I’ve got a hint of a hangover this morning as a reminder of my fabulous birthday party last night but I’m not complaining. It was s’wonderful! From start to finish I couldn’t have asked for a better night.

Aidan, the general manager of Seven Grand, set us up in the huge corner booth next to the bar. He had originally wanted to put us up in the private Jackalope room but I wanted my party to be out and about and able to enjoy the bar and mingle with the other patrons, so where we were was perfect.

In the beginning of the night, much to my delight, Damian, my fave, was our bartender, working our end of the bar. And of course the Smash was the first drink I asked for, which was extra yummy tonight. Not too much whiskey tang with just enough sweet to make it go down really easy.

But then Damian let me know of other new cocktails brewing on the horizon which aren’t currently on the specialty cocktail list: the Irish Antidote (Jameson, honey, and lemon and maybe something else) and the Peach Julep. These babies, and many many more, make their official debut on the cocktail list on July 1. I’ve tried both of them and Irish Antidote is now my new favorite Seven Grand cocktail. The Peach Julep is too innocent for me but perfect for those who want a tasty little meow of a bourbon cocktail.

BTW, I didn’t know this before but since they serve the juleps in these nifty silver glasses they have to make sure they get them back. So they’ll charge you $15 if you don’t return the glass when you’re done with it. The lovely ladies from LAist, Elina and Lisa, said that the bartender who served them the drink was very serious when he told them this. Apparently not a laughing matter.

Later Damian had to move down to the other end of the bar but my abandonment issues were assuaged by the awesome service of the other bartenders so no worries. Everyone enjoyed their cocktails and kept trying to buy me birthday drinks. But since this is my birthday of getting drunk with dignity I kept my alcohol intake to a minimum. I wanna remember this night and don’t want to fall down those stairs which Aidan swears no one has done yet.

Friends who were hungry asked me if the bar served food and I didn’t think it did but turns out it just bought Casey’s Irish Bar & Grille down the street. So the good news is that you can order food for delivery. The bad news for us was that the restaurant was closed early tonight for a private party and the other restaurants the bar had take-out menus for were closed.

Fortunately, my friend Beth had picked up some very tasty tres leches birthday cakes from Ara’s Pastry in Hollywood. This bakery, according to Beth, also makes wonderful pistachio cakes as well as tiramisu cakes so I’m definitely going to have to check it out myself cuz my birthday cake was delightful. It was light and not too sweet. Even the people who initially turned down a slice, after some persuasion, found themselves enjoying not just one piece but two.

In the beginning of the night, my group of friends pretty much had free reign of the bar — playing pool, commandeering the jukebox, spreading themselves out. But later things got so busy and they quickly blended into the crowds, making new friends. At around midnight it got crazy busy but my crew still felt taken care of by the bartenders.

Some of us took a break from the hectic scene by enjoying cigars on the smoking patio. I really can’t stand cigar and cigarette smoke but fortunately the overhead fans kept the air circulating so it wasn’t too bad. I sucked on a big fat stogie whilst chatting with Aidan about the possibility of my moving into the abandoned building across the alley from the bar. How awesome would that be?

In any case, I want to thank Seven Grand for making it a stress-free and swank birthday. Everyone was so awesome and accommodating and my peeps had a great time and thanked me for letting them know about this wonderful bar, which has just solidified itself as one of my ultimate faves.

Seven Grand
515 West Seventh Street
Los Angeles, California 90014
(213) 614-0736