where you'll find the cigar bar with about a dozen different options. We'll meet you back there.
Tequila: Las Perlas
Though they have some fancy, small-batch booze on the menu here, you can sample just about anything for a small fee (usually around $5) with tastes served in unassuming clay cups that reinforce the backyard fiesta vibe they've got going on (think simple booths and tables with festive tabletops wedged into every corner).
Don't bother asking for a gin fizz or your usual Manhattan, because they don't serve any non-agave-based spirits here. They do, however, have a full cocktail menu of creative concoctions like the "400 Rabbits" with Sombra mescal, agave nectar, egg whites, lime, port reduction, and muddled raspberries poured over ice with bitters, and a pinot noir float; or the "Jalisco" with Carpano Antico, El Jimador tequila, and orange bitters. Who needs a Manhattan after that?
Whiskey: The Thirsty Crow
Brush up on your Aesop's Fables and like the titular crow, learn the lesson of patience... especially because it takes a while to get a drink at this gentrified, whiskey-focused saloon that has replaced the faux-frugal Stinker's Truck Stop.
Order your poison from a bartender clad like a newsy at the sociable horseshoe-shaped bar, then marvel at the careful concocting of cocktails like the signature Thirsty Crow made with citrus, Sazerac rye whiskey, bitters and ginger beer in a mason jar; or four specialty Manhattans, like the one with Makers Mark, orange liqueur, and fresh marmalade.
Whiskey enthusiasts and dilettantes alike can order any of dozens of bourbons, whiskeys and scotches straight up, but there are also a few wines and beers for the more genteel drinkers.
Vodka: Silo
Set to open any day now, Silo is located in the historic Haas Building. Built in 1915, and originally housing tenants like the Bank of Italy and the Chicago Tribune west coast branch, the Haas Building is now an imposing warren of artist and business lofts set to reopen this month after an extensive renovation.
The 88-seat bar will feature a list of diverse vodkas (ask General Manager Josh Gray-Emmer to help you differentiate between the various styles using his wall-mounted Periodic Table of Vodka) served as shots on block of ice with various accoutrements like rare salts to enhance the flavors. There will also be housemade vodka infusions with flavors like cherry, cucumber, and habanero pepper... presumably not all at once.
However, we might suggest sticking to the premium selections, which will be available for private tastings by guests swaddled in a fur coat inside the walk-in freezer. That's the way any self-respecting babushka would drink it.
—Eric Rosen, JustLuxe Los Angeles Editor
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Related links:
Manly Cocktail Recipes for the Summer
Public Kitchen & Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt: An L.A. Eatery for the People
Ice Drop: Make a Splash in Your Next Drink
American Whiskey Trail: History & Heritage in America's Heartland