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Tag Archive: tasting

April 8, 2010

This Weekend: Sake Sommelier Seminar, Warehouse Sale, Vintage Yard Sale

Looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous weekend, all sunny and stuff. I have to go out of town for family business but enjoy!

Friday, April 9

Junior Drake Warehouse Sale
Score Junior Drake leather handbags, wallets, totes, shoulder bags and more at very steep discounts of 65-90% off. We’re talking what once was $500 is now $80. And signature logo canvas and leather bags are two for $50. For sustenance there will be free hot dog refreshments and a live DJ will keep you grooving while you browse. Those who spend $150 and up get to spin some wheel for prizes. Cash and credit cards only.

Friday-Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10am-5pm. 740 East 60th Street, Los Angeles (map). (800) 813-1803.

Saturday, April 10

Master Sake Sommelier Leads Seminars at 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival
Celebrate the cherry blossom festival the best way, with hour-long sake sessions lead by Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto of Kabuki Japanese Restaurant. This weekend Yuji-san will host educational sake-tasting seminars teaching you not only how to decode a sake menu but how to pair sake and food. Cost is $30 and includes three types of sake with food. It’s only 20 attendees per session and you can sign up at the event booth in front of the Japanese American National Museum.

Saturday 12pm and 3pm, Sunday 1:30pm. Entrance at: 1st and Central (in front of the Japanese American National Museum), 100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles (map). Sake Garden: LA City Parking Lot #7 (in front of Geffen Contemporary MOCA).

Massive Stylesmith Vintage Sale
More shopping! Online Etsy store for Stylesmith is closing its virtual doors but you can shop its huuuge yard sale of hundreds of vintage garments, shoes and accessories starting at $5; jewelry starts at $1! Cash and cards only. RSVP: vintage@stylesmithonline.com.

11am-4pm. 137 S. Jackson Street, Glendale (map).

Devil’s Drive-In: A Clockwork Orange
My fave Stanley Kubrick movie, next to The Shining. Gather your droogs for a little bit of the old ultra-violence. And don’t forget to bring your own bottle of booze. Show up via bike, on foot or car. There’s an FM transmitter for your car or comfy astroturf for your bootie. Angel Derby Girls are your car hops bringing you food and popcorn.

6:30pm. $10. 240 W. 4th Street, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles (map).

Categories: Beauty & Fashion, Los Angeles, Movies, Shopping & Sales

Silverlake Wine’s Scotch Tasting at Three Clubs

Great Scotch!

I was so bummed that I had to miss Silverlake Wine‘s rum tasting last week since I was at the tail end of my booze fast so imagine my glee when I heard that everyone’s favorite wine store is doing a Scotch tasting just next week! THAT I can do!

Signatory Scotch brand ambassador Ed Kohl will lead tasters through eight different Scotches at the event, which will be held at Three Clubs in Hollywood, same location as last week’s tasting.

The whiskey list:

Ben Nevis 1992 17-year Cask Strength
Auchentoshan 1999 10-year un-chillfiltered
Linkwood 1995 14-year un-chillfiltered
Glen Grant 1997 12-year 86 proof
Isle of Skye 8-year Blend
Edradour Caledonia 12-year un-chillfiltered
Smokehead Islay Single Malt
Laphroaig 2001 8-year un-chillfiltered

Awesome thing is that it’s only $40 (cash at the door) to partake. For eight whiskeys! And if you would like to purchase your favorites from the event, you get 15% discount off their regular price. Purchases are available for pick-up at the store.

Two things, though: 1) You must make reservations by calling (323) 662-9024, NOT Three Clubs and 2) the event starts at 7pm sharp so be on time.

EVENT: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 at 7pm

Three Clubs
1123 Vine Street
Los Angeles, California 90038 (map)
Reservations: (323) 662-9024

Categories: Los Angeles, Nightlife

4 Comments

March 22, 2010

Silverlake Wine’s First Ever Rum Tasting This Wednesday

Swirling the rum.

Let’s just get this out there. I love Silverlake Wine. Really awesome selection of wine, helpful and non-snobby staff and fun, low-key wine tastings. So I was super excited to hear that they’re going to be doing their first ever RUM tasting this Wednesday the 24th …and then subsequently bummed when I realized the event falls three days short of my end-of-booze fast. Bah! But that shouldn’t stop you from going right?

For those who don’t know, Silverlake Wine does also sell a nice selection of spirits, not just wine. You really can come here for a last-minute stop before a party and score some quality booze that will impress your hosts.

The six rum picks (and two rum cocktails) at the Wednesday night tasting will be some primo stuff.

From Feast NBC Los Angeles:

The six rums…consist of El Dorado White Rum, Guyana; Matuzalem Solera 10 Blender, Dominican Republic, Barbancourt Rhum Aged 8 years, Haiti; Smith & Cross Navy Strength Traditional Jamaican Rum,�London; Rhum J.M V.S.O.P Martinique, French West Indies; and Batavia-Arrack van Oosten Island of Java, Indonesia Austria.

Guests will also be regaled with rum history and a breakdown of how it’s made. Plus, if you like what you taste and want to buy it, you’ll get a 15% discount off the regular shelf price when you order the rum at the event. (The bottles will be available for pickup at the store.)

To accommodate a bigger crowd of drink enthusiasts, the rum tasting will be held at low-key hipster bar, Three Clubs. Cost is $35 cash at the door but you still have to make reservations by calling the wine store (NOT Three Clubs), (323) 662-9024.

EVENT: WEDNESDAY, March 24 at 7pm

Three Clubs
1123 Vine Street
Los Angeles, California 90038 (map)
Reservations: (323) 662-9024

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles, Nightlife

Macallan Party at W Los Angeles: Gourmet Ice, $15K Scotch & Live Tweeting

I have sipped the ambrosia of the gods, the elixir of luuuve that is known as the $15,000 57-year-old Macallan poured out of a Lalique crystal decanter. And now I can die. I was lucky enough to wet my lips on this sweet, albeit expensive, golden nectar thanks to Michel Dozois of Neve Ice. His shiny, blue business card was one of three lucky enough to be pulled out of a bowl for a drawing to win a taste of the ultra-primo scotch. When he handed the snifter to me, I inhaled its scent deeply. “It smells leathery,” I noted. “No, no, give it back,” Michel said, trying to snatch the glass away before I could get a taste. Then he smelled it himself, “Yeah, OK, it’s leathery. You can taste it now.” He handed it back to me.

I had expected my world to be blown, for a choir of angels to sing. Instead…it was m’ok. “It tastes weird,” I said looking up at Michel who seemed heart-broken that the sip he so generously gave me was wasted. I was disappointed, too. But then realized that I may have messed up my palate by having enjoyed a Macallan 10 with Fever Tree ginger beer just moments before. Such a dummy. Oh well. At least I had the experience.

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles

8 Comments

January 25, 2010

Trip ‘Round the World for $35: Copa d’Oro’s Whiskey Flight

Around the World Whiskey Flight

The other night as my bf and I were enjoying his birthday dinner at JiRaffe in Santa Monica, he mentioned how he really wanted a bottle of really good whiskey to keep at his own place. You know, since I insisted that the bottle of Macallan 12 that I gave him for Christmas stay at my place so that we could enjoy it together, heh. Anyway, after dinner I insisted that he allow me to buy him a cocktail at my fave bar Copa d’Oro since he’s usually the designated driver and won’t even touch the stuff then. This time I’d be the DD so he wouldn’t have to worry.

But when we got to Copa and I perused the menu for a suggestion to give him, I was reminded that they offer flights here! Three to be exact: Around the World of Whisk(e)y, Highland and Lowland Reposado Tequila and Single Barrel American Whiskey.

Seeing as how he likes to travel, I sprung for the trip around the world for a Travelzoo-beating $35.

Around The World of Whisk(e)y Menu

Japan: Suntory Single Malt Yamazaki
Scotland: Glenrothes �87
Ireland: Tullamore Dew
Canada: Hirsch Canadian Rye
USA: Eagle Rare 17yr

Unfortunately the bar was currently out of the Suntory so I left it in bartender Joe Brooke’s capable hands to find a suitable replacement. He chose the Elijah Craig 18 and I guess they were out of the Eagle Rare 17, too, as we got an Elijah Craig 12. But Joe said that was so we could compare how vastly different the years are. And instead of the Glenrothes, we got the cask-strength Glenfarclas.

So yeah, a bit disappointing that the tour kept us primarily in North America but my bf didn’t seem to mind all that much as each glass contained primo stuff.

Joe was good enough to go over each whiskey, describing its history and tasting notes, a process he says some people actually like to skip just so they could get straight to the drinking. Dumb, I say. It helps you appreciate what you’re drinking more when you learn a little bit about it. Of course we forgot all that Joe told us about each one, but we still appreciated the schooling.

Out of the whiskeys bf had, each was soo tasty that he was hard-pressed to rank them for me. However after much deliberation (and badgering on my part) he came to the following conclusion. I included his impressions of each. As you can see, he is a man of few words:

Glenfarclas: “Stands out as the most complex.” Subtle smokiness but not peaty.
Tullamore Dew: “User-friendly.” Light and watery compared to the others.
Elijah 18: “Damn good.”
Hirsch: “Peppery on the finish.”
Elijah 12: “Not bad but just preferred the others more.” Rough around the edges compared to the others.

Suffice it to say, the whiskey flight at Copa d’Oro is a fun way to sample some top-shelf stuff in one affordable sitting. Treat yourself or your fave whiskey lover or even a newbie whiskey drinker you want to get started on the right foot.

Copa d�Oro
217 Broadway
Santa Monica, California 90401 (map)
(310) 576-3030

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles

3 Comments