Category Archives: Other

August 20, 2010

Launch of Bigfoot Lodge West’s New 80-Whiskey List

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Los Angeles, Nightlife, Recipes
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Bigfoot Lodge West never tasted so good by Caroline on Crack

Bigfoot Lodge West never tasted so good.

This Saturday, Bigfoot Lodge West in Culver City/Palms is launching a brand-new cocktail menu and whiskey list. “But didn’t they just open? What’s with a new list already?” you may ask, and yes they opened just over a year ago. But this new whiskey list boasts to have “the biggest small batch bourbon selection and arguably the best whiskey selection on the Westside.” That’s big talk, right?

Turns out that the former spirits director of bourbon bar Thirsty Crow (1933 Group’s bar in Silver Lake) and “Bourbon Baron,” Brandon Ristaino, relocated to the West for the Lodge’s liquid makeover. He handpicked 80 whiskies, so now instead of just a couple of ryes to choose from for a Manhattan, there are 10 – Papy Van Winkle 13-Year, Rittenhouse 25-Year and Sazerac to name a few. Yesh! To show how serious they are about the brown spirit, they even brought over the ice ball-pressing machine like the one they’ve been using at Thirsty Crow to cool your whiskey without watering it down too much.

And now their Whiskey Lovers Night every Monday will be even more of a draw for whiskey lovers as well as whisky lovers. That’s $4 Buffalo Trace Bourbon, $5 rye specials and a rotating whisk(e)y flight list.

Thankfully, the Bourbon Baron also redid the cocktail menu. Sure, the Toasted Marshmallow cocktail is still there if you want it but now to match this more grown-up Bigfoot Lodge, there are about 19 cocktails ($10-$12), including five “for whiskey lovers” and some champagne cocktails. The Thirsty Crow’s house cocktail even makes an appearance. For a recipe of one of their signature cocktails, hit the jump.

I’m just happy that they have classics, too, like The Aviation, Side Car, Old Fashioned and Sazerac!

So when does this new-fangled menu launch? This Saturday at 9pm. Since this is going to be a big move day for me and my new place is within stumbling distance, you bet your sweet fanny that I’m going to be there. Hope to see you!

EVENT: SATURDAY, AUGUST 21 at 9pm

Bigfoot West
10939 Venice Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90034 (map)
(310) 287-2200
Twitter: @bigfootwest

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August 9, 2010

My 5th Blogiversary Party at First & Hope + Cocktail Punch Recipe

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Los Angeles, Nightlife, Recipes
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Beth, Lara, me, Aidan and Marcos on Caroline on Crack

Beth, Lara, me, Aidan and Marcos at First & Hope for my 5th blogiversary.

If you were a reader of my blog two years ago, no doubt you attended my 3rd blogiversary party at Bar Lubitsch. That was a big ‘un with liquor sponsors and a raffle-like giveaway. Since this year was my 5th, my friends and crackheads were asking if I had planned to do anything that big or bigger. But since I’m focusing my resources and time on blogger prom (which is September 22), no such luck for a huge shindig of my own. Perhaps next year, though.

Fortunately, First & Hope and my ol’ friend Aidan Demarest were kind enough to offer up the supper club’s swank and intimate Fedora Lounge as the venue for my 5th blogiversary party. Very nice considering it was pretty last minute; on Friday, I put on my Facebook that I wondered if I should celebrate my blog’s anniversary and later that afternoon Aidan offered up First & Hope. He promised punch, Edison beer and appetizers. OK!

But when I arrived at the downtown supper club that Tuesday night, I saw that the folks there went above and beyond. We had our own bartender, the whole room to ourselves, wonderful apps, a delicious punch created by bartender Brent Falco (for the recipe, hit the jump) and even a “5 Years! Caroline on Crack” slide on the big screen over the stage.

And, sure, I didn’t have nearly the same huge turnout that I did for my 3rd but all my blogger pals showed up to give me a high-five and to partake of the tasty beverages of course. So great hanging out with HC of LA/OC Foodventures; Andy, Elise, Julie and Lindsay of LAist; Matt of Mattatouille; John of Social Domain; Daniel of Thirsty in LA; Nancy of The Wanderkind; Julian of Jewelz; Christine of Folie a Choisauce; Fiona of Gourmet Pigs; and Connie of Hey, Hey Scenesters.

Marcos Tello and Aidan (the mixologist duo behind First & Hope’s bar program) joked that they did a collection to finally get me a crack rock and then proceeded to give a very sweet speech that brought a tear to my eye. Can’t believe I’ve known those guys since that downtown whiskey bar that shall be unnamed first opened! For sweets, old friends Beth of Busy Beth’s Blog and her sister Lara brought me a tasty strawberry cake from Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown.

We all ate, drank, laughed and drank some more. I couldn’t ask for a better celebration. Thanks, First & Hope and all my friends. And if you weren’t there due to whatever illness, you were missed!

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July 11, 2010

Pinky Vodka Cocktail Contest: 28 Cocktails, 4 Judges, 1 Sexy Winner

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Los Angeles, Recipes
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Judges before the contest by Caroline on Crack

Judges before the contest.

I’ve had many, many cocktails in my life but never 28 cocktails in one sitting. But when I was invited to judge the Pinky Vodka Cocktail Competition at Nic’s Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills, that’s just what I had to do. Well someone had to pick the “next great mixologist to create a fresh cocktail for Pinky,” a rose-hued vodka made from glacial water and slightly sweet winter wheat that’s distilled five times and then hand blended with violets, rose petals, and 10 (!) other botanicals. The winner of the contest who could successfully create a new fab cocktail with this unusual floral, berry vodka would win an educational prize of $1,000 and a feature on PinkyVodka.com.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to judge these cocktails alone. I had the companionship of three other judges, and good ones: Natalie Bovis of The Liquid Muse, Magnus Waern (champion wine taster and co-creator of Pinky) and Dewey McBride (Southern Wine and Spirits). Plus we were armed with spit buckets, my personal savior here, so really didn’t have to consume one drop…if I didn’t want to.

Judges after the contest by Caroline on Crack

Judges after the contest.

The recipes for the 28 drinks, which had been whittled down from 50, came from all over the United States, but mostly California. And we had to consider each for presentation, balance (can you taste the Pinky?), ease of serving (can someone make it at home and/or at hot spot bar?) and use of innovative ingredients.

There were many recipes that seemed too similar in nature and a whole bunch that were just too sweet while others used unusual ingredients which ranged from green onions to rosebuds to orchids dripping with syrup.

After about four or five hours of going through all the drinks and deliberating, we finally narrowed down the cocktails to five finalists. Here they are, from 5th to 1st place, including their recipes so you can try ‘em at home. Look for the winner after the jump.

My Pink Foot by Pinky Vodka

My Pink Foot (Pinky Vodka)

5th place — My Pink Foot
By Joshua Pearson, Sepia, Chicago, IL

  • 2 oz Pinky
  • ½ oz Luxardo Maraschino
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • Dash Fees Peach Bitters
  • Drop rosewater

Add all ingredients to iced shaker. Shake and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with candied rose petals.

(To candy rose petals, paint edible rose petals with meringue powder, and coat with granulated sugar. Let set for 24 hours.)

Anonymous Pinky by Pinky Vodka

Anonymous Pinky (Pinky Vodka)

4th place — Anonymous Pinky
By Matt Wallace, 7 Grand, Los Angeles, CA

2 oz Pinky
¼ Red Bell Pepper, muddled
¾ oz simple syrup
¾ oz lime juice
3 dashes Rhubarb Bitters

Shake, strain over ice in a bucket. Garnish with salt-crusted bell pepper slice.



Pinky Verde by Pinky Vodka

Pinky Verde (Pinky Vodka)

3rd place — Pinky Verde
By Josh Valorosi, Luna Park, San Francisco, CA (last year’s winner)

Although this was crazy spicy and it was a favorite of most of the judges, we didn’t see this as a cocktail for everyone, a trait that the winning cocktail should possess. Plus, who has raw nopal cactus at the ready?

  • 2 oz Pinky
  • 1” x 1” piece of raw nopal cactus
  • 2 x ¼” slices of jalapeño
  • 3 key lime halves
  • ½ oz St Germain
  • Splash of simple syrup
  • Salt/sugar/chili powder/cayenne rim

Muddle cactus and jalapeño with simple syrup. Add ice. Add Pinky, St Germain and key lime juice. Shake vigorously. Serve up in a martini glass with rim mixture. Garnish with triangle of nopal cactus.

Rim: 2 tablespoons of salt/sugar; I pinch each of dark chili powder and cayenne powder.


Peppered Pinky by Pinky Vodka

Peppered Pinky (Pinky Vodka)

2nd place — Peppered Pinky
By Moe Talani, Mexico Restaurante, West Hollywood, CA

I really enjoyed the refreshing quality of this cocktail. So drinkable.

2 oz Pinky
1 small Mexican Lime (diced)
2 oz limeade
Pinch of Pink Peppercorns
Top with Ginger Beer

Pour all ingredients into a highball glass over ice, shake once and top with ginger beer.


And the winner is…

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June 30, 2010

DeKuyper Be Gone: A New Cocktail Program at Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Featured, Recipes
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Nick & Stef's Fizzy Stef's Cocktail by Caroline on Crack

Nick & Stef's Fizzy Stef's Cocktail.

I’ve got two bits of good news for you cocktail fans: 1) The very adorable Joseph Brooke, the director of beverages for the Edison, has joined molto bello Vincenzo Marianella of Copa d’Oro in his cocktail consultation business, MyMixology, making them possibly the sexiest cocktailing duo in L.A. And 2) Joe and Vincenzo have revamped the cocktail program at downtown’s Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse!

Joseph and Vincenzo.

Joseph and Vincenzo.

That’s right. This wine-intensive Patina Group restaurant didn’t really give too much thought to its cocktail list before, equipping it with date-friendly girly drinks like the Banana Popsicle (egad!) and other Dekuyper-heavy cocktails to keep the arm candy of businessmen happy. So Vincenzo created a much-needed cocktail list of classic drinks and fresh ingredients and Joseph has helped put it in place at the downtown bar/restaurant as well as corrected some of Vincenzo’s English on the list.

The two didn’t simply give the bartenders there a list of color-by-number recipes and leave them to their own devices. “We’re teaching them the format, the method of creating their own cocktails,” Joe said. “We’re sort of screwing ourselves out of more business but ultimately we want the bartenders to start taking ownership of the program so they start maybe making their own cocktails and it’s good enough so maybe in the next menu they’ll put in one of their own. And that’s our goal with this place.”

The duo also did an extreme makeover of the bar’s shelves getting rid of the sticky, dusty bottles of Dekuyper, upgrading the well booze and introducing quality mixers like Aperol and Brizard. “That whole third row up there was all Dekuyper and probably has never been touched for god knows how long,” Joe lets on. “So we were more focused on changing up the liqueur because that provides much more flexibility when making a cocktail.”

The brand-new cocktail menu, which is comprised of about 14 drinks ranging in price from $11 classic cocktails to the $16 Smoke of Scotland (a Vincenzo signature cocktail),  has already been in effect for about three weeks and has attracted more clientele and intrepid drinkers as well as offered the regular customers ways to develop their palates. Numbers are up and the outdoor patio has been a-buzzing with 9-to-5ers eager to soak up the summer sun while enjoying some tasty, refreshing drinks.

Joseph taking over the bar by Caroline on Crack.

Joseph taking over the bar.

For now the menu is only for the bar area but eventually the guys hope that the servers will get involved in the new program where they can recommend cocktails for dinner. “It would be tricky because obviously you would make more money selling wine but it’s just so much more an in-depth experience to start off with cocktails,” Joe said.

MyMixology is also hoping to eventually offer a different take on the Bartender’s Choice at Nick & Stef’s where patrons can choose between the Nick’s Choice, an aromatic cocktail, and Stef’s Choice, a sour.

Unfortunately the bar/restaurant doesn’t have late hours, not really conducive to bar hopping, and is subject to the downtown flow of things but if you swing by before 8pm you’ll make it before the place turns into a ghost town.

But just in time for the warmer days of summer, the restaurant will be doing BBQ on the patio every Thursday night starting tomorrow July 1. They’ll be serving up burgers and bites right off the grill from 4:30 to 9pm. Work that in with the weekday happy hour from 3pm to close where you can get MyMixology’s delicious classic cocktails like the Kentucky Buck with Old Crow Bourbon, ginger and lemon juice and Tommy’s Margarita for $5 and you’ve got yourself a fun weekday party.

To see the recipe for one of the more popular new MyMixology cocktails at the steakhouse, head for the jump…

Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse
330 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, California 90071 (map)
(213) 680-0330

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June 17, 2010

The New Parlour Room of Hollywood’s Cocktail Menu and Recipes

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Nightlife, Recipes
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Bar at Parlour Room of Hollywood by Vintage Bar Group

Bar at Parlour Room of Hollywood by Vintage Bar Group

A brand-new bar opens in a really old space in Hollywood tonight. Some of you may remember Red Buddha Lounge (one of my first CoC blog posts ever!), Play or even Goldfinger. Well, now Craig Trager — the man behind The Well and NoBar, both long-standing establishments — has transformed it into the Parlour Room of Hollywood.

True, its name may not be all that compelling but maybe the thought of enjoying classic style cocktails ($5 house martini to $10 specialty cocktails) in a swanky room with antique chandeliers, gold mirrors, puffy green seats, marble-topped tables and lots o’ booths will entice you. The bar will serve up old faves like Blood and Sand, Southside and Pimm’s Cup in addition to a few of their own concoctions. I’ve included the recipes here in case you want to try them at home before you commit.

The Paddy Cocktail, $10

  • 2 ounces Powers
  • 1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
  • ½ ounce Grand Marnier
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir and strain into martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

The Maple Julep, $10

  • 3 ounces Woodford Reserve
  • 6-8 mint leaves
  • ¾ ounce maple syrup

Muddle maple syrup and mint leaves in a bucket glass.  Add ice and bourbon.  Shake and serve on the rocks with a sprig of mint for garnish.

The Metropolitan, $10

  • 3 ounces Absolut
  • 3 sugar cubes
  • Lemon wedge
  • 4 raspberries
  • Splash of lemonade

Muddle raspberries with sugar cubes, lemon wedge and splash of lemonade.  Add ice and vodka.  Shake and strain into martini glass and garnish with a raspberry on the rim.

Cucumber Cooler, $10

  • 2 ounces Bombay Sapphire
  • 3 sugar cubes
  • 3 slices cucumber
  • Lemon and lime wedge
  • Splash of soda

Muddle cucumber slices, sugar cubes, and squeeze of lime and lemon wedge in a bucket glass.  Add ice and gin.  Shake and serve on the rocks with a splash of soda and a slice of cucumber garnish on the rim.

The Parlour Trick $10

  • 2 ounces Ciroc Coconut Vodka
  • Lime juice
  • 2 sugar cubes

Muddled ingredients with fresh kiwi, shaken and served in a martini glass garnished with a kiwi.

Don’t feel put off by the Parlour Room’s lux-looking interior, though; this place is for the neighborhoodies, a cool place to chill and get your drink on. Any place that’s serving Schlitz and Old Speckled Hen in cans and has a jukebox can’t be too uppity. Trager said his goal is ”to make everyone who walks into my establishments feel like a celebrity the minute they walk through the door, and to provide those customers a place where the staff not only knows its customers by name but their drink as well.” Nice! I’ll drink to that. I might give that Maple Julep a go.

The Parlour Room of Hollywood
6423 Yucca Street
Los Angeles, California 90028 (map)
(323) 463-0609

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June 9, 2010

Eat My Blog Summer 2010 Charity Bake Sale Plus 3 Recipes

Written by Caroline on Crack in Dining, Los Angeles, Recipes, Sweets
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Cathy Dahn of Eat My Blog by Caroline on Crack

Cathy Danh of Eat My Blog.

Last year’s blogger charity bake sale, Eat My Blog, was such a huge success that it just makes sense to make it a biannual thing. Not only is it for a good cause, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, but I can only go so long without such yummy fare. This summer’s bake sale will feature over 2,000 baked goods, priced between $1 to $4, from over 70 bakers which include some of your favorite bloggers like Lindsay from LAist, Jo of My Last Bite, and Evelina of Two Hungry Pandas as well as KCRW’s Good Food host Evan Kleiman, Drago Centro and Scoops Ice Cream. This must-do event will take place next Saturday, June 19 on Tender Greens West Hollywood‘s outdoor patio.

There are SO many goodies to look forward to but I have to say that of the many making their brief appearance on the table (as I’m sure all will quickly sell out) my instant faves are Eating LA‘s chocolate Guinness cupcakes with maple syrup frosting, Domestic Divas‘ bacon brownies with bourbon caramel sauce and the Ube cupcakes of Let Me Eat Cake blogger/Manila Machine food truck mastermind Nastassia Johnson. Fortunately, the blogger bakers were good enough to share their recipes so if they sell out at the event I can at least go home and try to make ‘em myself. Hee! Hit the jump for the recipes.

Hope you can make it! I’ll be volunteering at the sale so come by and say hi. I’ll be the girl stuffing her face.

EVENT: SATURDAY, JUNE 19 from 10am to 4PM

Tender Greens West Hollywood
8759 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90069 (map)
(310) 358-1919

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May 17, 2010

Domaine de Canton Cocktail Competition at First & Hope

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Los Angeles, Recipes
6 Comments
Domaine de Canton's Silamith Weir with The Edison's Joseph Brooke by Caroline on Crack

Domaine de Canton's Silamith Weir with The Edison's Joseph Brooke

Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited to be one of the judges at the Domaine de Canton cocktail competition held at downtown’s First & Hope Supper Club. I know. Squeeee! Along with renowned mixologist Alex Day (formerly of Death & Co., now cocktail consultant with Proprietors, LLC), Dan “The Imbiber” Dunn and Domaine de Canton founder, John Cooper, I was charged with picking one winning Domaine de Canton cocktail out of the nine created by some of the best mixologists in L.A. Boy, what a tough gig. Heh.

Each cocktail was judged based on its appearance, aroma, creativity and taste. We also had to award points for whether the cocktail showcased the contest theme and the Canton flavor, as well as our overall impression of the drink.

The Contestants

Malo‘s Rachel Shaw brought forth a honeyed El Wood of Barenjager honey liqueur and Yellow Chartreuse. Gus, formerly of Copa d’Oro and now at the Edison, went with Ginger Pastis Sour while Palihouse‘s Grady Purdell had a Maison Sour of cognac. Patrick Kelly at Bar Keeper created an unusual drink he dubbed Rhythm or Rhyme which employed a chocolate chili bitters, tequila reposado and a unique garnish of grapefruit rind string wrapped around a bundle of sage. Juan Sevilla of Soho House made the French Oaxacan with crema and cru and Daniel Eun of The Varnish ended the night with a Triple Double using Laird’s Apple Jack and Antica.

The Runners-Up

Out of all the lovely drinks, the judges and I were able to narrow it down to the top three. The second and third runners-up cocktails were impressive showings but only missed the top slot by mere points. Still both were very deelish. I’ve included the recipes should you want to try them at home.

Tricia Alley of Providence and First & Hope created her Granny Smith & Wesson, a cocktail with Old Overholt Rye as its backbone and fennel seed and muddled Granny Smith apples. This one was a beautiful peachy color with a single baby basil leaf floating on its surface. The flavor combination of basil and apples was just gorgeous, and the rye and ginger with that was a natural fit.

Granny Smith and Wesson
By Tricia Alley of First & Hope

  • 1.5 oz Domaine de Canton
  • 1.5 oz Old Overholt Rye Whisky
  • .75 oz fresh squeezed lime
  • 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
  • 1/2 Granny Smith apple
  • Barspoon fennel seed

Muddle Granny Smith Apple, Fennel Seed and Peychaud’s Bitters in mixing glass. Add the rest of the ingredients, shake, fine strain into cocktail glass. Float Basil leaf garnish on liquid.

Joseph Brooke of The Edison created a tasty and refreshing Appleseed Cooler. He wanted to focus on the Canton so used that as his main spirit. The cocktail was so simple and yet made a strong impression, successfully highlighting the ginger flavor. The drink was sweet but not overly so. I liked how, even though his apple garnish went missing, he was able to improvise by butterflying a grapefruit which ended up looking like jewelry.

The Appleseed Cooler
By Joseph Brooke of The Edison

  • 2 oz Domaine de Canton
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 oz fresh-pressed Granny Smith apple juice
  • 2 dashes celery bitters

Shake all and pour over rocks. Apple fan garnish.

But there could only be one winner of the title for best Domaine de Canton cocktail whose mixologist would also score $500. And that winner was…

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