Hemingway's Lounge: Spring Cocktails

Hemingway's Lounge can be a like an elegant three ring circus, with barman Alex Straus as the ringmaster at the center of it all, making sure the mood is festive and the cocktails are delicious.  Straus invited Daniel of ThirstyinLA and me into the Center Ring to sample his new Spring Cocktails, before the acrobats, lions and clowns arrived.

The Peruvian Sangria is refreshing and a little boozy; the perfect drink for cocktail hour on the patio before dinner.  It is one of the new breed of cocktails that embraces wine as an ingredient; the muddled and whole grapes echoing the flavor note of the Chardonnay.

1.5 oz Pisco
.50 St Germain
.50 oz Simple Syrup
.75 oz Lemon Juice
1.0 oz Chardonnay
7 muddled grapes, plus 3 to garnish
Shaken and served over ice

Peruvian Sangria

The Smoke and Spice is spicy and springy.  Ready to drink; the smoke from the mezcal and the spice from the jalapeño syrup work together to create a cocktail with multidimensional flavors.  The Chartreuse and the lemon juice round out the drink and the bell peppers provide a dramatic visual effect.  This was my favorite of the list; unsurprising as I have a soft spot for spicy cocktails.

1.5 oz. Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
.50 oz. Green Chartreuse
1.0 oz. jalapeño-infused agave syrup
.75 oz. lemon juice
Red and green bell peppers
Shaken and served over ice

Smoke & Spice

Spring Rain is made with Akvinta organic vodka a wheat-based vodka that was new to me and which owns its own wheat fields, something unusual in the industry.  The pineapple and lime juice made this cocktail a citrus celebration.  In addition the flavor of the (unfiltered) cloudy sake comes through.  Spring Rain has a pleasant froth to it and the mint garnish floats on it effortlessly.

1.0 oz. Akvinta organic vodka
1.0 oz. Rock Sake Cloud
1.0 oz. pineapple juice
0.5 oz. lime juice
0.5 oz. simple syrup
Shaken and served in a coupe

Spring Rain

The Hunting Party is the only stirred cocktail on the Spring menu and feels like an Old Fashioned has been taken to the beach.  The predominant ingredient is the scotch whiskey but even small amounts of the Hum can have a large impact on the flavor profile and this drink is still a work in progress as the ratios undergo refinement.

2.0 oz. Benromach Scotch, a speyside whiskey
0.5 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
.25 oz. Hum, a rum infused with ginger, hibiscus, cardamom and lime
Bar spoon lemon juice
Dash of Orange bitters
Stirred and served over ice in an Old Fashioned glass

Hunting Party

The new cocktails all evoke warm weather with their refreshing tastes.  I think Hemingway himself would have enjoyed them as he surveyed the heat and the bustle of Havana.  Look out for the Smoke & Spice in particular as it packs a wonderful wallop.  Hemingway's can be quiet early in the evening and very busy towards the end of the night, so pick the vibe you want accordingly.

Hemingway's Lounge: 6356 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood.  Phone: (323) 469-0040.  Website: www.hemingwayslounge.com

The Bon Vivants Pop My Sangrita Cherry

Last week the dynamic duo of Josh Harris and Scott Baird were in Los Angeles from their home base of San Francisco and hosted a sangrita tasting at Hemingway's Bar with Tequila Ocho.  Hemingway's maestro Alex Straus was there and the Bon Vivants prepared a delicious trio of sangritas, each paired with a Tequila Ocho expression.  Straus announced that the the Bon Vivants are now Three Amigos as he has joined with Josh and Scott as the LA based representative of the trio.

Josh Harris of the Bon Vivants

I can't explain how I had never managed to try sangrita before.  For the uninitiated, sangrita is a juice based drink served alongside shots of tequila.  You sip the tequila, then the sangrita.  The sangrita may have originally been drunk to counter the harshness of the tequila, but Ocho is so smooth, the sangrita was enjoyable on its own merits as there was no need to chase away non-existent harshness.  The name sounds like sangria, but this is something completely different and wonderful.

The Tequila Ocho Plata 2009 Rancho Las Pomez was paired with:
Sangrita of cucumber, celery, green apple, lime, serrano, jalapeno, horseradish, mint, cane sugar, sea salt, cardamom, black pepper, fino sherry.

Tequila Ocho Reposado 2009 Rancho Las Pomez was paired with:
Sangrita of tomato, orange, lime, pomegranate, ancho, japapeno, red fresno, ginger, cilantro, bragg's amino, cane sugar, vanilla, combier.

Tequila Ocho Anejo 2009 Rancho St. Augustin was paired with:
Sangrita of mango, pineapple, lime, habanero, aji amarillo, sea salt, cane sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, toasted cacao, amaro montenegro

My favorite of the sangritas was the mango version paired with the Anjeo.  The sweetness of the juice mixed with the salty and spicy from the sea salt and habanero peppers was a refreshing counterpoint to the mellow and smooth tequila.

The vivid green cucumber sangrita was also quite noteworthy.  Cucumber, celery, green apple and lime all contributed to the striking color, which was more delicious to drink than to look at.

The ritual of alternating sips of the tequila and the sangrita is a fun tradition that I am glad the Bon Vivants introduced me to.  I can attest that they live up to their name and now that Straus is part of the crew, the San Francisco portion of the group has a lot to live up to.  Note that the Vivants will be opening a bar, Trick Dog, in the Mission/Potrero neighborhood of San Francisco this Spring.

700 Rum Punch by Alex Strauss

At last week's Don Q party and competition at Esquire House, a highlight for me was Alex Straus's 700 Rum Punch.  It is pictured above right, with his winning Berlin cocktail, above left.  There were ten different cocktails on offer at the event, in addition to several generic Don Q cocktails, but it was Alex's Rum Punch that I kept coming back to.  Surprisingly this drink did not win, although his other cocktail, the Berlin, did.

The 700 Rum Punch packs a wallop with four different types of rum but is very refreshing.  It is the kind of cocktail you could have several of before you realize the full effects of the potent elixir.  For hot days like we've had lately, a chilled rum punch is just the thing.  Alex Straus was generous enough to share his recipe:

The 700 Rum Punch by Alex Straus

Ingredients:
1 oz Don Q Rum
3/4 oz Don Q Anejo
1/2 oz Smith and Cross Jamaica Rum
1 oz Blackbeard Spiced Rum
3/4 Lime Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz St Vincent's Orgeat

Directions:
Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice into a tiki mug with 1 1/2 oz ginger beer in the bottom (to allow the effervescence to push through the punch).

Don Q @ Esquire House: Alex Straus & Eric Tecosky win in The Hills

Don Q Rum hosted a party and competition at Esquire House in the Hollywood Hills last week.  Alex Straus of Hemingway's and Eric Tecosky of Jones beat out a field that also included Allan Katz (above) of Cana Rum Bar, Danielle Crouch of the Tar Pit, and Lane from Cafe Habana Malibu.  The setting was high above the city in the dramatic Esquire House, which boasted the best view of Los Angeles's city lights I have ever seen.

Tecosky (above) won for his "Root for Me" Root Beer cocktail described as an adult root beer float made with Blackbeard Spiced Rum and a creamy surprise.  His drinks were the most visually arresting of the evening.  Straus (below) won for his Berlin, a sparkling cocktail with Velvet Falernum, Don Q Cristal, champagne, sugar, orange and lemon juices.

The winning drinks were selected by audience votes.  Guests mingled as they sampled the drinks and wandered through the mansion staged as the ultimate bachelor pad.  The home is for sale for $18.9 million, so if the pictures inspire you, you can have this view all to yourself, if the price is right.  Features included a media room with couches on a rotating panel so you could face the screens on any wall.

Danielle Crouch mixing cocktails

Eric Tecosky's Fruit Cocktail

Hemingway's Lounge: Havana Cool in Hollywood

Hemingway's Lounge opened up a month ago in Hollywood in half of the former Ivar space, right on Hollywood Blvd. It is decorated as a homage to its namesake, Ernest Hemingway, and has one of the top bartenders in Los Angeles, Alex Straus, behind the bar in addition to having him create the cocktail program.

The lounge has extremely high ceilings which make the room feel even larger.  The walls, including above the bar and on the columns, are covered in books; over 10,000 in all.  One wall is also covered in dozens of typewriters.  Unlike La Descarga, which is styled after Havana during the Hemingway era, Hemingway's is all comfortable writers study, less weathered cantina, although like Descarga, Hemingway's takes reservations.

Straus is currently serving his signature winter cocktails including what has been reported to be a killer eggnog, known as Hemingway's Nog.  While you sip the hot cocktails to warm you up on these unseasonably cold fall nights, there is a DJ spinning to get your juices flowing.  The cocktail menu includes several named after Ernest's literary classics, such as The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea.

Befitting its Hollywood location, Hemingway's comes complete with bouncer and velvet rope, but if you remember to call ahead and make a reservation, you can sail past the guardians with ease and prepare to enjoy your Hemingway daiquiri in this luxe environment.  And if you have too many libations, don't try and run off with one of the books; they are glued into the bookshelves.

Some nights are busier than others and Saturday when the bar is only open from 10 pm - 2 am, Hemingway's attracts the nightclub crowd who may be more interested in a vodka cranberry than a well crafted Manhattan, so plan accordingly.

Hemingways Lounge: 6356 Hollywood Blvd @ Ivar.  Hollywood.  Phone: (323) 469-0040.  Website: www.hemingwayslounge.com 

Matt Biancaniello wins LA's Best Bartender award from Table 20

Matt Biancaniello, head bartender at the Library Bar in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, was announced as the winner last night at a party at Elevate Lounge in downtown LA to celebrate the six finalists in Table 20's LA's Best Bartender competition. The other finalists included Joe Brooke from the Edison, Max Diaz of Cole's Red Car Bar, Devon Espinosa of the Tasting Kitchen, Dee Ann Quinones of Susan Feniger's Street, and Alex Straus of the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica. Each of the finalists created a punch using Don Q rum and poured their hot and cold punches to the celebrants to get the attendees in a festive mood.

Michel Dozois's (above) of Neve Ice greeted guests and provided glasses filled with his ice to attendees as they walked in, so they could sample all six punches on offer. The location at Elevate Lounge / Takami, provided amazing views of downtown as it is on the top floor of a high rise building on the corner of Wilshire and Flower in downtown.

Matt Biancaniello (above) served an Indian inspired punch called Queen of the Night, which included star fruit with husk cherries floating in it, for a dramatic visual effect (below). The punch also includes pomegranate juice, roasted cumin seeds, and Don Q rum (of course).

Joe Brooke (below) arrived late as he, Alex and Matt had all just returned from BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource), a week long intensive educational program in New York City. He served a "State Fair Punch" whose preparation required the juicing of untold numbers of limes.

Devon Espinosa of the Tasting Kitchen in Venice (below) took a break from pouring punch to strike a pose.  The event was judged by five bloggers: Caroline of Caroline on Crack, Chris Archibald of Liquor.com, Liz Steinhart of FoodSheThought, Kevin Hsu of kevinEats and Victoria of Vixen's L.A. Happy Hours.  Alas Kevin was unable to attend do to a work committment, but the other judges were there in full force to celebrate the finalists and Matt's victory.

Table 20 founder Trevor Smith hosted the event and announced that the contest will happen again next year and that early in 2011, a "Bartender's Ball" will be held. Stay tuned for updates on that as more information becomes available. Table 20 is a new employment site for restaurants and bars, which recently launched in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

White Plate Menu at Wilshire Restaurant

Last week Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica began a new dinner program in their bar areas in which the White Plate dish of the evening plus a beverage is available for only $15. The dish changes nightly:

Monday: Steak frites
Tuesday: Polenta fried chicken with summer corn salad
Wednesday: Meatloaf with fried egg and smashed red bliss potatoes
Thursday: Carlsbad mussels with shoestring fries and saffron aioli
Friday: Newcastle brown ale-battered cod and fat chips
Saturday:Spaghetti and your mama's meatballs with cheesy garlic bread

The beverage offered is a featured red or white wine, a draft beer or a specialty cocktail which include the bees knees or a margarita among other selections.

This is a tremendous value and is available in the entire front bar/lounge area near the entrance as well as at the bar in the patio. You can get dinner and a beverage for almost the same price as some of the cocktails.

Last week I tried the fried chicken (Tuesday) which came as a large boneless piece of thigh and leg meat. I was asked whether I preferred white or dark meat, a nice touch that I hadn't been expecting. The chicken is breaded in polenta, which not surprisingly tasted like a cornmeal crust. The chicken was served on a bed of summer corn salad. The chicken was reminiscent of the lauded fried chicken available on Fridays at Huckleberry (also in Santa Monica), so if you enjoy that chicken you will likely enjoy this version.



I opted for the Bees Knees, made with Junipero gin, house made triple syrup and fresh lemon juice. It was well made for a restaurant cocktail, although don't go expecting the precision of The Roger Room or the Varnish. It is apparent that consultant Alex Straus spent time training the staff how to make these drinks properly.



Overall it was an excellent value and I would recommend this deal, especially as you are not restricted to physically sitting at the bar to order it (there are bar tables in the bar/lounge area). Chef Andrew Kirschner has been improving the quality of the whole food program and this is a great way to bring people into the restaurant who might not otherwise have come to sample his cuisine.

Wilshire Restaurant: 2454 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica. Phone: (310) 586-1707. Website: wilshirerestaurant.com

Tales: Cabana Cachaça Bartender Olympics

The Cabana Cachaca Bartender Olympics at Tales of the Cocktail featured five regional teams competing for the title of the champion and the prize of the Golden Muddler. The regions were New Orleans, Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and West.

The winning team was our local West Coast team, evenly split between Los Angeles and San Francisco bartenders. Julian Cox of Rivera, Alex Straus of Wilshire & the Shangri-La, and Jason Bran from Roger Room represented Los Angeles. Josh Harris and Scott Baird, both of 15 Romolo, and Duggan McDonnell from Cantina, represented San Francisco. The team was captained by Straus and McDonnell.

Congratulations to the Champions, for representing the West Coast and brining home the Golden Muddler!

Heaven Hill Distillery Tasting at Wilshire Restaurant

Wilshire Restaurant was the scene of "Whiskey Social", a collaborative dinner and whiskey pairing with chef Andrew Kirschner, Heaven Hill Distillery and mixologist and cocktail consultant Alex Straus on June 30th. The dinner was followed by a whiskey tasting and the opportunity to sample Straus's whiskey cocktails.



Straus (above) poured his Cucumber Jalapeño Old Fashioned, which had a nice balance of spice from the pepper and coolness from the cucumber. It was my favorite of his whiskey cocktail menu. The recipe is below:

3 slices of cucumber
1 slice of jalapeño pepper
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters
cherry
2 oz Elijah Craig 12 year
soda water
Stir the ingredients together and then top with soda water

The Parker's Heritage Collection 27 year aged Bourbon was a highlight of the tasting. It is 96 proof, but was extremely smooth and had not a dram of harshness in it. It is named for Parker Beam, who is Heaven Hill's 6th generation master distiller and the great nephew of Jim Beam. A bourbon of this age is a rare product and it is the Heaven Hill bourbon with the most age available. The Parker's Heritage 27 year is still going strong and has not suffered any of the effects that can be a danger with long term aging. Retail price is ~$200/bottle.

The Elijah Craig 12 year is pictured above with the Cucumber Jalapeño Old Fashioned. The Elijah Craig had a nice balance and is a good whiskey to mix in cocktails both because of its accessible price point ($20) and its flavor profile.

I also sampled the Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, which was made with 51% wheat, not something I had ever seen before in a whiskey. That is because it is the only wheat whiskey on the market; something different to try. It is distilled in and named for the Bernheim Distillery in which Heaven Hill distills their American whiskey. I found it too sweet for my palate but it is great to see distilleries be willing to experiment with different grains and techniques. ($50 at retail)

Another highlight was the Rittenhouse 25 year aged single barrel rye, which had strong caramel notes and was also exceptionally smooth. The finish was long. The smoothest rye I have sampled. (Retails for ~$170)

The patio at Wilshire was a great spot to taste the Heaven Hill portfolio as it was a warm summer night in Los Angeles and it is a beautiful spot. Straus was a gracious host who was happy to talk about the various whiskeys, ryes and bourbons and his thoughts on how best to use them in cocktails. I am looking forward to trying more of the drinks he created for the Wilshire Restaurant cocktail list.