Winter Cocktails Come Ashore at Cana Rum Bar

Winter has arrived with a fierce gale at Cana Rum Bar.  General Manager Allan Katz has launched a new winter cocktail menu with beverages so tasty, pirates have been known to fight over them.  Here is a map to the treasure:

One of my favorites is the Camelot, made with Anejo rum, Amaro Montenegro, lime juice, poached pear syrup and white pepper.  This is a dagger and the winter version of Cana's classic JKO, except with poached pear instead of poached plum to better represent the season.  It is still a classy tribute to Jackie O.  It is easy drinking, delicious and not overly pear flavored.

Among the Cannons, the Red Eye to Rio is a standout.  It is a tribute to the classic Trader Vic Night Flight cocktail.  This is a potent cocktail and includes Stroh, a 160 proof Austrian spiced rum.  The other ingredients are cachaça, lime juice and maple syrup.  I will confess that I am not generally a fan of cachaça, so Katz impressed me by creating the first cachaça drink I can recommend.

The London Cut may be a Cannon but it stands in a class all by itself on the Cana menu.  It is a take on the Gordon's Cup made with Anaheim and Serrano pepper-infused Bols Genever and El Dorado rum, cucumber, lime, smoked salt and pepper.  This delicious concoction is peppery, spicy, salty and overall wonderful and is my favorite of the new list.  The previous list included the similar Stepping Razor, but switching to Bols and El Dorado from Demerara has upped the balance of this beauty who won't hesitate to slice you.

If your taste veers towards the spicy, the Deer Hunter may be the Cannon for you.  Made with Serrano-infused Heering, Anejo tequila, Old Overholt Rye and garnished with a lemon peel, it has a pleasant kick perfect for these chilly winter evenings.

Sometimes a little bit of citrus is just what the doctor ordered, and for nights such as those, the Crimean Collins makes house calls.  It includes cognac, two types of Jamaican rum, lemon, orgeat and champagne and is garnished with mint.  This Pistol has the power of lemon to perk up your palate and prepare you to walk the plank, if need be.

The winter list also includes:

Royal Oil: St. James Royal Ambre rum, Black Strap rum, lime and falernum.
Misti Dawn Sqizzle: Roiboos-infused Plymouth Gin, passionfruit juice, lime juice, Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur, Angostura bitters and Elemakule bitters.
Texas Early: Old Overhold Rye, Don's Miz, blackberries and lemon juice
Palmetto: El Dorado 12 Year Demerara, Carpano Antico Vermouth, orange bitters
Twist on a Twist: Overproof Rum, Amaro Cio Ciaro, Sangue Morlacco, lime juice, Angostura bitters
The Good Word: Reposado Mezcal, Yellow Chartreuse, maraschino, lime juice
Putnam's Point: Rye, Dos Maderas, Amaro Lucano, ginger, lemon, J.T. recipe bitters

Note: I was invited to sample these beverages by Cana Rum Bar at no cost.

Cana Rum Bar: 714 West Olympic Blvd (@Flower), DTLA. Phone: (213) 817-5321.  Website: canarumbar.com

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

Chris Bostick in as new Varnish GM

Tonight is Chris Bostick’s (pictured above) last night as head bartender at The Varnish, downtown’s hidden bar focused on classic cocktails. He will be still be at the Varnish, but stepping up to the position as General Manager, as current GM Eric Alperin will be spending less time at the bar as he works on outside (non-bar) projects. That means after Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this week, Alperin will now be behind the bar at the Varnish several times per week, a treat for the Los Angeles cocktail community.

If you have enjoyed Bostick’s beverages as much as I have, stop by the bar tonight for his last official shift. He has assured me that he will still make drinks at The Varnish when it gets busy or when people ask for him, if he is able to do so.

This is the latest in a series of changes in the management of several bars in the 213 family in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, Alan Katz took over for Joel Black as General Manager of Caña Rum Bar. Black left to work on projects with Rivera’s Julian Cox, with whom he had worked previously at Comme Ca. Black had been a bartender at Caña since moving to Los Angeles from Brooklyn earlier this year. In addition, Skyler Reeves has been promoted from his position at Tony’s Saloon to run operations for the 213 Group. His Manhattans will be missed.