Fall Cocktails At La Descarga Arrive Via Havana

Although you wouldn't know it from the heatwave, fall has arrived at La Descarga and fresh cocktails have come to town straight from Havana on a Pan Am flight.  For the first time Pablo Moix and Steve Livigni, who jointly created the cocktail program at La Descarga, left the list in the capable hands of head bartender Kenny Arbuckle (below), with the assist of a couple of his colleagues  What better way to beat the heat than by sipping several of these refreshing cocktails?

Kenny Arbuckle

My favorite of the list is the L.A. Lupe, made with Leblon cachaca, Velvet Falernum, St. Vincent's coconut, lime juice, and tonic.  The cocktail is served up in a highball glass with ice.  This drink is not technically new, but was a La Descarga favorite that has been brought back from retirement, and with good reason as the clean flavor entices sip after sip.

LA Lupe 

Another crowd pleaser is the Blood and Samba, a Caribbean take on the classic Blood and Sand.  In this version, cachaca stands in for the Scotch, alongside Cherry Heering, Carpano Antica and Orange Juice.  This shaken cocktail was served in a coupe and garnished with a lemon peel.  There is a lot going on in this drink and fans of classic cocktails should particularly enjoy this twist.

Blood and Samba

Other cocktails on the new list include:

Cartographer: El Dorado 12 Year Rum, Cynar, Angostura Bitters, Cane Sugar

Bermuda Swizzle: Goslings Dark Rum, Velvet Falernum, Lime Juice, Sugar, Angostura Bitters, Pineapple

Martinique Smuggler: Clement Priemere Canne Rhum Agricole, Disaronno Amaretto, Orgeat, Grapefruit Juice, Lime Juice

Avesta: Bulleit Rye, Benedictine, Lime Juice, Angostura Bitters and topped with Ginger Beer

Onbeat: House Spitis 100% Barley White Dog Whiskey, Lemon Juice, Mang-Basil Syrup, Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters

Circumnavigate: Blanco Tequila, Lime Juice, Tamarind Syrup, Bitter Truth Xocolatl Syrup, Ghost Pepper Salt

Maguey Sour: Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Benedictine, Orgeat, Lemon Juice, Egg White, Garnished with Grated Nutmeg

Aperol M’ama: Encanto Pisco, Aperol, Lime Juice, Sugar

La Descarga has added several noteable rums to their program, including Plantation, Rum Abuelo and Rhum Clement and their total selection is now more than 100.  If you can't find a rum to satisfy your craving, then you aren't looking hard enough.  And on Wednesday nights, there is a new live band (the Conganas) playing samba and vintage Latin music, perfect for dancing the evening away.

Maguey Sour

La Descarga: 1159 Western Blvd, Hollywood.  Phone: (323) 466-1324.  Website: www.ladescargala.com

Kick off Cinco de Mayo with Cuatro de Mayo at La Descarga

Image: Steve Livigni

Why wait until Thursday to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  Begin a night early on Wednesday evening at La Descarga.  The celebration begins at 8 pm and runs until close.  You can expect tequila and mezcal drinks and shots all night long. These bebidas include the "Wet Baquiri", "Kraken Micheladas" and more that were too top secret to be revealed in advance.

For your listening and dancing pleasure, none other than StreetGourmetLA aka Bill Esparza will be leading the band all night long.  DJ Henry Helix will also be spinning his sweet tunes.  Providing food will be the Camarena Taco truck, which will park outside from 9:30-12:00.  If you get there early, word on the calle is that there is free food for the early arrivals.

Other surprises are in store for revelers.  Make reservations while you can, as La Descarga fills up and this is sure to be a fun fiesta.

La Descarga: 1159 Western Avenue, just North of Santa Monica Blvd. Phone: (323) 466-1324. Website: www.descargala.com

New Year's Eve Party roundup #1

As 2010 comes to a close, there are a variety of options to ring in the new year in high style. Here are some fun ways to begin 2011:

The Varnish's Rare Groove New Year's Eve Soul Revue

The Varnish, the jewel in the 213 downtown crown, will be hosting a New Year's Eve party for $125 (tip included).  The party will go from 9 pm - 2 am and includes the Varnish's classic handcrafted cocktails, unlimited servings of Bols Genever punch and a Midnight champagne toast.

Varnish hostess/server Rebekka Johnson's comedy band, the Apple Sisters will lead a countdown to 2011, which will conclude with a champagne toast.

A twist contest is promised, so be sure to wear your dancing shoes.  Reservations can be made for parties of 2, 4 or 6.  The Varnish is quite small, so reserve early or miss out.

Reserve by calling General Manager Chris Bostick at (213) 622-9999 or by emailing thevarnish@thevarnishbar.com

Havana 1909 at La Descarga

La Descarga is pulling out all the stops for their first New Year's Eve celebration.  Tickets are $150 for the black tie event at which attendees will be dressing to impress as if they were in Havana 100 years ago.

The all inclusive tickets include hors d'oeuvre, live entertainment, open bar, champagne toast at midnight and dancing.

If you have been to La Descarga on a regular night, you know the quality of the entertainment.  I've been told that they are kicking it up a notch for this celebration.

La Descarga has some of the highest quality drinks in town, so open bar will be quite a treat.  The great sounds of Cuban music by the live band will be sure get you dancing.

RSVP by emailing nye@ladescargala.com

I have been told that this event is almost sold out, so get your tickets or miss out til next year.

New Year's Eve Downtown LA

If you can't make up your mind so want the smorgasboard approach to New Years, then the New Years Eve in Downtown LA is for you.  A single $119 ticket entitles you to open bar at eight different downtown watering holes, including Cana Rum Bar, Casey's, Seven Grand, the Golden Gopher, Cole's, Las Perlas, Tony's Saloon and Broadway Bar.

At Casey's, the band Gram Rabbit will be performing live and well spirits and 11 craft beers are included in the open bar.

Cole's will be offering champagne cocktails and the Cole's classic cocktails all evening.

Cana Rum Bar will be serving daiquiris and their signature cocktails to the beat of a band performing Gypsy Jazz.

Paul Chesne of the Paul Chesne Band will be performing at Tony's Saloon.


Where can you get tickets for this event?  Buy them online at www.nyedowntownla.com

CASA's Tequila Toast New Year's Eve

If your New Year's Eve plans lean towards the food as well as the drink, then CASA Cocina & Cantina may be the option for you.  They are celebrating their second anniversary as well as New Year's Eve with a four course prix-fixe dinner for $35 with seatings from 5 pm to 9 pm.  At 10 pm, the New Year's Eve party begins with open bar, a midnight tequila toast and a guest DJ for entertainment until 1 am.  So for $85 you get dinner plus 3 hours of open bar and entertainment.  (If you opt for both dinner and the party, a combo pack discount may be available.)

New Year's Eve Dinner Menu:

First Course: Sopa de chile poblano

Second Course: Ensalada de Caesar Cardini

Third Course: Enchilada con Langosta y Camarones OR Tamale de Elote OR Braised Beef Short Ribs Birria

Fourth Course: Rice Pudding

The $50 price for the New Year's Eve open bar party goes up to $75 on December 28th, so book early.  Why pay more to be a procrastinator?

Reservations may be made by calling (213) 621-2249


Happy New Year!

Winter Cocktails have arrived at La Descarga

It is that time of year, when there is a chill in the ocean breeze and the mind races to the season, pondering what winter cocktails are available to savor, preferably in a comfortable armchair.  La Descarga has both the armchair seating and a frisky new list of libations created by Pablo Moix and Steve Livigni for your enjoyment.  Last night I was joined by an all-star group of cocktail aficionados including Ron from LushAngeles, Caroline from Caroline on Crack, Daniel from Thirsty in LA, and John from SocialDomain as we sampled our way through the new options, in order to find our favorites to share with you.

Tapping the Admiral 

The most unusual of the new offerings is the Barrel Aged Tapping the Admiral. Zaya Rum, Cherry Heering, Carpano Antica and Angostura Bitters are mixed together and aged in Tuthilltown Four Grain Whiskey barrels for two weeks.  The Scaffa style drink is served neat, at room temperature.  No ice, no chilled glass, nowhere for the subtleties of the cocktail to hide.  It is boozy and delicious and has a syrupy texture to it.  If you prefer your scotch or aged rum neat, then this cocktail should suit you nicely.  Scaffa is a style of cocktail that is neither shaken or stirred, but in which the ingredients are simply added to the glass.  The name derives from an old Norse term meaning "to make something yourself."  They were popular during the 1860s to 1920s when ice was sometimes scarce or expensive, according to Livigni (via Bariana).  This was the first Scaffa I have seen on a Los Angeles cocktail menu.

The Castilian

Rye at a Rum Bar? Yes, if it's the Havana Mobster. There is a shortage of Rittenhouse 100 Rye at bars all over the country. La Descarga foresaw the shortage and stocked up, so they have plenty to last them through the drought. While other bars are substituting other ryes in their Manhattan cocktails, La Descarga has added a Rittenhouse 100 cocktail, the Havana Mobster, to its menu. It includes lemon and orange juices as well as grenadine. The Mobster is a boozy drink with a strong citrus flavor; a spirit forward cocktail.

Another winner was the Cora Middleton, a frothy cocktail made with Appleton Reserve Rum, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, sugar, egg white, lemon zest and our old favorite Angostura bitters. This is a shaken cocktail and despite the sugar it is not too sweet. The froth from the egg white gives it a pleasant consistency.

Not all the new drinks are as noteworthy. I found the Castilian to be too sweet for my palate. It includes Bacardi Anejo Rum as its base spirit and Peychaud bitters, sugar and Aguardiente. The La Lupe is made with Leblon Cachaca, lime juice, St. Vincent's coconut goodness, Velvet Falernum and tonic water. If you don't like the taste of alcohol, this would be my recommendation as it is quite a mellow drink with the light flavor of the coconut predominating.

Don't worry, favorites such as the Hemingway Daiquiri (Papa's Daiquiri) remain on the cocktail list. If you want to try the unique barrel aged Tapping the Admiral, I'd recommend trying some before they run out as due to the aging process, they can't immediately create more.

La Descarga: 1159 Western Avenue, just North of Santa Monica Blvd.  Phone: (323) 466-1324.  Website: www.descargala.com

The Rivière: A planeflight to paradise in a glass

Last Tuesday Atlantico Rum launched in Los Angeles with a party at Havana-themed rum den La Descarga.  Manager and cocktail maestro Steve Livigni created several cocktails for the occasion.  For me the standout was the Rivière, a tropical beverage with pineapple and lime juices.  A sip of the cocktail transported me to a beach on vacation somewhere with ocean breezes, warm water and an endless supply of these cocktails.  I wish the drinks on my recent trip to Hawaii had been half as delicious as this.

Livigni stated he was seeking to make “a more fruit-forward cocktail with the Atlantico and since the other drinks were more masculine it seemed appropriate to do something with a softer flavor and mouthfeel.  Pineapple and rum are natural compliments to one another, especially given the nice toffee, marshmallow flavor I get from the rum.  I decided to use mezcal to give the drink some backbone and an unexpected smokiness.”  He tried the drink with several combinations and ratios and after several iterations he finally had a cocktail that worked.  With rum and pineapple juice there is the danger and stereotype of just a sweet one note drink but the Rivière is well balanced, “tropical but not foo-foo,” as Livigni described it.

La Descarga is known for the quality of its ingredients and its fresh juices.  According to Livigni, one of the keys to the success of the Rivière is using real pineapple juice made from pineapple in the blender, which is significantly different than using anything that comes from a can or a syrup (sorry Dole).  In his words, “it should taste like fruit not pineapple candy.  The fresh juice makes anything taste tropical, the key is to not use too much and balance it with a citrus, lime in this case, which doesn't just add acidity but really just brightens the flavor.”

Atlantico Rum is a blend of sugar can juice and molasses based rums.  It is a solera rum meaning that it has been aged in a solera system where the rum is aged in casks and the younger rum is progressively moved to “older” casks as part of the contents of the casks containing the oldest product are ready to be sold, meaning that each barrel, and consequently each bottle contains rum that has aged a variety of years.  The average for Atlantico is 15 years of aging in the solera system.

As Livigni was developing his recipe for the Riviere, he wanted to highlight the flavors of the Atlantico rum while offering a fresh juice based cocktail.  Livigni noted, “Atlantico is much leaner than other solera rums like Zacapa so it works better in the sour format.  I get toffee and marshmallow from the rum, which are delicate flavors that can get covered up easily with citrus, liqueurs, sweeteners, so I wanted to use soft ingredients that would allow those flavors to still exist after shaking.”

The Rivière incorporates the essential components of a sour: the liquor (rum in this case), citrus (lime juice), egg white and a sweetener (pineapple juice and sugar).  The The egg white provides a bit of froth/foam at the top of the cocktail and a creaminess in the consistency.  The mezcal helps to make it a more well rounded cocktail and elevates it above a traditional sour.  Kiss that cocktail with an umbrella in it goodbye and say hello to the Rivière.

If you’d like to make the Rivière at home, here's the recipe:

1.5 oz   Atlantico Rum

.75 oz   Fresh Lime Juice

1 oz      Fresh Pineapple Juice

2          Barspoons of Super Fine Sugar

.5 oz     Vida Mezcal

.5 oz     Egg White

Dry shake all the ingredients until you get a nice froth in the shaker.  Add ice and re-shake the ingredients for about 10 seconds.  Strain into a coupe or cocktail glass.  Garnish with a spear of pineapple leaf.