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Tag Archive: tequila

December 15, 2011

Spare Room Hollywood’s $75 Tequila Cocktail Debuts Tonight

Coctel Unico by Spare Room Hollywood

Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt is launching a $75 cocktail, Coctel Unico, tonight. Yup, a muy caro tequila drink.

This baby is made with Milagro Unico, a new “micro-distilled tequila with Milagro’s rarest and barrel-aged reserves” (from the press release) that isn’t available in stores or for distribution anywhere yet and once it is, the bottles, of which there are only 1,000, are projected to retail for $300 each. But Spare Room was lucky enough to score two bottles.

The bowling alley/cocktail lounge’s Director of Beverages Naomi Schimek said that in creating this special drink, she wanted to make sure the delicate spirit was showcased so she didn’t add too many mixers. And when she did it was only eyedropper-size amounts. “Unico is earthy agave with grapefruit and black pepper, opening up top vanilla and caramel notes. Very delicate on the palate,” says Naomi. You can still appreciate the rare tequila in this cocktail but enhanced with dry vermouth, Pernod and Aperol essences to bring out its flavor notes.

Or if you’d rather taste the spirit unenhanced, you can order it neat for the same price.

Would be the perfect gift for your favorite cocktail geek (ahem), or yourself!

Spare Room at Hollywood Roosevelt
7000 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90028 (map)
(323) 769-7296
Facebook: Spare Room
Twitter: @SpareRoomHwood

Categories: Cocktails, Featured, Gift Ideas, Los Angeles

3 Comments

April 6, 2011

This Weekend: Traveling Beer Garden, Free Tequila, Caviar 101

Getting an early start on the weekend since I’m outtie, which is a shame since there are tons of fun (and tasty) stuff going on.

Thursday, April 7

Caviar 101 at Petrossian
The best way to enjoy caviar? Learning about it while pairing it with champagne or vodka. Yum! At this Monthly caviar class, you get to sample three types of caviar with bubbly or the hard stuff and partake of additional small plates from the new chef, Giselle Wellman.

7:30-8:30pm. $35. Petrossian Boutique & Restaurant, 321 N. Robertson Boulevard, West Hollywood (map). Reservations: (310) 271-0576.

Free Cocktail Classes at The Association
I know! Awesome right? Not only do you get to learn how to make cocktails from The Association bartenders but you get to taste your classroom work and it’s free! Spaces are limited and advance registration is required. If this class is all filled up, not to worry as you can always sign up for next� Thursday’s.

9pm. The Association, 110 E 6th Street, Downtown (map).

Friday, April 8

Lucky Shops LA
Shop the favorite stores of shopping magazine Lucky at this shop-a-thon which boasts giveaways, free cocktails (4-6pm), music in addition to deals up to 70% off off designer brands like Barney’s CO-Op, Cosabella, Rebecca Minkoff, Shareen Vintage and Decadestwo.1. First Dibs Friday ($25 online, $30 door) is from 12pm-6pm. �Saturday is $15 online, $20 door. And online orders include a 1-year subscription to Lucky Magazine.

Friday 12-6pm and Saturday 12-5pm. $15-$25. Siren Studios, 6063 W Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Saturday, April 9

ColLAboration Kick-Off and Tony’s Darts Away 1-Year Anniverary
A beer event not to be missed! A mobile beer garden comprised of all the best beer bars in the city. Tony’s Darts Away, Verdugo Bar, Surly Goat, Blue Palms and 38 Degrees will be at the kick-off event which also celebrates Tony’s 1-year anniversary. Local microbrews featured include Bruery, Stone Brewing Company, Craftsman and Eagle Rock. Admission is only $10 and you get a large drinking glass; each fill is $5-$6.

12-7pm. $10. 1900 W. Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank (map).

Sunday, April 10

Camarena Taco Truck Launch
Tequila bar, food from Rivera and DJs�for freeee! Yup, all sponsored by Camarena Tequila to launch its Taco Truck. But RSVP asap as spaces are filling up!

3-6pm. SmashBox Studios Stage 4, 1001 N. Poinsettia Place, Los Angeles (map).

Categories: Beauty & Fashion, Beer, Cocktails, Dining, Lists, Los Angeles, Nightlife, Shopping & Sales

Once More but With Tequila: Mas Malo’s Classic Cocktails

Anejo Fashioned

Mas Malo downtown — home of over 200 tequilas, a tequila vault and a basement cantina — has one more reason for cocktail fans to flock its way: a new list of drinks featuring classic cocktails, but all made with tequila in place of their respective traditional spirit. And sure, this isn’t a new thing as similar cocktails like these have popped up all over the city, but it is the first time I’ve heard of a whole dedicated menu like this.

“Downtown there’s quite a renaissance of Prohibition-era style cocktails and that’s where my knowledge is as well, apart from tequila. And I just thought it would be a great way to marry the two: do classic cocktails with a tequila twist,” said Mas Malo’s beverage director Fred Warner.

Why mess with a good thing by adding tequila? “It’s made it into something original,” said Fred. “I love Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs, but I never thought about making one with a different spirit. Sazeracs and Manhattans are traditionally made with rye whiskey but with tequila, especially an aged tequila like anejo it has a lot of the same qualities as a bourbon or a rye.

“Although, when making an Eastside which is traditionally made with gin, cucumber, mint, sugar and club soda, I’ll make it with a silver tequila. Same with the Old Cuban which is normally made with rum but I’m going to make it with silver or reposado.”

Fred ultimately plans to have a list of about 25 tequila-fied classic cocktails (priced $10-$14), but is still trying to figure out which ones he wants to put on the list. So, at the moment, a new classic cocktail is simply unveiled every three or four nights on the chalkboard behind the main bar as well as Tweeted.

“Right now I’m still experimenting with which cocktails I want to do. I know I want to do a variation on an Aviation, an Old Cuban, a Manhattan, Sazerac, Sour. We’ll do a couple of traditional tequila cocktails, too. Tequila Sunrise, Green Iguana with the Chartreuse and maraschino.”

Even though tequila is taking the place of each cocktail’s usual spirit, the amounts are the same. Fred uses 19th-century American bartender Jerry Thomas’ (the father of mixology) recipes for the new-old cocktails. “My Anejo Fashioned isn’t the bastardized 1950s Old Fashioned with an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry. The original one made at the turn of the century was made with just bourbon or rye, bitters, sugar and ice with a lemon twist.” Mas Malo’s Anejo Fashioned is made with 2 ounces of Anejo, 3/4 ounce of simple and Peychauds bitters.

The list debuts at the restaurant in a month, after Cinco de Mayo, and to give it a special speakeasy feel, it will only be made available to those who specifically ask for it from their server or bartender. “You’ll get it if you know about it,” said Fred.

Mas Malo
515 W. 7th Street
Los Angeles, California 90014 (map)
Twitter: @malorestaurant

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles

5 Comments

March 3, 2011

This Weekend: Open Bar, Zombie Cocktail Party, Sangrita Revolution

Lots of drinking to be done this weekend! More so than usual.

Thursday, March 3

Meat! An Art Show Opening Party Featuring Alie and Georgia and Cocktails
It’s all about meat at this unusual art show which features the meat-focused works of Carlos Ramos, Myke Chilian and �Richard Lee, to name but a few. But also my girls, Alie & Georgia, cocktail vloggers for Food2, will be mixing up their infamous McNuggetinis for the occasion. I heart them! The exhibit runs through March 17.

7-10pm. Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Tequila Ocho Sangrita Party with the Bon Vivants at Hemingway’s Lounge
Celebrate the Sangrita Revolution with Tequila Ocho and San Francisco’s Bon Vivants. The tequila maker’s 2009 Plata, Reposado and Anejo will be paired with traditional and nontraditional sangritas, much like the ones I had at Ammo a couple of years ago. Hemingway’s bartender Alex Straus will be mixing up special cocktails like the Del Rio — Ocho Plata, Fino sherry, elderflower liqueur, and orange bitters — for $6. All other Tequila Ocho drinks will be half priced!

8-10pm. Hemingway’s Lounge, 6356 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map).

Saturday, March 5

Open Bar at Fat Face Fenner’s Fish Shack in Hermosa Beach
An open bar for three hours! Yup, all you have to do is RSVP�and drive to Hermosa Beach. Don’t forget to bring a designated driver. Your DD can indulge in the New England Clam chowder while you get your drink on. Ocean view and outdoor patio. Hopefully the weather will make it a lovely experience.

7-10pm. Fat Face Fenner’s Fishack, 53 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach (map).

Sunday, March 6

Gold Standard 2011
It’s the third year for JGold’s food fest which features all of the Pulitzer Prize winning food writer’s favorite restaurants like Jitlada, Waterloo & City, Manila Machine and Guelaguetza. And you know there will be wine, beer and spirits to quench your Jitlada burn. Awesome bonus? A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit Heal the Bay.

1-5pm. $60. Petersen Auto Museum, 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Tuesday, March 8

Hungry Cat’s 6th Anniversary: Drink Deals
Hungry Cat in Hollywood wants you to get fat this Tuesday as it celebrates its 6th anniversary with half-priced draft beer and $6 specialty cocktails.

5:30pm to close. Hungry Cat, 1535 N. Vine Street, Hollywood (map). (323) 462-2155.

The Walking Dead Rise at Vertical Wine Bistro
ZOMG I LOVE this zombie-focused TV series! So you know I’m super excited that the Pasadena wine bistro is celebrating its DVD release with a zombie cocktail party which, for $35, gets you two Walking Dead-inspired cocktails, “fleshy” bites (steak tartar, grilled blood sausages, blood orange tapioca pudding) and a chance to win a Walking Dead Season 1 DVD! There will also be cocktails as well as wine and beer flights available for purchase. And some of the Walking Dead cast will be there. I’m tempted to dress like a zombie and show up.

7:30-9:30pm. $35. Vertical Wine Bistro, 70 N Raymond Avenue, Pasadena (map). Reservations: (626) 795-3999, (323) 850-3030.

Categories: Art, Cocktails, Dining, Lists, Los Angeles, Movies, Nightlife

1 Comment

January 12, 2011

Mas Malo Restaurant: Mas Mucho More Tequila Downtown

Mas Malo's Red Eye

The new offshoot of Silver Lake’s Malo Restaurant, Mas Malo, is mas in every way — space (9,700 square feet), menu, style and liquor. The new restaurant, which opened last Friday, shares the same downtown Los Angeles building as a certain whiskey bar and the same entrance. Booze fans rejoice, especially since Mas Malo boasts a tequila list with about 260 bottles and growing as well as a special tequila tasting vault and a speakeasy-esque basement cantina that can fit you and 80 of your closest friends.

Eggplant and potato taquitos

I had a chance to check out the new restaurant at a hosted preview dinner where we were fed a series of�Chef Robert Luna’s�menu items ranging from basic Malo staples like the salsa flight and beef and pickles tacos to the Lobster Diablo saut�ed with garlic, red chiles, lime and white wine. S’OK stuff. If you’re a fan of Malo, you’ll find something you like.

But the big thing for me is all that booze and the fact that this new space features three bars on each level. That’s six wells and about 15 bartenders on any given night plus 10 specialty cocktails that were created by Mas Malo’s bar manager Fred Warner (formerly of Chateau Marmont), Malo’s bar manager Kevin Harper and some of the bartenders.

Here are the cocktails I tried during the preview:

Angelina: Gran Centenario Roseangel Reposado Tequila, hibiscus, lime juice, chile salt rim. If you couldn’t tell by the name this one is a girl drink. Pink, drinkable�and lightly sweetened.
Old Fashionista: Kracken Black Rum, Falernum, bitters. Potent and a bit more syrupy-sweet �than the traditional Old Fashioned.
Pinata Smash: El Jimador Reposado, Serrano chile, cilantro, pineapple, housemade sour.
Red Eye: Fortaleza Reposado Tequila, float of red wine. This one was an accident. I had meant to order the Rooster and got this in return, so I only took one sip. The red wine float was all I tasted. Bar manager Fred says the beauty about this drink is that the float remains on top while you sip the drink so that you’re sure to get a taste of red wine each time. It was OK, but a bit dry for me.
The Rooster: Ora de Oaxaca Mezcal, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, lime juice. Who wants to get drunk? Here you go. The mezcal with the bourbon makes it one smokey mixture. Fred called it a smokey gimlet. It was fine but just�had�a bit too much lime for my taste.

Come and knock on my door, we've been waiting for you...

Most of the drinks were on the sweet side for me, especially that Old Fashionista and�The Angelina.�Although I do appreciate The Rooster.�But I think I’ll stick to Malo favorites the Medicina Latina and the 100% Organic Puro Margarita next time I stop by. Or take my pick of the hundreds of tequilas they have in stock.

Speaking of which, if you want a straight tequila tasting experience, the much-talked-about and still-under-construction tasting tequila vault will have shelves of ultra-premium tequila, an L-shaped table and be able to seat about eight to 10�people. They’ll have Tequila Appreciation night once a month featuring different vendors and focusing on different tequila types like Reposado Night or Anejo Night. Odelay!

Tip: The best seat in the house has gotta�be the one in the corner of the mezzanine level, overlooking the main dining room below.

Hours are lunch 11am-5pm, dinner 5pm-11pm, open til midnight on Friday and Saturday. Saturday-Sunday 9am-2am. Basement 10pm-2am. No happy hour yet but soon.

More details about Mas Malo can be found on my LA Weekly Squid Ink post.

More photos of Mas Malo after the jump.

Mas Malo
515 W. 7th Street
Los Angeles, California 90014 (map)

Categories: Cocktails, Dining, Featured, Los Angeles

1 Comment

July 20, 2010

Win VIP Tickets to LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting Event

LA Street Food Fest founders Shawna Dawson and Sonja Rasula by BoudoirRougePhoto.com

*****CONTEST IS CLOSED*****

With only four days until the LA Street Food Fest at the Rose Bowl, I’m sure you’ve heard all about it by now. That you get to eat food from over 60 LA food trucks, enjoy live music at an outdoor concert, partake of an ice cream social, shop the Unique LA Marketplace, explore the tequila and mezcal tasting and indulge in the open bars featuring Sailor Jerry Rum and Camarena Tequila. I know, it’s pretty awesome and it’s definitely the must-do this weekend if you’re a fan of food trucks, nomminess and tasty cocktails.

But if that’s not enough to get you champing at the bit, I’ve got more good news for you that isn’t even published on the event’s site yet but has been confirmed by Shawna Dawson, co-founder of the LA Street Food Fest.

Skilled mixologists Michel Dozois (Neve Ice) and Devon Espinosa (Tasting Kitchen) have created special cocktails — a couple for the VIP hour and two more for general admission — just for the occasion.

VIP Hour Cocktails:

#5 (by Michel) – Camerena Reposado, freshly squeezed lemon juice, chili slices and fresh cherries
Camarena Fresca (by Devon) — Camarena Silver, Lime, St. Germain topped with sparkling lemonade

General Admission Cocktails (both by Michel):

Los Pelomas – Camerena Reposado, �fresh grape fruit juice, simple syrup and a splash of soda
Mexican Spice — Camerena Silver, fresh squeezed lime juice, agave nectar and a strawberry

Also, Sailor Jerry Rum will offer the thirst-quenching Arnold Palmer and its signature Dark & Stormy made with spicy ginger beer. Perfect for a warm summer day.

So if you’ve already bought your tickets you’re probably very happy right now. But if you haven’t yet, you procrastinator, I’m sorry to say that all the general admission tickets have sold out as of this morning.

If you don’t mind splurging a bit and getting in early there are still a few VIP tickets available. At $65 a person, you get entrance into the event an hour and a half before everyone else, access to the VIP parking lot, those two bonus cocktails and special food items plus a surprise guest on stage. Not too shabby, and if you want to get in the event, VIP is the only way to go.

That is unless you win the pair of VIP tickets (worth $130) I’m giving away! That’s right, one lucky crackhead will get to attend the LA Street Food Fest in style. Lucky!

For your chance at the tickets all you have to do is the following:

Leave a comment below with your email address (so I can contact you if you win) and your Twitter handle as well as which food truck you’re looking forward to trying at the fest.
Tweet this: �I’m hungry, @carolineoncrack! Gimme VIP tix to @lafoodfest! http://bit.ly/d3w3gZ�
And lastly become a fan of (aka �Like�) my Facebook page.

**You have to do all of the above for your contest submission to be valid.**

Contest ends Thursday at 7pm PST. And at 1pm PST on Friday the 23rd, I�ll plug the entries into the randomizer, pick out a winner and notify you.

Good luck, all! �By the way, if you don’t win this time, make sure to buy your tickets online as they won’t be sold at the door.

EVENT: SATURDAY, JULY 24 4pm (VIP) or 5:30pm (general admission)

Venue: Rose Bowl
1001 Rose Bowl Drive
Pasadena, California 91103 (map)
Facebook: LA Street Food Fest
Twitter: @lafoodfest

Categories: Cocktails, Dining, Los Angeles

168 Comments

June 7, 2010

Red O Restaurant: New Mexican, Tequila Tunnel and More Cowbell

Red O's pork belly sopes

I’m going to admit something to you that may get me disbarred from the L.A. Food Bloggers Association, if there was one. I don’t know who this Rick Bayless is. At least I didn’t really before I was invited to a blogger dinner at the new Red O Restaurant (Bayless created the Mexican cuisine menu but doesn’t own the venue). Red O, in the former Chocolat space on Melrose, had only been opened for two days and was already booked solid for a month, and here I was lucky enough to land a seat.

And for those who don’t know, Rick Bayless is a world-famous chef with PBS series Mexico — One Plate at a Time, several cookbooks and the title of “Top Chef Master” under his belt. Very impressive indeed. So remember earlier this year when foodies were all twitterpated about how L.A. would be the site of his first restaurant outside of Chicago? Well, now you, too, know what the big deal is. Apparently his guy knows Mexican food and he was gonna show off his skills right in our town.

Mattatouille and Teenage Glutster from Caroline on Crack

Mattatouille and Teenage Glutster pondering the tequila.

For dinner, I was joined by bloggers Lindsay of LAist, Mattatouille, estarLA and Teenage Glutster as well as two publicists. We were treated to a seemingly neverending stream of tasty delights from pork belly sopes to Heirloom tomatoes and steak salad to Lamb in Chile Colorado.

And even given a tequila flight of Oro Azul Tequila Blanco, Corralejo Reposado Tequila, Don Julio A�ejo Tequila and Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia. (Thanks to Glutster for the list as I was on the other end of the table and couldn’t hear the sommelier’s description of each one. Blah.)

Categories: Dining, Featured, Los Angeles

5 Comments