Villainy Springs Forth at Villains Tavern

The new Spring Menu at Villains has arrived and be prepared to be scandalized by the dastardly deeds the menacing mixologists have planned for you there.  Even Lemony Snickett would approve of these libations.  Head bartender and partner Dave Whitton developed seven new cocktails and a new large format punch.  In addition, there is now a signature burger developed by former Comme Ca chef Michael David.

I was recently invited to sample the new menu, along with several compatriots including Helen, the founder of Gastronauts LA, Daniel from ThirstyinLA, Caroline of Caroline on Crack and several other criminal elements.

The Athena (above) is a Junipero Gin Martini with muddled cucumber.  It is clean and crisp. Extremely simple with no extraneous ingredients or flavors.  Whitton said that he loves Junipero Gin and that "the cucumber brings out the flavors in the gin." It is a very warm weather cocktail and the namesake goddess would have been lucky to have such nectar to drink.

The Geryon is made with Makers 46, kumquats, fresh grapefruit juice, lemon juice and bitters.  Whitton noted that kumquats go well with lighter fruits.  This is a well balanced cocktail that is simply delicious.  Grapefruit juice is another of my vices and it is a pleasure to sin with a drink like this.

The Osiris Punch comes in a vessel that can hold 15-20 glasses of punch ($125), which should sate more than a handful of your devilish companions.  There is something dramatic about such a large punch service, which is made with two bottles of Champagne, Rye Whiskey, hibiscus, mint, citrus, spices and bitters.

Osiris Punch being stirred by the hand of the Devil himself

Whitton mentioned that several ingredients on his new menu, such as kumquats and peaches are Spring fruits, which add an element of seasonality to the cocktails.  As the cocktail menu at Villains has evolved over the months, he said that he has earned the trust of his customers to have them try new things and so these cocktails play with your palate more than the previous offerings.

La Barbie, named after a Mexican drug lord, not the doll, is made with Hacienda Tequila, Aperol, citrus, red pepper, lemon juice, cranberry juice and Tapatio sauce.  Whitton told us that he used the Aperol to reduce the sweetness from the juices.  There is a spicy element to the cocktail, but it doesn't dominate and there is also a pleasant boozy undertone.

Many green teas were experimented with to find just the right one to add to the Loki, which is made with Haute Vodka infused with green tea, sage, house-made honey peach syrup, citrus and soda.  This was a rather mellow cocktail.

The Isis, made with Pisco, basil, cucumber, lemon juice, lime juice, egg whites and sugar sounded liked a very frothy cocktail but was not.

For a cocktail on the sweeter side, the Astarte is a good option.  Elijah Craig, cucumbers, strawberries, flower water, cane sugar and citrus are combined in one goblet.

The final new cocktail on the menu is the Ma'at, named after the Egyptian personification of truth and justice.  You can have your soul measured against the goddess's feather or you can simply sip the drink named after her, made with Sagatiba Cachaça, canteloupe, citrus, and chile salt.  Note that the menu says "Chilean salt" but what is meant is chile salt, not salt from the country of Chile.

Former Comme Ça Executive Chef Michael David created a "Great Burger" for the food truck Great Balls on Tires, who take over the Villains Tavern kitchen several nights a week.  The Great Burger is made with a half pound of coarsely ground Angus beef, bacon onion jam, cheddar cheese, grainy mustard aioli, raw red onion on a toasted brioche bun.  I sampled it without the bacon onion jam and it was rather tasty.

However I was surprised by the Great Balls on Tires Ballywood chicken meatball dish.  It is made with Garam Chiken Masala with saffron Basmati rice and several chutneys.  This dish (below) is now in my top two or three food truck dishes, along with the Buttermilk Truck's Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches.  The Ballywood so exceeded expectations that I am plotting when to try it again.  Fortunately for me, they cook at Villains frequently, so I know where to get these amazing chicken meatballs.

The Geryon is the highlight of the new cocktail list for me, although if I was with a group I think the Osiris punch is irresistible and a great value.  The new cocktails are $12 each, although the Athena is $13.  After all, she is the goddess of wisdom.  The patio space at Villains only gets more appealing as the weather gets nicer. With live music every night they are open, the patio is a comfortable spot to while away an evening drinking cocktails, enjoying the food, listening to music or buying souls.  Tuesday night is trivia night.

Villains Tavern: 1356 Palmetto St, DTLA.  Phone: (213) 613-0766.  Website: www.villainstavern.com

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

Cocktails at Fig & Olive: Provence Arrives on Melrose Place

The West Hollywood branch of Fig & Olive opened last month with much fanfare on Melrose Place, across the street from Bastide. They have wisely hired Giovanni Martinez to create their cocktail program and he has created an approachable list that will appeal to a wide audience. Now that the weather has turned warm and spring is in the air, the cocktails lean towards crisp and refreshing. Some highlights from the program are below:

The Pompelmino is a take on an Italian aperitivo using both Cocchi Americano and Aperol. It has a pleasant citrus flavor from the lemon juice and grapefruit foam.  Yes, there is foam in this cocktail.  But it works to give you an extra bit of the citrus and air in your mouth as you sip on the drink.

Wild Strawberry is made with Martin Miller's Gin, fresh strawberries, orgeat syrup, lemon juice and Moët Ice Imperial Champagne on the rocks. Giovanni was able to simulate the wild strawberry flavor using orange blossom water as the precise strawberries he was looking for were unavailable.  This drink is light and refreshing; very summery. It is the perfect brunch cocktail, which has arrived just in time for the launch of outdoor seating at the restaurant.

The Matador is my favorite on the list. As attentive readers and many local bartenders know I am a big fan of spicy cocktails.  The Matador is genuinely spicy due to the inclusion of jalapeño. The cocktail is made with Zapopan blanco Tequila, Sagatiba Cachaça, house made cilantro syrup, fresh lime juice, and muddled jalapeño.  This may be my favorite cachaça cocktail.  Now this is the kind of spicy that with each sip you want to take another, not the kind of spicy that blows your palate and you have to struggle to finish it;  the spicy challenge at Jitlada this is not.  The drink tastes fresh and spicy at the same time, perhaps due to the muddled jalapeño, house-made cilantro syrup and freshly squeezed lime juice.

The full cocktail list is here, so get drinking as Spring has arrived and what better way to welcome Printemps en Provence than with a cocktail in hand?

Fig & Olive: 8490 Melrose Place, West Hollywood.  Phone: (310) 360-9100.  Website: http://www.figandolive.com/locations-reservation/melrose-place/