Last night Dre and I visited one of my fave bartenders, Kylee, at Katsuya. I’ve been meaning to drop by for awhile, especially since I found out that Kylee was such an adventurous mixologist. (I gotta hook her up with Steve. They’d make beautiful cocktails together.)

One of my beefs against Katsuya’s exotic specialty cocktail menu was that they don’t have anything chocolate or all that sweet listed there. Interesting-sounding drinks with chilis and cucumbers, yes, but chocolate? No. Am I too old-fashioned?

Kylee fixed my chocolate fix with her experimental Chocolat d’Orange cocktail (she didn’t really have a name for it but kept describing it as chocolate-covered orange peels; Dre was the one who christened the drink with the French twist).

With a cocktail shaker full of Grey Goose orange vodka, chocolate sauce, Chambord, Cointreau, simple syrup, OJ and ice, Kylee shook and shook one-handed with a determined look on her face. Then poured the dark brown concoction into a clove-sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnished it with an orange peel butterfly. Ooh la la!

The result? It did taste like a chocolate-covered orange peel and it was rich without being sickeningly so. The clove mixed in with the fine sugar on the rim spiced up the drink, giving this chocolate martini something special. Actually, if anything, I was reminded of Mexican sipping chocolate — spicy, rich, and semisweet — except it was hard to merely sip. Yum!

Although this lovely cocktail ($11) isn’t on the menu, Kylee will fix it up for you if you ask nicely (she’s only there on Friday and Saturday nights). It’s definitely going to be my drink at Katsuya. And if you’re feeling more adventurous, ask Kylee for her apple wasabi margarita. Ay yah!

11777 San Vicente Boulevard
Brentwood, California 90025
(310) 207-8744